At Senior Night, the UCF Knights keep their bowl hopes alive by coming back to edge the Oklahoma State Cowboys 17-14. It’s time for some Knee-Jerk Reactions.
A Tale of Two Cities
UCF and Oklahoma State are both teams in transition. UCF started in 2024 and into 2025, and Oklahoma State started this season. The Cowboys administration was hesitant to fire long-time head coach Mike Gundy, but their 2024 season showed they needed to move on. UCF head coach Scott Frost, along with other players at the post-game press conference, noted the work the Cowboys players and coaches have done. Interim coach Doug Meachem has not won a game yet, but the team has been competitive in its last two outings against Kansas State and UCF.
A Tale of Two Offenses, Too
The first- and second-half offenses for UCF were worlds apart. The first half was ugly. After the Cowboys established momentum with an opening-drive touchdown, the Knights sputtered near midfield and had to punt. After the defense caused a turnover on downs, the team got back near midfield before quarterback Tayven Jackson threw an interception. Over the remaining three drives of the first half, UCF would not cross midfield, punting twice and throwing an interception right before halftime. At the end of the first half, the Knights were on the short end of all the good stats, including total yards of offense(201-131), passing(105-74), rushing(96-57), and third down conversion(4/8 vs 1/4). They were also down 2-0 in turnovers and time of possession 19:36 to 10:24..
The second half started with a bang as Jackson found tight end Dylan Wade for an 83-yard score to create the big momentum shift. From this point forward, UCF’s offense went to work. They struggled to put points on the board with penalties still being a problem, but after Jackson threw two interceptions in the first half, the Knights as a whole had zero giveaways. He went 9/12 for 197 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, a far cry from the disaster in the first. His second touchdown was another to Wade in the fourth quarter, who is now the team leader in receiving yards. The Knights’ ensuing drive was a nearly six-minute drive that set up Noe Ruelas for a 34-yard go-ahead field goal with under a minute remaining.
Second Half Randy Shannon
For those who might not get the above reference, when Josh Heupel was hired at UCF, athletic director Danny White hired Randy Shannon as defensive coordinator. The defense had a habit of playing poorly in the first half and then clamping down in the second. Today was just like that, a tale of two defenses. See a pattern here?
Through ten games this season, Oklahoma State averaged around 14 points a game. The Cowboys scored that on the Knights’ defense in the first half. The offense, behind quarterback Zane Flores and running back Rodney Fields Jr., gained 201 yards and scored those two touchdowns. What is interesting is that the Cowboys largely ran the same few plays and merely flipped the design as needed. The defense was a bit shell-shocked early on. Linebacker Cole Kozlowski kept getting stuck in pass coverage and burned on the slant route.
In the second half, the Cowboys struggled to do much of anything. While UCF could not get any turnovers, they clamped down on the offense. In the second half, Oklahoma State gained only 27 yards of offense, one first down, and went 0/5 on third down. The 27 yards broke down to 19 yards in the air and eight yards on the ground. After Ruelas hit his field goal to give the Knights the lead, the defense sealed the deal with Flores being intercepted by Braeden Marshall.
What Now?
This is it. Next week will all but determine UCF’s postseason chances. UCF travels to Provo, Utah, to play an excellent BYU team. A win would make UCF bowl eligible at 6-6. A loss would put UCF at 5-7. They would need a miracle of having enough teams below 6-6 to slide in, maybe. The home schedule is done. If UCF does make a bowl game, there is always the potential that they end up somewhere within a reasonable distance. The team is hoping for the extra practices that come with being in a bowl game.
Remember those first have offensive stats I mentioned earlier? By the end of the game, UCF was ahead in every single category except for turnovers. The Knights only had one takeaway versus the two giveaways.
Frost said that during halftime, the team’s vocal leaders turned it up a notch, and the coaches did not “rip the face off” the players for making mistakes. This allowed the players to settle back into their game and find a groove. This could potentially be a sign of a turning point in the team’s fortunes. Then again, it might not.
Uniform Review
For Senior Day, UCF wore its gold helmet and black tops and bottoms. This is a good look for UCF as they close their home schedule for 2025. UCF wearing gold helmets is a classic look, and the rest of the uniform, being black, looks sharp. Oklahoma State went with a black/white/black combo. I like the black helmets.
Stat Leaders:
Passing:
UCF: Tayven Jackson: 16/25 for 271 yards, 2 TD, 2 Int
Oklahoma State: Zane Flores: 13/28 for 124 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int
Rushing:
UCF: Myles Montgomery: 18 carries for 81 yards, 0 TD
Oklahoma State: Rodney Fields Jr.: 19 carries for 87 yards, 0 TD
Receiving:
UCF: Dylan Wade: 4 catches for 145 yards, 2 TD
Oklahoma State: Gavin Freeman: 5 catches for 40 yards, 1 TD
Game Notes:
- UCF leads the series 2-0.
- Sorry, it’s not my best, but I was a game-time decision to be able to cover the game due to injury.
