A gloomy, dismal day turned into a disastrous evening as UCF watched a double-digit lead slip away in the second half, dropping a second straight game and losing to visiting Kansas, 27-20, on Saturday at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium.

To make matters worse, the Knights may have also lost starting quarterback Tayven Jackson, for the foreseeable future.

After UCF jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, Kansas outscored the Knights, 27-6, the rest of the way.

UCF (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) suffered its fifth straight loss in Big 12 games, falling to 0-2 against the Jayhawks.

Running back Myles Montgomery set a strong tone early on, showcasing his skills with four carries during the opening drive. He capped it off with a stunning 29-yard run, sailing untouched into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the season.

For UCF’s defense, the challenge was containing Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels. Early on, the Knights rose to the occasion, forcing a punt and a turnover on downs to disrupt Kansas’s momentum.

This marked the fifth consecutive game in which the defense has kept its opponents from scoring in the first quarter this season.

Montgomery continued to shine during UCF’s next possession, contributing to 52 of the team’s 60 yards. He pushed through for a 3-yard touchdown, marking his second score of the game and a 14-0 lead.

Kansas responded on its next possession, highlighted by a 46-yard completion from Daniels to tight end Boden Groen that had the Jayhawks knocking on UCF’s red zone. Five plays later, running back Leshon Williams pushed his way into the end zone for a 1-yard score.

It was the fifth rushing touchdown allowed by the Knights this season.

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Kicker Noe Ruelas added a 38-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to push UCF’s advantage to 17-7.

The Jayhawks began to settle down on offense, putting together an 11-play drive that took almost six minutes off the clock toward the end of the first half.

With just 1:49 remaining on the clock, UCF regained possession and steadily advanced down the field to the Kansas 19-yard line, all while a relentless downpour drenched Acrisure Bounce House Stadium. After two consecutive missed passes into the end zone by Jackson, Ruelas capped off the drive with a 38-yard field goal, extending the halftime lead to 20-14.

Kansas began taking over the line of scrimmage in the second half, putting together long drives and wearing down UCF’s defense.

Kicker Laith Marjan connected on a 33-yard field goal to trim the Knights’ lead to 20-17 midway through the third quarter.

UCF’s offense stalled out in the third quarter with back-to-back punts coming out of the intermission. On the Knights’ third possession, Jackson was sacked and fumbled the ball at the UCF 7.

The redshirt junior left the field holding his left arm in pain and eventually made his way to the locker room. He would return to the sidelines with his left arm in a sling. It was similar to last week when Jackson briefly left the game against Kansas State with what would be diagnosed as an AC strain in his left shoulder.

Jackson finished 14 of 23 for 97 yards.

Williams scored on the very next play, giving Kansas its first lead of the game at 27-20.

Cam Fancher entered the game for Jackson, but struggled to get much going offensively.

Fancher opened the season as the starter against Jacksonville State before being knocked out of the game at the start of the second quarter. He was replaced by Jackson, who led the Knights to wins against the Gamecocks, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina.

UCF started the drive with 7:36 left in the fourth as Fancher found connections with Chris Domercant, DJ Black and Waden Charles. But the Knights were stopped three times on the goal line, including Fancher, who was stopped on a fourth-and-one to seal the win for the Jayhawks.

It was the second straight 100-yard rushing game for Montgomery, who finished with 110 yards on 22 carries.

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/2025/10/04/ucf-knights-falls-short-in-loss-to-kansas-jayhawks/