Knights are back in the win column ahead of conference play next Saturday against TCU

Photo courtesy of Aryah Britt

UCF football pulled away in a tough, offensive showdown on Saturday night, winning 44-30 against the Georgia State Panthers at the Acrisure Bounce House.

Before kickoff, the home crowd heard that senior quarterback Keyone Jenkins will fill in for the injured Alonza Barnett III, who missed Saturday’s matchup while dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Knights (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) could not have gotten off to a better start.

In their opening defensive series, the Knights stuffed Georgia State quarterback Cameran Brown on a fourth-and-one on their own 34-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs.

Junior running back Duke Watson found the end zone four plays later with a 14-yard dash and granted the Knights an early lead.

After another defensive stand, this time on third-and-one, the Panthers (2-1, 0-0 SBC) attempted their first punt of the night on fourth down.

However, a major block by redshirt senior linebacker Jahleel Culbreath set the Knights up in the red zone. The drive then resulted in a 29-yard field goal by redshirt senior kicker Will Stone.

The Panthers bounced back with a ten-play drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Brown to wide receiver Rodshaun Dorsey, making it 10-7.

Jenkins answered with a shot right over the middle to sophomore wide receiver Waden Charles, who cashed in a 30-yard score on the Knights’ next drive.

Four minutes into the second quarter, a crushing defensive pass interference call on fifth-year defensive back Jayden Williams on third down gave the Panthers a fresh set of downs.

Brown then found Dorsey for his second touchdown of the night, cutting the Knights’ lead back to three points.

With the Knights looking to extend their lead, a crucial drop by senior tight end Dylan Wade followed by an incomplete deep shot for freshman wide receiver Tyren Hornes stalled the drive.

The Panthers then cashed in big and took the lead with a 78-yard sprint to the end zone by running back Qwantavius Wiggins.

After an exchange of field goals, the Knights found themselves down 24-20 heading into halftime.

UCF outscored Georgia State in the first quarter 17-to-7.

However, the Panthers found a way to flip the script and outscore the Knights 17-to-3 in the second. The only quarter the Knights were outscored in.

After a 37-yard kickoff return by redshirt freshman running back Taevion Swint to open the second half, Watson took it 63 yards to the house, and the Knights retook the lead with a huge momentum shot.

The Knights’ defense then escaped a major swing after a 34-yard rush by Wiggins and another pass-interference call on Williams set the Panthers up deep in Knights territory.

However, the Knights’ defense stood firm and forced a field goal out of the Panthers that evened the game 27-27.

Halfway into the third quarter, senior defensive back Antione Jackson returned a punt deep into Panther territory. However, a hold on the return backed up the Knights on their own seven-yard line.

Four plays later, Jenkins threw his first interception of the game, setting up the Panthers in Knights territory.

On the very next play, however, senior linebacker Tackett Curtis took the ball right back, intercepted Brown, and returned it across midfield to set up the Knights’ offense.

Curtis’s powerful defensive play sparked several strong plays out of the Knights’ defense.

Jenkins capped off that drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown that gave the Knights a brand-new lead as they headed into the fourth quarter up 34-27.

In the opening moments of the fourth quarter, redshirt senior defensive back Demari Henderson made one of the night’s biggest plays when he intercepted a pass tipped by senior linebacker Lewis Carter.

The Knights later extended their lead to two possessions as Stone made his third field goal of the game.

After the two-minute warning, the Panthers cut the deficit to one possession with another field goal, bringing the score to 37-30. They then attempted an onside kick that resulted in an illegal touch penalty and set the Knights up at the Georgia State 40-yard line.

Jenkins found the end zone at the end of that drive with a three-yard scamper and took the lead to 44-30 with a little over a minute left to play.

With a Knights’ defense refusing to budge, the game clock hit zero, and Henderson intercepted the ball once again in the end zone, securing the Knights’ second win of the season.

The Knights allowed 485 yards of total offense on 84 plays from Georgia State.

Although nearly 500 yards were allowed, three takeaways and a defensive step up allowed UCF to outscore Georgia State 24-to-6 in the second half.

Where the Knights won the game, offensively, was on the back of their rushing attack. They recorded 304 yards on the ground, with Watson accounting for a career-high 177 yards and two scores.

Watson told reporters in the postgame press conference that UCF’s reliance on the run game grew from an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mindset.

“Once we saw they were playing good coverage on the passes, I felt like the ground game was definitely the answer,” Watson said. “We were more consistent moving the ball downfield.”

Watson averaged 12.6 yards per carry on 14 carries, the second-highest clip in program history since Latavius Murray’s 13.27 yards per carry on Nov. 20, 2010. He also became the first Knight to rush for 171 or more yards since RJ Harvey in 2024.

In his first start for the Knights, Jenkins went 7-for-17 through the air for 86 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also tallied 25 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

Jenkins reflected on his performance postgame.

“I wouldn’t say I was pleased with my performance,” Jenkins said. “I can be better, and I will be better. That’s all I got to say.”

Head coach Scott Frost backed up his starting quarterback postgame and said the coaching staff didn’t give Jenkins many chances to make plays.

“It’s a week-to-week thing; he earned the number two spot for a reason, and I don’t see any reason that’s going to change,” Frost said. “He actually threw some really nice balls, but we didn’t give him many chances, and we have to give him more to perform.”

Frost also gave injury updates on both Barnett and senior wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr., who has missed the last three games as a game-time decision.

“We’re going to do everything we can to get [Barnett] back, but I don’t think that’s going to happen in the near future,” Frost said. “I kind of expected Speedy to play today; it’s just lingering on him, so he’s day-to-day.”

The Knights remain at home as they prepare to open Big 12 Conference play against the TCU Horned Frogs this Saturday at the Acrisure Bounce House at 3:30 p.m.