A look back at some interesting moments for the Knights

As we prepare to flip the calendar to 2026, join the Sons of UCF as we take a look back at the 2025 calendar year in UCF Sports. Here are the Top 5 things that happened to UCF Football that had us saying, “I can’t believe that happened”

Outside Looking In (OLI)

Here are some things that didn’t quite make the list, but are still worthy of a mention

Noe Ruelas consistency in the kicking game… including at 50 yards plus

It has been a long time since UCF had some reliability in the kicking game, so watching senior transfer Noe Ruelas actually become an offensive weapon was a sight to behold for Knights fans. Ruelas went 15 of 17 (88% accuracy rate) on field goal attempts in 2025, which included three kicks that were 50 yards plus. Even Scott Frost took notice, mentioning how Ruelas’ leg and consistency allowed him to call the offense differently.

Back to back weather delays

The First Frost 2.0 era got off to a rather inauspicious start when both the opening game vs Jacksonville State and the week two contest vs North Carolina A&T were delayed due to weather. In each instance, a lightning delay amidst a driving rainstorm forced the Knights to push back the kickoff time by at least 60 minutes. The less-than-ideal weather also had an impact on the crowds, as fans either left early, never returned, or didn’t bother arriving due to the wet conditions. Fortunately for the Knights, they were able to pull out wins in both contests, but the vibes were certainly dampened.

UCF races out to a 14-0 lead at BYU

The Knights faced a daunting task to close out the 2025 season: go to Provo and beat a ranked BYU team to gain bowl eligibility. In an honest moment, most Knights fans would concede that the probability of a UCF win in this scenario was almost non-existent. But a funny thing happened early on, as the Knights got off to a fast start and dominated the first quarter, evidenced by a 14-0 lead. Was it possible that UCF was ready to play spoiler and grab a bowl berth in 2025? As the great Lee Corso would say, “not so fast, my friend.” BYU came roaring back, and by the end of the third quarter, the Cougars had a three-score lead en route to an easy win.

The Top 5 things that seemed unbelievable

And now, the five things that seemed almost incomprehensible during the 2025 UCF Football season

(5) Tayven Jackson is knocked out of the game… until he isn’t

The Knights first road trip of the season took them to Manhattan, Kansas, for the conference opener against Kansas State. Tayven Jackson led the offense for a third consecutive game, but was struggling to get much of anything working early on. Then, late in the second quarter, Jackson left the field in obvious pain after taking a tough hit while throwing a pass. Television cameras showed Jackson on the sidelines, in tears, with his jersey off, and his left (non-throwing) arm in a sling. As the half came to a close, it appeared that Jacurri Brown, who replaced Jackson at quarterback, was also dealing with an arm injury, creating the assumption that Cam Fancher would take over at QB.

However, to the surprise of many, including Scott Frost, the third quarter began with Jackson back in uniform and out on the field leading the Knights offense. Although the results did not end in UCF’s favor, Jackson played the remainder of the game and won a lot of respect from teammates and fans alike for his display of toughness.

(4) Bill Belichick is coaching in the Bounce House

The above statement still seems crazy to write, but on September 20, 2025, eight-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick brought his North Carolina Tar Heels to Orlando for a matchup with UCF. The game itself was rather anticlimactic, with the Knights cruising to an easy 34-9 win, but the lead-up (Go Central!) and sideshow were enough to keep folks entertained.

(3) Knights fail to score a TD on three plays from the 1 yard line

The Knights Big 12 home opener against Kansas was back and forth through three quarters, with the Jayhawks taking a 27-20 lead into the start of the 4th. With Tayven Jackson knocked out of the game earlier, Cam Fancher and the offense got the ball with 7:36 remaining in the game, and proceeded to drive down the field, landing at the Kansas one-yard line as the clock stopped for the two-minute timeout. Once back on the field, the UCF offense called three consecutive running plays, of which none actually managed to cross the goal line, leaving the Knights empty-handed. It was a brutal end to a game that UCF actually had within its grasp at times, and more importantly, it further cemented that the Knights offense was heading for a mark of futility.

(2) Drive: 17 plays, 40 yards, 9:02 duration. Punt

The offensive anemia UCF displayed at times throughout the season can be best summarized by a third-quarter drive against Cincinnati that is both memorable and forgettable. Trailing 17-3, the Knights got the ball at their own 14-yard line and, after a few plays, had churned out a first down. Now at their own 25-yard line, the Knights hit on a downfield play to DJ Black, which was promptly negated by a holding penalty. Then, over the next 11 plays, the Knights chunkily moved the ball all the way down to the Bearcats 29-yard line, which, at a minimum, put them in Noe Ruelas’ field-goal range. However, the very next play resulted in a 15-yard chop block penalty, reversing the ball back to the Bearcats 41-yard line. After an incomplete pass on the next play, the Knights faltered again, giving away 5 more yards on a false start. After a 3rd and 27 pass play fell incomplete, UCF was forced to run punter Anthony Venneri onto the field to kick the ball back to Cincinnati.

Not only did this affront to offensive football cause the Knights to squander a solid chance to put some points on the board, but three plays later, they gave up a 67-yard run that resulted in another field goal for Cincinnati, ostensibly sealing the win.

(1) UCF loses the Space Game on a last second Davi Belfort INT

Despite the rocky season up until this point, there was an aura of confidence in the air as the Knights prepared to play Houston in the Bounce House. The fact that Houston was 7-2 at the time was irrelevant, because it was a Space Game, and everybody knows that the Nauts don’t lose in a Space Game. An uneven offensive performance early on was almost single-handedly mitigated by defensive back Phillip Dunnam, who conjured up feelings of Space Game magic with three interceptions, including a pick-six. As the game came down the stretch, the Knights could not muster anything on offense, and the Coogs took a three-point lead with a little over two minutes left in the game. That meant the Knights would get one final drive, with a chance to either win or tie, led by quarterback Tayven Jackson Davi Belfort?!?!?? Wait, what? The redshirt freshman quarterback, who was moved to QB2 after injuries, was going to come into the game cold and lead the Knights final drive? It was a head-scratcher, but you know what, it damn near worked. Belfort’s running ability seemed to catch Houston off-guard, and with 18 seconds on the clock, UCF faced a 3rd down from the Houston 27-yard line. Scott Frost decided to eschew conservative football and called a pass play, which saw receiver Duane Thomas, Jr break open for a split second before a Houston defender stepped in front and intercepted the Belfort throw at the goal line.