UCF Insider Gives Rundown on Knights: Can Baylor Actually Win This Game?
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Ahead of Friday night’s road trip to Orlando, I caught up with Bryson Turner of UCF Knights On SI to get the inside scoop on the Knights. He answered my most pressing questions about the matchup and offered Baylor fans some great insight into what to expect.
UCF is coming off a marquee win over No. 2 BYU. Do you worry about a “hangover” after such a massive win, and what does UCF need to do to keep the momentum rolling in Friday night’s game against Baylor?
Considering that this very same “hangover” befell the team UCF defeated to get in this position, absolutely. Especially since the Knights have a short week to prepare for that next game. As for keeping momentum, I think I’d agree with coach Scott Frost, who said the Knights need to play with “the same intensity” they had against the Cougars. If you want something more specific, the foundation for UCF keeping any momentum is avoiding takeaways, or, in other words, winning the turnover margin.
BYU DOES NOT GET THE TOUCHDOWN ON 4TH DOWN AND UCF UPSETS NO. 2 IN 2OT AND THE FANS STORM THE FIELD 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/CotfguIgLZ
— The College Sports Company (@CollegeSportsCo) October 24, 2026
UCF has forced nearly two takeaways per game this season, which ranks 16th in the FBS. Is there a particular game-wrecker on defense driving those takeaways?
There actually isn’t, which I think is what makes the Knights such a dangerous unit to face. The takeaway has been an emphasis for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch since he arrived at UCF with Frost, and this particular unit of his is mostly populated by players that returned from last season’s unit. So, they are in their second season working under this style of coaching, something I think has helped produce the results seen on the field.
It’s not just coaching, though. There is also a team effort in these takeaways. The BYU game provided the perfect example, with defensive tackle Thomas Collins getting his hands up to tip a pass from Bear Bachmeier enough so that linebacker Tackett Curtis could get under it for the lone takeaway of the game.
Baylor’s offensive line has been its weakest unit by far, and it’s a big reason the run game has struggled. Does UCF’s defensive front have what it takes to dominate in the trenches, or is this a spot where Baylor’s line bounces back?
I would not go as far as to say dominate. They don’t get in the backfield to make sacks and tackles for loss like the Bears do.
However, they do make gaining significant yards on the ground fairly difficult, ranking 38th in the nation in rushing defense. That being said, those results could very well be a bit skewed considering their last three games have been against Houston, Oklahoma State and BYU, who all rank in the Top 40 in the nation in rushing offense. They did have one of their best performances against TCU, though, a game in which the Knights tallied four sacks and eight tackles for loss.
So, if there was any game since the Knights’ Big 12 opener that they can dominate at the defensive front, this would be the one. Whether that happens or not could actually serve as a solid barometer of just where Baylor’s offensive line woes lie: are they struggling with standing up to defensive fronts, or is it more about not being able to open rushing lanes?
The moment the cabanas went down pic.twitter.com/MSjDdppInK
— ⚔️TOP TIER UCF⚔️ (@TopTierUCF) October 24, 2026
Keyone Jenkins has been a revelation for UCF this year, and he seems to have found something over the past two weeks. What has changed in his game recently that wasn’t there when he first stepped in for Barnett?
The deep ball. Since he stepped in, Jenkins has been a very efficient passer, but it has not translated to as many big gains as one might want because most of his throws only go for five yards or less through the air. Before BYU, a deep pass from Jenkins meant it was either going to be off target at best or an interception at worst.
It did not help matters that Houston and Oklahoma State’s stout rushing defenses meant the Knights ended up needing to rely on Jenkins throwing the ball to try and make gains offensively, and without being able to reliably throw the ball deep, drives would just end up stalling. Put another way: if UCF had a third-and-long, Jenkins was either not going to inspire much confidence, or he needed his receiver to rack up enough yards after the catch to make the play.
Jenkins still did not throw the deep ball very much against BYU either; I do want to be clear on that. The short pass is likely still going to be his old reliable. However, the difference with the BYU game was that he was able to complete most of those passes when he did attempt them, in particular his 25-yard touchdown pass to Josh Derry in overtime.
Is that going to carry over against the Bears? I’m not sure. That is going to depend on their secondary and how effective they are at stopping the run. If there is any one UCF player that needs to keep his momentum rolling from the BYU game, it’s Jenkins.
UCF’s Space Game has been historically dominant, with the Knights 8-1 all-time in the game. What makes the Space Game so special to UCF fans and players that the team rises to the occasion?
The credit has to go to UCF’s athletic department for making the Space Game a marquee event on Knights fans’ calendars. There are just several elements of this game that are not seen anywhere else on the schedule. There are the alternate uniforms, multiple iterations of which have gone on to win accolades from UNISWAG. There is the alternate mascot, the Citronaut, one of the most unique mascots in college sports. There is also the game-day environment, which last year I could only describe as “rave-like.”
Throw in UCF fan-added elements like people coming to the game dressed as astronauts, aliens, or space-themed movie characters (Star Wars is a very popular one), and even without the football game itself, the Space Game is an event that has an appeal for a wide range of people, football fan or not. It’s an event you really have to be there for to really understand it.
It’s this environment that I think makes the players rise to the occasion too. With how much performing in sport can come down to mindset, sporting a cool one-game-only alternate uniform and having the fans be just as excited for it as you is a pretty good recipe for keeping morale high going into the game, no matter how the season had gone to that point; see the 2023 edition of the game against No. 15 Oklahoma State.
With the BYU win in hand, how does this Baylor game shape UCF’s outlook for the rest of the season? Is there a realistic path to the Big 12 title game, or is the focus still week to week?
I’m going to quote Frost from his Monday press conference again: “You know, the opinions of everybody are going to change based on the results this week. So, all that really matters right now is the results this week, and we have to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to try to be successful this week.” In terms of the Knights themselves, their focus is always going to be week-to-week.
I’m not putting much stock in a Big 12 Championship berth. It’s “realistic” in the sense that there still remains a possibility, given the chaos the conference is in at the moment. However, for that to happen, the Knights would need to not only win out, which is a big ask at this moment in time with five games to go, but also need a lot of chaos above them, particularly one more loss each from Houston and BYU and two more losses from Oklahoma State. Could it happen? Sure. Is it likely? Nope.
Now, talking about outlooks and implications, a win for the Knights on Friday would be important in that it shows the BYU game was not a fluke; that this is a program that has improved since their losses to Houston and Oklahoma State and can make it back to a bowl game after missing out last season. For a fanbase that still has the memories of Frost’s first stint and has not had a winning season since 2022, any sign of sustained upward momentum would be a welcome one.
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.
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