The night was supposed to be a celebration.
It was supposed to be a coronation.
It was supposed to be about redemption, about rebirth, about a prodigal son, Scott Frost, returning home to restore the kingdom he once built.
Instead, it turned into survival against a three-touchdown underdog.
It turned into a white-knuckle fight for dignity; not dominance.
It turned into UCF backup quarterback Tayven Jackson coming in for the injured Cam Fancher and finding DJ Black for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 remaining to give the Knights a 17-10 come-from-behind victory over Jacksonville State.
“It didn’t go quite like I anticipated it would go,” Frost said.
Still, Frosty couldn’t help but smile.
“I can’t tell you how much I love coaching here,” he said.
Yes, this moment meant something deeper; the resurrection and the return of a man who once made UCF believe in the impossible.
This wasn’t just any coach returning to the program he once led to glory. This was a man who knows what it feels like to coach an undefeated team and hoist a Peach Bowl trophy one year and be booed out of Lincoln five years later. He knows the weight of regret, the ache of failure, the loneliness of losing seasons.
And he knows what this place means – to him and to them.
For the fans, the sight of Frost in black and gold again was more than nostalgia. It was hope – raw, unfiltered hope – that maybe, just maybe, the man who built Camelot once before can rebuild it again.
There was also the false hope that Frost and his pyrotechnic UCFast offense would pick up where it did eight years ago, but, unfortunately, nostalgia doesn’t score points. This was a rain-soaked, lightning-delayed, sobering reminder that fairy tales are easy to write in December press conferences – and much harder to script under the bright lights of the Bounce House.
It started well enough. The stadium was alive and the fight song blared as Frost sprinted out of the tunnel like a man reborn. Fans stood and roared, chanting his name.
And then the game kicked off, and the Florida weather kicked in. A thunderstorm and the resulting lightning delay lasted two hours and seven minutes. The game was scoreless with 10:45 left in the second quarter when play was stopped.
What followed wasn’t a disaster, but it was a disappointment. A messy, frustrating first game that should remind everyone of a simple truth: rebuilding a program is hard. And rebuilding this program – one gutted of confidence, talent, and depth– is going to take time.
You could see it on Frost’s face in the postgame press conference. His voice was steady, but his eyes told the story. He knew how much this night meant – not just to him, but to everyone wearing black and gold. He wanted to give everyone a heartwarming homecoming, but instead he gave them a nail-biting one.
“We’ve got a really young team – and that’s not an excuse,” Frost said. “I wanted it to go better – particularly on offense.”
In reality, this is probably the type of performance we should have expected from a new coach, a new staff and a rebuilt roster that includes nearly 70 new players.
Here’s the truth nobody wants to hear: Gus Malzahn didn’t leave UCF because he wanted to coach Mike Norvell’s offense at Florida State. He left because he knew what was coming. This roster is thin. The NIL coffers are shallow. The Big 12 is a meat grinder, and UCF is one of smallest calves in the herd right now.
Frosty isn’t a magician. Not anymore.
He’s a builder. And builders need time.
If you think Frost is going to conjure up another undefeated season in two years, you might want to schedule an intervention because that’s not a hope; that’s a delusion.
Scott Frost knows this. He’s not selling snake oil or promising pixie dust. Remember what he said at his introductory news conference back in December? “We’ve got a lot of work to do. … I hope everybody doesn’t expect us to go undefeated immediately.”
Even so, if you want to look at Thursday night’s sloppy victory in the most positive light possible, you could point out that Frost still hasn’t lost a game at UCF in eight years and has now won 14 straight games as the head coach of the Knights.
But if you want to look at it realistically, you must realize this is going to take time.
And patience.
And faith.
Frosty’s magic isn’t gone, but it’s not coming back on a lightning bolt.
It’s going to take work, sweat, sacrifice – and lots of NIL dollars – to resurrect Camelot.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my new radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
