CINCINNATI — From UCFast to UCFrustrating.

Any hopes of UCF finding its offensive groove against Cincinnati quickly went out the window as penalties and missed opportunities sent the Knights to their third straight defeat, a 20-11 loss to the Bearcats on Saturday.

It was the sixth straight Big 12 loss for UCF (3-3, 0-3 Big 12) and the ninth consecutive loss in October for the program. The last win came against then-No. 20 Cincinnati, 25-20 on Oct. 29, 2022.

The Knights tied a season-high with 10 penalties, failed to convert on a pair of 4th downs and were 4 of 12 on third downs, spelling a perfect recipe for disaster.

Cam Fancher started the game at quarterback in place of Tayven Jackson, who was knocked out of last week’s game against Kansas. It was Fancher’s second start of the season after he started the season opener against Jacksonville State.

Jackson replaced him as the second quarterback after he was knocked out of the game with an apparent back injury.

On the opening possession, Fancher guided the Knights into Cincinnati territory, but on a 4th-and-2 at the Bearcats’ 41, the redshirt senior was stopped short of the marker, turning the ball over to UC.

Four plays later, Brendan Sorsby connected with a wide-open Jeff Caldwell, who was streaking down the left side for a 40-yard touchdown. This marked the first points surrendered by the Knights in the first quarter this season.

UCF looked to be getting something going on its next possession, but a 35-yard completion from Fancher to Duane Thomas Jr. was nullified by an ineligible receiver downfield penalty. That was followed by a false start penalty that backed the Knights up 20 yards.

Fancher found DJ Black down the middle of the field for 19 yards, but Black fumbled the football and Cincinnati’s Jiquan Sanks recovered it. The Bearcats weren’t able to convert on the takeaway.

UCF’s defense held strong for the most part in the first half, but on a critical 3rd-and-16 deep in Cincinnati territory, cornerback DJ Bell was called for pass interference, giving the Bearcats a fresh set of downs.

UC took advantage, marching down the field before Sorsby found Caldwell in the endzone again for a 9-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 12:12 left in the first half.

Cincinnati put together another impressive drive and looked to cap things off with an apparent touchdown, but a holding penalty resulted in a Stephen Rusnak 32-yard field goal instead.

Meanwhile, the Knights struggled to get anything going offensively in the second quarter, totaling just 48 yards. The lone highlight was a 45-yard field goal by Noe Ruelas late in the first half to cut the UC advantage to 17-3.

UCF put together what had all the makings of being its best offensive possession of the game, marching down the field on a 17-play drive that took more than nine minutes off the clock, but failed to convert on a 3rd-and-27 and were forced to punt.

Rusnak added a 24-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter for Cincinnati (5-1, 3-0 Big 12).

UCF saved the best for last, driving 90 yards on a season-high 19 plays as Fancher dove in for a 3-yard touchdown — his first as a Knight. His 2-point conversion pass to Chris Domercant cut the lead to 20-11.

Fancher finished with more than 300 yards of total offense, including a season-high 102 rushing yards. It was his first 100-yard rushing performance since leading Marshall to a 35-21 win over Arkansas State on Nov. 25, 2023.

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.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/11/ucf-knights-cincinnati-bearcats/