UCF football squanders 17-point lead to No. 20 Houston in 11th straight road loss
· Yahoo Sports
HOUSTON — Keyone Jenkins silenced the sparse TDECU Stadium crowd when he scrambled for a 5-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal. UCF, mired in a 10-game road losing streak, stunningly built a three-score lead against 20th-ranked Houston with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Conner Weigman rallied the host Cougars while UCF ran out of steam and, more importantly, reinforcements — resulting in a disappointing, downward spiral.
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Houston (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) scored 27 unanswered points across its final five possessions, anchored by Weigman's three rushing touchdowns, in a 27-17 victory over the Knights (3-2, 1-1). UCF had surrendered 15 second-half points combined in their previous four contests.
"Everything was going our way for three quarters," UCF coach Scott Frost said. "That's the kind of game they want to play, take their time on offense and try to wear you down, and nickel-and-dime you. … 17-0 in the third quarter, you feel great. You have a chance to get a stop there and really be in control of the game, and we didn't."
Houston capitalized on the lone mistake made by Jenkins. Edge rusher Latreveon McCutchin deflected a pass on third-and-2, intercepted it and returned the ball down to the Knights' 2-yard line. Weigman punched in his second TD run two plays later to pull Houston within three, and the fifth-year senior gave the Cougars the lead for good with a 1-yard keeper after the Knights went three-and-out with their third-string signal-caller.
Jenkins hobbled down the tunnel with the assistance of UCF's training staff, thrusting Kaleb Annett into action. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior returned in the fourth quarter but could not lead the Knights back into the end zone.
Here are three takeaways from UCF's missed opportunity to notch a first win over a ranked opponent since 2023.
Houston squanders 3 goal-line opportunities before halftime
UCF's defense bent but did not break for more than 41 minutes, including three first-half Cougar drives into the red zone.
Houston's first two drives covered more than 10 plays, the first ending in a punt and the second with a pass breakup. Weigman rolled right off playaction, and Tackett Curtis batted down his pass intended for tight end Patrick Overmyer.
UCF went three-and-out, and Trent Walker negated Atticus Bertram's 50-yard punt with a 33-yard return to the Knights' 26. Koby Young gained 15 on a reverse, but the Knights stiffened again with their backs against the wall. Weigman sailed a fourth-down throw into the flat for Re'Shaun Sanford II, resulting in another goal-line stand.
"I would say our physicality (worked), honing into the details," Knights safety Jayden Williams said. "We were great at attacking them before they attacked us and just being playmakers out there."
The downside to consecutive defensive stands, however, was terrible starting field position for Jenkins and the Knights' offense. They again punted quickly, and Houston regained possession in plus territory. Weigman hit Overmyer uncovered in the middle of the field, reaching the 10-yard line, but Demari Henderson stripped the ball free, allowing Curtis to recover in the end zone.
UCF turned the takeaway into points in the form of Will Stone's 30-yard field goal shortly before the two-minute timeout. Houston, the nation's No. 6 scoring offense entering the day, came up empty despite gaining 183 yards before halftime.
UCF's run game goes AWOL despite 3rd-quarter lead
Running against Houston's defense always posed a difficult task, but the Knights found success on both of their scoring drives in the middle quarters.
Taevion Swint ran three times for 19 yards in setting up Stone's field goal before the break, and Duke Watson got going in the third quarter, shaking loose for a 37-yard run down to Houston's 2. Three plays later, Jenkins pumped, juked and strolled into the end zone to make it 17-0.
However, the Knights seemed to abandon the ground game for the remainder of the day. They did not run the ball once on their next four drives, totaling 17 yards on 13 snaps.
Asked about the strategy, Frost said run plays were called, but each had options to pass depending on the Cougars' defensive formation.
"They're very multiple, and they're going to give you different looks a lot," Frost said. "Our run plays had RPOs on them. When they get too many in the box, we're throwing the RPO. That led to fewer carries, but it isn't like we didn't call run plays."
UCF center Jacob Maiava suffers hip injury, does not return
Frost said Jenkins was dealing with cramping, and the Florida International transfer finished the game — a positive sign for his potential availability for next week's trip to Oklahoma State. However, the Knights suffered a potentially impactful loss in the trenches.
Redshirt freshman center Jacob Maiava, who made his third straight start, was carted off the sidelines with a hip injury. He did not return, and the Knights used both Cooper Terpstra and Connor Meadows at the position in his absence.
"I know he got X-rays, and those came back OK," Frost said. "We'll see."
Center has been a turnstile position for the Knights over the past four years. UCF has used nine different players at that spot since Matt Lee transferred to Miami ahead of the 2023 campaign.
UCF played without four starters in quarterback Alonza Barnett III, linebacker Lewis Carter, slot receiver Duane Thomas Jr. and guard Owen Spell — all of whom were ruled out on Wednesday's initial Big 12 availability report. Senior tight end Dylan Wade played despite being considered a game-time decision 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
"We're trusting all our players. We've got good depth," said UCF senior wide receiver Josh Derry, who caught seven of nine targets for 101 yards and a touchdown. "Continue to get guys ready; that's the game of football. You recruit guys to have them to be able to play. Guys who maybe haven't gotten a lot of snaps will get a lot of snaps, and they're prepared."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football squanders 17-point lead to No. 20 Houston in 11th straight road loss