MANHATTAN, Kansas — A slow start on the road sent UCF to its first loss of the season as the Knights dropped their Big 12 opener at Kansas State, 34-20, on Saturday.
This marked the fourth straight defeat against a conference opponent and the fifth consecutive loss away from home for the program.
The Knights will return to their home turf for their Big 12 home opener against Kansas this Saturday at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium. In the meantime, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from UCF’s setback against the Wildcats.
Plenty of fight in the Knights
Even after falling behind 24-7 at the start of the third quarter, UCF refused to back down, determined to chip away at what appeared to be an unassailable lead.
This tenacity was best embodied by quarterback Tayven Jackson. Despite leaving the game in the first half due to an AC sprain in his left shoulder, he returned to the field in a bid to inspire a comeback.
“I don’t think this team will ever give up,” said coach Scott Frost. “We could lose three or four straight [games] and this team won’t give up. We’re starting to develop a bond. You’ve got to go through some success and some hard things to really come together as a group.”
Frost was particularly proud of his team’s attitude following the loss.
“I love the attitude in the locker room after the game,” Frost added. “I don’t think they feel like they gave Kansas State quite their best shot and we all need to work to make sure that when we get on the field, we play our best. That’s the only way you can win in this league.”
The quarterback room is worse for wear
With both Jackson and Jacurri Brown having suffered AC sprains in the first half of Saturday’s loss, the overall health of the quarterback room could be a cause for concern moving forward.
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Both players saw action in the second half, but Jackson admitted that playing hurt is just part of the position.
“That’s who we are as a team,” he said. “That’s what coach Frost teaches us and that’s what our culture is, just being tough. So this is natural. There’s only one way to play quarterback, and that’s to be tough and that’s what we try to do.”
Frost admitted he expected to play Cam Fancher coming out of the half, but both Brown and Jackson were able to go. Fancher hasn’t played since he was injured in the second quarter of the team’s opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28.
Knights need to find a ground identity
It’s been hit-or-miss for the Knights as it pertains to their rushing attack.
On Saturday, Myles Montgomery finished with a career-high 119 yards and a healthy 11.9 yards per carry average while Jaden Nixon had 66 yards on five carries for a 13.2 yards per carry average.
Both players hit on big runs: Montgomery had a 45-yarder and Nixon’s 54-yard touchdown cut the KSU lead to 31-17, but finding consistency, especially early on, has been particularly challenging.
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“We’re young, experience-wise, so [K-State] did a good job of switching up their fronts and not doing the same thing more than once,” said Montgomery. “It was hard to get a key on them.”
“Going into the game, we expected them to use tempo and try to go fast and run the quarterback, which is what happened,” Frost said. “Because of that, we wanted to try and control the ball and time of possession and instead it went completely against our plan to begin with. We left our defense out there too long.”
Receivers lost a step
After spending the past nine months practicing in the heat and humidity of Central Florida, Frost expected his players to be prepared to handle the challenges of a long game. But on Saturday, he felt his receivers struggled to keep up in the second half.
“The one thing that disappointed me is, we practice outside in the heat every day and the defense has an excuse because they played a lot in the first half, but our receivers got too tired too fast,” Frost lamented. “When they’re fresh, they can run and they scare you. When they’re not fresh, we didn’t look good enough. We need to be a little tougher and be able to push through that a little better.”
Duane Thomas Jr. led the group with four catches for 55 yards, but it was DJ Black’s 82-yard touchdown late in the second quarter that brought some excitement back in the game for the Knights.
Defense fails to stop the run
Kansas State entered Saturday’s game last in the Big 12 in rushing offense, but the Wildcats ran for a season-high 266 yards against the Knights.
Running back Dylan Edwards had a career-high 166 yards, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Quarterback Avery Johnson added a season-high 75 yards.
It was the most yards allowed by a UCF team since the 2023 Gasparilla Bowl when Georgia Tech rushed for 284 yards.
“You just can’t give him [Edwards] that many opportunities,” said Frost. “At times, we just squashed him when we triggered on things and played our defense the right way. There wasn’t much there, but when you give a kid like him or Avery enough chances, their speed is going to make some plays.”
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.