The UCF Knights end their regular season with a thud, as a quick start can’t stop the BYU Cougars, who beat UCF 41-21. It’s time for some Knee-Jerk Reactions.
A One-Dimensional Offense
UCF hit the ground running against BYU. The Knights had a solid 90-yard touchdown scoring drive to get the game started. UCF would quickly get the ball back, and before you know it, it’s 14-0 Knights. The 11th-ranked BYU Cougars were not going to lie down. While the Cougars locked up their spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, they are still in the hunt for a CFP at-large selection.
Quarterback Tayven Jackson started the game nearly perfectly. In the first quarter, Jackson went 10/12 for 110 yards and two touchdowns. The running game with Myles Montgomery showed signs of life against a stout BYU rushing defense, with 32 yards on the ground. The offense went 4-for-4 on third downs and held onto the ball for over 9 minutes. It all went sharply downhill after that. The second quarter was abysmal for the whole team, as UCF had 16 yards of offense, 20 in the air, and -4 on the ground. Head coach Scott Frost tried having wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr pass the ball, and it ended in an interception.
UCF’s offense in the second half was not great, but it had some positive moments. Statistically, the second half was not that much different than the first, with 158 yards of offense in the first and 138 yards in the second. The big difference is that the third and fourth quarters were very similar. The running game was nonexistent, forcing the Knights to be a one-dimensional passing team. Running back Agyeman Addae did try passing the ball in the second half, and he found Jackson for a four-yard touchdown, the only points the Knights scored in the second half.
Addae, a freshman, had a career day. Aside from throwing for a touchdown, he was the team leader in receiving with five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Defense Keeps Ground Game in Check
UCF’s defense was going to have to play a nearly flawless game to keep BYU’s offense from racking up the points. BYU’s LJ Martin is the Big 12 rushing leader, and the team averages over 200 yards per game on the ground. The defense had to find a way to keep the running game under control, and the defense delivered. Martin ran for 95 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries with a long of 14 yards. As a whole, the team only ran for 118 yards on the ground. That includes 28 yards lost due to UCF recording four quarterback sacks. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier is having one of the best rushing seasons by a BYU quarterback only netted four yards on nine carries due to those sacks. The defense did its job there.
Unfortunately, Bachmeier had a field day throwing the ball, going 21/25 for 289 yards and a touchdown. Bachmeier only had two incomplete passes in each half. The defense had trouble being in the right place at the right time to defend the pass. One play in particular, in the third quarter, where Bachmeier found Parker Kingston over the middle, defensive back Braeden Marshall had a bad angle and missed the tackle. Both linebackers were too close to the line of scrimmage, leaving the middle of the field open. Kingston caught the ball in stride and would run for a 46-yard touchdown, which made the score 38-21. Kingston would earlier score on a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown, the first against the Knights since 2023.
What Now?
The reasonable expectation is that the season is over at 5-7. UCF left a few wins on the field, and it came back to bite them. However, the season being over is not certain. Going into today, seven bowl slots remain to be filled. That number has since shrunk. That means that unless more six win teams pop up, the bowls will start inviting 5-7 teams based on their academic progress ranking. UCF is tied for 21st in the nation and, based on my counting, fifth in teams that are 5-6 or 4-7 as of kickoff of the publishing of this article. If UCF wants a shot at a bowl game, fans will want to root against the 5-6 and 4-7 teams playing today. As the day has wore on, it seems more and more likely that UCF’s season is over.
Uniform Review
For the regular-season finale, UCF wore its gold helmets, white tops, and white bottoms. Since changing the gold helmet’s shade, it has been a real hit and is used often by the equipment team. The brighter gold is rather versatile and can work with a white or black top. UCF has lacked a third color since this helmet debuted. One has to wonder how it would do with a third color option. This year’s uniform set is better than the 2022 refresh, but pales in comparison to the 2016 refresh. Adding some more variety would help.
Stat Leaders:
Passing:
UCF: Tayven Jackson: 21/37 for 232 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int
BYU: Bear Bachmeier: 21/25 for 289 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int
Rushing:
UCF: Myles Montgomery: 7 carries for 29 yards, 0 TD
BYU: LJ Martin: 22 carries for 95 yards, 3 TD
Receiving:
UCF: Agyeman Addae: 5 catches for 62 yards, 1 TD
BYU: Parker Kingston: 6 catches for 126 yards, 1 TD
Game Notes:
- BYU leads the series 4-1.
- UCF’s road losing streak extends to ten games.
- Sorry, it’s not my best, but I was already practicing for the upcoming offseason.
