UCF is overmatched by Texas Tech
BY Adam Eaton | Sons of UCF
An old moniker for the city of Lubbock, Texas, is “Lucky me, I live in Lubbock”, but for the UCF Knights, there was nothing lucky about their trip to the heart of Northwest Texas this past weekend.
FINAL SCORE: Texas Tech 48 – UCF 9
The Red Raiders got off to a fast start, scoring 14 points within the first six minutes of the game on a total of ten plays. The Knights were never able to recover or come close to matching the speed and precision they saw across the line of scrimmage, mustering only 230 yards of total offense while Texas Tech found the end zone six times.
Sputtering Offense
The Knights’Knights’ offense again struggled to build any momentum throughout the game, highlighted by gaining only 52 yards on the ground, well below their season average of 180 yards per game.
The passing game did not fare much better, with starting quarterback Tayven Jackson throwing 27 of his 33 pass attempts either behind the line-of-scrimmage or for less than nine air yards. The lack of explosive plays, inferior offensive line play, and downfield passing threats make UCF a predictable and manageable offense to defend.
QB or not QB
The Friday night availability report held a surprise for UCF fans as QBs Cam Fancher and Jacurri Brown were both listed as out. While both have been battling injuries over the last few weeks, Knights coach Scott Frost had mentioned both were working to get back on the field.
Postgame, Frost indicated that both would be unavailable in the future, leaving the Knights with just two scholarship quarterbacks, Jackson and redshirt freshman Davi Belfort. Asked again during his Monday press availability, Frost reiterated that both Fancher and Brown would not be playing for the remainder of the season.
With two games remaining on the schedule, UCF is in a challenging position with the quarterback spot.
Road Woes Continue
Since joining the Big 12 in 2023, the Knights are an abysmal 2-11 on the road in conference play. In 2025 alone, they have been outscored 132-43, including failing to crack double-digit points in the last two games against Baylor and Texas Tech.
Walking Wounded
The injury bug continues to impact key members of the Knights team. Offensive linemen Carter Miller and Keegan Smith both missed the Texas Tech game with unknown ailments, and running back Myles Montgomery wanted to give it a go, but was ultimately held out against the Red Raiders as well. On the other side of the ball, versatile defensive back Braeden Marshall and reserve linebacker Jayden McDonald were both out.
Quote Me On That
“The whole season’s next week to me. The whole season… We got some really neat kids on this team. There’s a few we won’t have around anymore after this year. And these last two games matter a lot, starting with practice on Monday night.”
~ UCF Football Head Coach Scott Frost
Bottom Line
UCF will celebrate Senior Knight when it welcomes Oklahoma State to Orlando on Saturday. Some 30 players will be honored before the game as they prepare to play their final game in front of the home crowd.
For the Knights, a win would eclipse their 2024 season total and keep them mathematically alive to fight for a sixth win and bowl eligibility when they take on BYU in the final game of the season.