UCF’s recent struggles during its three-game losing streak have the team seeing yellow.

The Knights are among the most penalized teams in the Big 12, having been flagged 44 times. That includes a season-high 10 times on Saturday in a 20-11 loss at Cincinnati.

The majority of the penalties during the losing skid have been on offense (18). That includes 10 false start penalties, five of which were called in the loss to the Bearcats.

“The false starts and things of that nature occur at key times; that’s concerning to me,” said coach Scott Frost. “We’ve got to keep addressing that because they don’t seem to be happening when everything’s going smoothly. They happen at key moments and we’ve got to make sure and fix that.”

Three of the false start penalties on Saturday occurred on either third or fourth downs and three took place inside the red zone.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” said guard Cam Kinnie. “You can’t let one play beat you twice, just like you can’t let one team beat you twice. So you have to continue to learn how to move on from those things.”

It’s on the practice field where UCF can hope to correct those mistakes, according to offensive coordinator Steve Cooper.

“You practice better,” said Cooper. “That’s what it is when you false start in practice. It’s not surprising that it’s going to happen in a game. We try to create more intense moments of practice.

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“Sometimes it’s just reframing practice, adjusting a couple of things for the periods so that you can highlight those things that we need to be in because it’s not like it’s always the same person. So, we go back to practice. We got to practice cleaner and smoother.”

What’s with the changes on the offensive line?

After starting the same five offensive linemen through the first four games of the season, UCF decided to switch things up against Kansas and Cincinnati.

Jabari Brooks stepped in for Gaard Memmelaar at left guard, while Kinnie took over for Keegan Smith at right guard.

“I feel like it’s been good,” Kinnie said on Monday. “Both groups are adjusting to it. When your number is called, you’ve got to go out there and execute. At the end of the day, we’re out there to score points, whether it’s me and Jabari or Gaard and Keegan in there, it doesn’t matter. It’s the results that are what’s important.”

Kinnie was the top-graded guard against the Bearcats last week, according to Pro Football Focus, while Brooks took the honor the previous week against Kansas.

How are the Knights preparing for West Virginia’s offense?

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez built a solid reputation throughout his career for being an offensive innovator.

While this season has been particularly challenging for the Mountaineers, who rank near the bottom of the Big 12 in most offensive categories, such as scoring and total offense, that still doesn’t mean UCF isn’t paying particular attention this weekend.

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“There’s a healthy respect on our end as we watch the tape,” said UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. “It may be a short gain or a small gain and then the home run. They do it in many different ways.

“Eye control is critical, as is discipline. We’ve talked about communication on the back end. They really test you defensively.”

What’s the latest on the quarterback situation?

The Knights are optimistic that they will have their full complement of quarterbacks when they face West Virginia this weekend.

“We’re going to have all hands on deck,” said Frost.

Cam Fancher started his second game of the season last Saturday at Cincinnati, stepping in for the injured Tayven Jackson. Jackson suffered a strained AC joint in his left shoulder during the team’s road game at Kansas State on Sept. 27. He re-aggravated that injury the following week against Kansas and was listed as the emergency quarterback against the Bearcats.

Jacurri Brown has missed the past two games while he’s dealt with a strained AC joint that he suffered at Kansas State.

That left fourth-stringer Davi Belfort as the Knights’ primary backup last week.

Who starts against the Mountaineers could be a game-time decision.

“It comes down to who gives us the best chance,” said Frost. “Honestly, that will probably come down to a coach’s decision and who practices better this week.”

What is the status of safety Jayden Williams?

Frost gave an update on the health status of safety Jayden Williams, who has been sidelined after having surgery to repair a minor fracture on his thumb that he suffered late in the season opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Williams briefly returned to action against North Carolina on Sept. 20, but hasn’t been back on the field since.

“Jayden had a broken thumb and they fixed it surgically and the surgery failed on him, so he had to go back in and get a pin in his thumb,” Frost said on Monday. “It’ll probably be another couple of weeks, according to the last report that I got. He’s got to get the pin out of his thumb and then he’ll be able to hopefully come back and help.”

Williams, a transfer from FAU, was expected to play a significant role in the secondary, along with fellow safeties Demari Henderson, Phil Dunnam, Jaden Gould and Jaylen Heyward.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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