UCF has struggled with continuity at the quarterback position for much of the first half of the season.
Due to injuries, the Knights have been forced to rely on four different quarterbacks at various times, led by Tayven Jackson and Cam Fancher, who have started five games and two games, respectively.
After a much-needed bye week, Jackson is back and set to lead UCF (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) as it heads to Texas this weekend for the Knights’ matchup with Baylor (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) on Saturday (Noon, ESPNU).
“Our quarterbacks — that’s been a little rough, but Tay [Tayven] is good to go,” said coach Scott Frost. “Jaccuri [Brown] has been coming along. Cam had the ribs and he’s getting close. So, we’ll see. The more guys we have up and ready, the better.”
The true MVP of this year’s team might be UCF’s training staff, which has dealt with a litany of injuries throughout the roster, particularly at quarterback.
Jackson suffered a strained AC joint in his left shoulder during the Knights’ 34-20 loss at Kansas State on Sept. 27. He reaggravated the injury late in the second half against Kansas the following week and missed the Cincinnati game before returning to lead the team to a 45-13 win over West Virginia on Oct. 18.
A lower-back injury suffered in the first half of UCF’s season-opener against Jacksonville State forced Fancher to miss games against North Carolina A&T and North Carolina. He returned to start the game against Cincinnati on Oct. 11 only to suffer broken ribs against the Bearcats.
Brown, meanwhile, also strained his AC joint against Kansas State after coming in for the injured Jackson. He’s missed the Kansas, Cincinnati and West Virginia games.
Fourth-stringer Davi Belfort has been forced to step in as backup, seeing limited action in the win against West Virginia.
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“When Tay came in the first time, he was hot right away and then he got banged up, so we had to go a different direction, and now he’s back,” Frost said. “Continuity there [at the quarterback position] does help. So, having him up and ready to go with a whole week to prepare, knowing he’s the starter, that’ll pay dividends.”
Jackson, who is 3-2 as a starter, is on pace for a career season, having completed 65% (103 of 158) of his passes for 1,183 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 65 yards with three touchdowns.
UCF is averaging 37.4 points and 456 yards of offense in games that Jackson has started and just 14 points and 417 yards of offense otherwise.
“If you’re playing a lot of games, you’re not always going to be 100%, so you just have to put your foot down and keep going,” Jackson said of his current health status. “You always have to play through injury, so that’s what our staff and training guys are there to help us with that. I feel good. The whole team is feeling good right now and the bye week helped a lot.”
While the week away from football was crucial to Jackson’s physical health, it also provided the redshirt junior with an opportunity to reset himself mentally.
“I got away for about one or two days and just chilled with my family,” Jackson said. “We ate some good food and watched the Cincinnati-Baylor game last weekend. We got to watch a lot more college football games. So it was a relaxing weekend.
“Football, especially as a quarterback, can be draining a little bit, but that’s our job.”
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.
