Less than 48 hours after a perplexing performance at Baylor on Saturday, UCF coach Scott Frost isn’t ready to hit the panic button.
UCF (4-4, 1-4 Big 12) suffered a disappointing defeat against the Bears, 30-3, as the team failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 26, 2015 — snapping a streak of 121 straight games. The Knights also set new season lows in several offensive categories, finishing with just 225 total yards, including only 74 rushing yards and 151 passing yards.
“Saturday was a bit of an enigma to me because I thought we were the most ready,” Frost said on Monday. “We were as ready to play a game as we were all year and it didn’t show up on the field.”
The Knights don’t have a lot of time to sit around contemplating what happened this weekend, given their short turnaround this week.
UCF will host Houston on Friday in its annual space game, highlighted by the team wearing space-themed uniforms to honor the school’s ties to NASA’s space program. This year’s version features a nod to hypersonics and space propulsion research with “Mission IX: HyperSpace.”
“My message to the team [after the game] is sometimes in life things don’t go the way you want them to and you can sit and dwell on it and be mopey, or you can turn the page,” said Frost. “In some ways, it’s good we have a short week this week because we’ve got to turn the page fast and get back to where we were and play well on Friday.”
Since its inception in 2017, the Knights have been undefeated in the eight previous space games, outscoring their opponents by a score of 405-159. This is also the second time UCF has hosted Houston in a space game, with the Knights rolling to a 44-29 win on Nov. 2, 2019.
Don’t expect UCF to make any sweeping changes based on Saturday’s results.
“One thing I’ve learned over time in coaching is that if you’re doing things right, you don’t panic,” said Frost. “We’re going to continue to work as hard as we can to get the guys ready and never panic. I know the trajectory that we’re on and where this is going. I’m impatient to get it there, but a change midstream isn’t the answer.”
“We’re definitely not going to panic,” said senior linebacker Cole Kozlowski. “A lot of discipline has been shown, which is good, but we’re fighting. We’ve just got to take it week by week.”
Houston, meanwhile, is also dealing with a devastating loss as the Cougars (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) lost to West Virginia, 45-35, on Saturday. The loss came less than a week after UH earned a spot in the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time since Sept. 10, 2022.
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UCF and Houston have close ties to the space industry, with both institutions having partnered with NASA for over six decades. Additionally, both schools are situated near NASA facilities: UCF is 35 miles away from the Kennedy Space Center, while the University of Houston is 23 miles from the Johnson Space Center.
This year’s game means even more than galactic bragging rights, with UCF needing two wins in its remaining four games to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2023.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Knights have a 64% chance of reaching six wins.
While Houston opens as a 2-point favorite according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, ESPN’s analytics is giving the Knights a 60.4% chance of winning Friday’s game.
However, with a remaining schedule that includes No. 9 Texas Tech (Nov. 15), Oklahoma State (Nov. 22), and No. 8 BYU (Nov. 29), wins will be at a premium.
“Regardless of results right now, we have to keep improving,” said Frost. “This league has enough parity in it that if anybody just gets marginally better, you’re going to have a chance to make that jump and be in the middle or top of the standings.”
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.
