CINCINNATI — UCF fell behind 17-0 on the road at Cincinnati as the Knights struggled to get their offense on track, losing their third straight game, 20-11 on Saturday.
It was the sixth straight Big 12 loss for UCF and the ninth consecutive loss in October for the program.
The Knights return home to Acrisure Bounce House Stadium on Saturday to host West Virginia (1 p.m., TNT). In the meantime, here’s a look at five key takeaways from UCF’s latest setback.
Next man up at quarterback
Cam Fancher started his second game of the season on Saturday after missing most of the first half of the season with an undisclosed injury. The redshirt senior stepped in for Tayven Jackson, who was injured during last week’s loss to Kansas.
The quarterback situation has been quite chaotic lately, with Fancher, Jackson (currently dealing with an AC strain), and Jacurri Brown (also facing an AC strain) all grappling with injuries.
Coach Scott Frost noted that while Fancher was named the starter for the game against the Bearcats, fourth-stringer Davi Belfort stepped in as the backup while Jackson would have served as the emergency quarterback if needed.
“I just keep controlling the things that I can control,” Fancher said after the loss. “It’s not my decision to be the starter. It’s my job to come in prepared and ready to go whenever my number is called. That’s all I try to do: just come in with a positive mindset and a positive attitude and just attack every day.”
Fancher finished with 330 total yards of offense, including 108 yards rushing.
Knights continue to stub toes
UCF was flagged for a season-high 10 penalties on Saturday, the most by a Knights team since last season’s game against the Bearcats.
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Nine of the penalties were by the offense, including five false-start penalties, many of which occurred on crucial 3rd or 4th downs. That’s nine false-start penalties over the past two games.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Fancher said, “when you have drives going and it’s mistakes that you make on your side of the ball that we can control: pre-snap penalties, the false starts and those types of things.”
A false start on a 4th-and-1 led to a stalled drive in the second quarter, as did a false start on 3rd-and-11 in the third quarter.
“Where they’re happening is the most frustrating to me because they’re happening for the most part in the red zone,” Frost added. “It’s starting to be a pattern, and we have to address it.”
Frost indicated the Knights considered using a silent cadence to take the announced crowd of 35,782 out of the game, but chose not to use it until later.
Run game continues to stall out
Outside of Fancher’s game-high 108 rushing yards, UCF struggled to get much else going on the ground against the Bearcats.
Myles Montgomery finished with 56 yards on 13 carries while Stacy Gage added 24 and Jaden Nixon had 3 yards.
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“We kind of got behind in the game and we needed to throw it a little more,” Frost explained. “What they were giving us later in the game was kind of the quick passing game, and we were trying to take advantage of that.”
Plenty of fight in team
Despite the current three-game losing streak, Frost isn’t concerned about the emotional toll that it could be taking on his team.
“You guys can try to write an article about the guys getting down and giving up, it ain’t gonna happen, not with this crew,” Frost said. “We’re frustrated. I’m frustrated. I’m also, in a strange way, encouraged by just the fight and the improvement that’s happening.”
Linebacker Cole Kozlowski reiterated his coach’s message following the loss.
“I love the fight. I feel like every single game we’ve lost, we’ve given ourselves a chance to win the game,” Kozlowski said. “That’s really what it’s all about. Obviously, it’s not ideal losing, but I feel like we’re right there and we’re one step away.”
Clark’s loss is still felt
Cincinnati paid tribute to former UCF offensive line coach Shawn Clark, who died suddenly at age 50 on Sept. 14 after briefly being hospitalized for a medical emergency a few days earlier.
Clark’s absence has still weighed heavily on those he was closest to, including Frost.
“That’s been a weight on me and our team since it happened,” Frost said, holding back emotions. “I just love the man. It’s touching that other people are doing what they do to honor him at least.
“That’s a tough thing to go through for a team. I think the kids are responding well, but it was a heavy and emotional experience. I know he meant a lot to a lot of people, and it’s good to see people honoring Scott.”
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.
