UCF finally gets its first Big 12 home opener in the Acrisure Bounce House on Saturday, and Scott Frost knows the early part of conference play is going to shape everything that follows.
The Knights open their nine-game league slate against TCU at 3:30 p.m. on FS1, with UCF sitting at 2-1 and the Horned Frogs also 2-1. It’s only the second meeting between the programs and the first in Orlando.
“We open at home, and then we go on the road two weeks in a row despite only having four (Big 12) away games,” Frost said. “It's just another opportunity, man. Our team has a chance to earn it every week - earn some respect and earn what we want for our season.”
UCF is coming off a 12-7 loss at Pittsburgh, its 10th straight road defeat, sandwiched between home wins over Bethune-Cookman and Georgia State. The Knights also know they’ve already seen TCU once in a dramatic way: they rallied from 21 points down to beat the Horned Frogs two seasons ago, a game that came near the end of Gus Malzahn’s tenure before Frost replaced him that December.
This time around, Keyone Jenkins is set for his second straight start at quarterback with Alonza Barnett III out because of a hamstring injury. Against Georgia State, Jenkins went 7 of 17 for 86 yards, threw a touchdown to Waden Charles and also had an interception. He also ran for two scores.
Frost defended the performance afterward.
“We're really glad we have him. I thought, for the most part, he played well," Frost said.
"I thought we could play a little better around him and catch a couple more balls for him. He really made one bad throw and otherwise played a pretty solid game.
I'm sure with some more reps he'll just continue to get better.”
Duke Watson was the biggest weapon in that win, piling up a career-high 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns. UCF as a team is averaging 228 rushing yards per game, which ranks seventh in the Big 12, while the passing game sits 15th at 157.3 yards per game.
The challenge gets tougher against a TCU defense that has been stingy against the run, allowing 79.3 yards per game, while ranking seventh against the pass at 185 yards allowed and second in the league in third-down defense at 23.1%.
For UCF, the key may be finding some balance through the air. Chris Boyle pointed to the need for the Knights to hit a few downfield shots to keep TCU from crowding the line of scrimmage, especially after Pittsburgh bottled things up and forced UCF into a one-dimensional approach. The weather is expected to cooperate, which should help Jenkins and a receiving group that includes Waden Charles, Dylan Wade, Josh Derry and even Watson coming out of the backfield.
TCU comes in with its own questions at quarterback, though there’s also reason for optimism. The Horned Frogs lost starting quarterback Josh Hoover to national champion Indiana and replaced him with Jaden Craig, who transferred in from Harvard. Craig bounced back from a rough Week 0 outing in Dublin, where TCU was shut out on its final eight drives in a 15-10 loss to North Carolina, and has since thrown seven touchdown passes in wins over Grambling State and Arkansas State.
Ed Small leads the Horned Frogs with 21 catches for 330 yards, while tight ends Kari Ashley and Ka'Morreun Pimpton have combined for five touchdown receptions. Jeremy Payne is handling the ground game, averaging just under 20 carries per contest and totaling 307 yards with one touchdown.
TCU also dealt with a turbulent August after dismissing safety Jacob Fields following a locker-room altercation in which he allegedly punched a teammate. Fields was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
The health reports matter on both sides. UCF is still waiting on Alonza Barnett III, and several other players are in question.
Senior linebacker Lewis Carter was in the medical tent for the final drive against Georgia State while his knee was evaluated, according to the team’s radio broadcast. Senior slot receiver Duane Thomas Jr. has yet to play after being listed as a game-time decision the last three weeks, and senior right guard Owen Spell is dealing with plantar fasciitis.
Connor Meadows moved over from center to fill in last week, and redshirt freshman Jacob Maiava made his first college start.
TCU could get a boost from the expected return of leading receiver Jordan Dwyer, who caught 54 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns last season after transferring from Idaho. Sonny Dykes said Dwyer practiced fully Tuesday and was expected to continue pushing through the week.
“He had a full practice (Tuesday). He'll do the same thing (Wednesday), and we'll try to get him to push through the week.
Same thing on Friday; we'll have a robust practice on Friday, and see how he handles it all,” Dykes said. “Hopefully, it's full speed ahead on Saturday.
“He looks great. He looks like there's nothing wrong. You would never know that he's got anything happening.”
Senior edge rusher Zach Chapman is questionable after missing the last three games, and offensive lineman Ryan Hughes could also be available despite being banged up.
The matchup has the feel of a game that could swing on quarterback play and whether UCF can make enough explosive plays to loosen TCU’s front. Chris Vinel framed it as a question of which version of Craig shows up, while Ken Willis said neither team looks like it will frighten many conference opponents and still leaned to the home side.
The picks reflected just how tight this one looks: Chris Boyle took UCF 26, TCU 21; Chris Vinel had TCU 24, UCF 21; and Ken Willis went with UCF 17, TCU 16.
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