UCF heads to Stillwater on Saturday with a chance to keep building after a mixed start, and Scott Frost made it clear Monday that the Knights know what kind of challenge is waiting at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The Knights and Oklahoma State kick off at 11 a.m., and Frost’s biggest update centered on quarterback Alonza Barnett III. Barnett, the James Madison transfer brought in to lead UCF this season, has been out since the Week 2 loss to Pitt with a hamstring injury. Frost didn’t sound optimistic about a return this week.
“I don’t think it’ll happen this week,” Frost said. “We got a bye week coming up after this, and we gotta pour everything into this one. Hopefully that gives us time to get a lot of guys some more time to get healthy.”
With Barnett sidelined, FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins has handled the offense. He’s completed 70% of his passes for 541 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, while also running for three scores.
Frost also spent time on Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, and his praise came quickly.
“This guy’s a good player,” Frost said. “… Drew’s a special guy.
He’s gonna be a draft pick. When you’re playing a guy like that, you really gotta be on your game.”
He also touched on the flow of talent from North Texas to Oklahoma State, while giving credit to OSU coach Eric Morris for identifying that talent at North Texas in the first place. Frost then pointed to how the Cowboys have responded after the Tulsa loss, noting that their defense has been steady all season and their offense has taken off since that early stumble.
“Defensively, they’ve played pretty well all season,” Frost said. “… They didn’t score a lot of points in the first game, and then they’ve been lighting it up since. Usually it takes offense a little longer to get going, and with the guys they have, I’m not surprised that they got it turned up.”
UCF enters at 3-2, and both losses have come on the road against teams currently in the AP Top 25. The Knights fell 12-7 to Pitt in miserable weather in Pittsburgh, a game that also cost them Barnett. Then last weekend, UCF led Houston 17-0 in the third quarter before the Cougars rallied for a 27-17 win.
“We put ourselves in position to have a chance to win two games against really good opponents on the road,” Frost said. “We’re gonna play another one this week, and we gotta try to do the same thing and then find a way.
I don’t think it’s anything about the mentality of the team. I think they showed up and played hard against Pitt on a tough day.
I think we played really well for a considerable amount of time against Houston. We didn’t finish those.
Had a chance to and didn’t.”
Between those losses, UCF beat Georgia State 44-30 and grabbed a Big 12 win over TCU, 21-13, in Orlando. Frost said the week-to-week swings in college football can be sharp, and he pointed to Oklahoma State as the latest example.
“This league is funny, you look at them and everybody kind of counted them out after getting beat by Tulsa, and all of a sudden they beat Oregon and look really good in every game since,” Frost said. “Sometimes it takes a while to catch your footing.
I think across the board it’s hard to win on the road in this league, and I think everybody in the games I’ve watched has had an advantage and played a little better at home than they have on the road. We get another road opportunity this week.”
In Other News...
Oregon States Blowout Raised One Big Question About This Team
Oregon States 56-26 win over Colorado State at Canvas Stadium offered a lot to like, and the way it unfolded gave the Beavers a clearer picture of where this team is headed. The offense found plenty of rhythm, the defense had stretches that looked sturdy, and the broader performance suggested a team with enough balance to make its early-season success feel real rather than accidental.
Even with the blowout in hand, the larger conversation around the Beavers is not just about one convincing result, but what it says about their place in the conference and how much higher the ceiling might be if the injuries continue to be managed. The depth chart still has to hold up, and the next few weeks will matter as Oregon State tries to show this was more than a strong day against an overmatched opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ollie Gordon Is Becoming A Real Factor In Miami Fast
Ollie Gordon IIs move from Oklahoma State to Miami has started to look a lot more significant in a hurry. In the Dolphins 15-10 loss to Minnesota, the former Cowboys back turned a bigger workload into a breakout performance, piling up 100 rushing yards on just nine carries while also finding the end zone and consistently stressing the Vikings defense.
Gordons rise came in the wake of DeVon Achanes season-ending ACL injury, which has opened the door for a reshuffled backfield. What makes this stretch especially interesting for Miami is that Gordon does not look like a temporary fill-in - his efficiency and growing role suggest the Dolphins may already be rethinking how they want to use him moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States San Diego State Game Suddenly Comes With One Huge Unknown
San Diego State arrives at Reser Stadium on Oct. 10 with a very different sort of buildup than Oregon State probably expected when the game was first on the calendar. The Aztecs have had issues on both sides of the ball this season, particularly in the passing game, which has kept them from looking like a team that should scare the Beavers on paper.
But there is also a wrinkle that makes the matchup hard to read cleanly. San Diego State has had to deal with a health issue that kept several key players out last week, including starting running back Lucky Sutton and right guard Michael Levelle Watkins, and the roster uncertainty comes on the heels of a wild win over Texas State in which the Aztecs erased a 14-point second-half deficit despite being heavily outgained. For Oregon State, the opponent still looks manageable, but the unknowns around who is available could end up mattering more than the preseason scouting report. [Read more 🡒]