The Knights hope for a turnaround after disappointing Baylor loss

Photo courtesy of Aryah Britt

With uncertainty at quarterback, UCF looks to regroup after a disappointing loss to Baylor on Friday as it heads on the road to face the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium this Saturday.

UCF enters the matchup after a catastrophic 41-9 loss to Baylor in its annual Space Game on Friday night.

The loss marked back-to-back losses in the annual tradition, the first since its introduction back in 2017.

Now on the road, the Knights (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) look to get over a bigger hump, a 12-game road losing streak that started with a 24-13 loss to the Florida Gators on Oct. 5, 2024.

Head coach Scott Frost expressed his frustration and how it grows with each loss.

“I get frustrated with it more than anything,” Frost said. “I get tired of getting asked about it, so I hope [the players] get frustrated that way, too.”

The next challenge comes against the Jayhawks (3-5, 1-4 Big 12), a team the Knights have fallen to in their last two matchups.

In their most recent meeting, the Knights lost a narrow 27-20 home game on Oct. 4, 2025.

“We do everything we can to get our guys ready to go,” Frost said. “I hope they embrace that challenge.”

In each of the Knights’ road losses this season, it looked like they could end the losing streak; however, they have yet to find the answer to get over the obstacles.

In their 12-7 road loss to Pittsburgh, the Knights failed to generate offensive opportunities, particularly in the run game. In the Knights’ losses to then-No. 20 Houston and No. 18 Oklahoma State, second-half struggles proved to be the focal point.

Along with their road struggles, the Knights face uncertainty at quarterback this weekend.

In UCF’s loss to Baylor, senior Keyone Jenkins suffered an ankle injury on the opening drive of the second half. Redshirt senior Alonza Barnett III finished the game, making his first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh.

Jenkins completed 68% of his pass attempts this season, throwing 1,181 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also displayed his athleticism with 61 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Frost noted on Monday that Barnett could play this weekend against Kansas.

“I think Alonza’s healthy. I don’t know about Lyghtz right now,” Frost said. “It’s trending toward Alonza playing. The update I got after the game was that Lyghtz might not be at full speed this week and whether he’s able to go at all.”

Although he has missed reps and time due to injury, Frost emphasized his trust in Barnett as he was UCF’s top transfer acquisition in the spring transfer portal cycle.

“We brought Alonza in here for a reason, and it’s unfortunate he got hurt,” Frost said. “We would love to see him finish it out well, if that’s the direction we have to go, we’re going to go that way and be confident about it.”

To win on the road, Frost highlighted the need for the Knights to perform the way they did when they took down then-No. 2 BYU in double overtime.

Redshirt senior linebacker Jahleel Culbreath knows there is a price to pay to get a big win on the road.

“One thing that our coach emphasizes is that we’ve got to pay a fee to win on the road: fundamentals, execution, effort, and toughness,” Culbreath said. “If we emphasize those things going on the road, we’ll come out with a big one.”

The Knights will look for another opportunity to end the 12-game losing skid this Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas, against the Jayhawks in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium at 3:45 p.m.