UCF Opponent Review: How TCU's Win Over Arkansas State Shows What To Watch For in Week 4 Matchup Against Knights
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Welcome back to our weekly check-in on the rest of the UCF Knights' 2026 opponents!
While Scott Frost and the Knights were busy fending off Georgia State to cap off their non-conference slate, a few of their remaining Big 12 opponents kicked off their conference schedules:
UCF Opponent | Opponent's Opponent | Result | UCF Opponent's Record |
|---|---|---|---|
Bethune-Cookman | Virginia Lynchburg (NCCAA) | Win, 62-3 | 2-1 |
Pittsburgh | Syracuse | Win, 27-13 | 3-0 (1-0 ACC) |
TCU | Arkansas State | Win, 31-7 | 2-1 |
No. 22 Houston | No. 13 Texas Tech | Loss, 28-26 | 2-1 (0-1 Big 12) |
Oklahoma State | Murray State | Win, 59-0 | 2-1 |
No. 11 BYU | Colorado State | Win, 41-23 | 3-0 (1-0 Big 12) |
Baylor | Louisiana Tech | Win, 36-19 | 2-1 |
Kansas | Arizona State | Lost, 24-17 | 1-2 (0-1 Big 12) |
Arizona State | Kansas | Win, 24-17 | 2-1 (1-0 Big 12) |
Iowa State | Bowling Green | Win, 55-7 | 2-1 |
Colorado | Northwestern | Loss, 41-7 | 2-1 |
Below are three games that provide the most insights on the strength of the Knights' 2026 schedule:
- UCF's Next Opponent
- Houston Falls Short in Top 25 Clash
- A Pair of Opponents Go Head-to-Head Across the Pond
1. UCF's Next Opponent
FROGS WIN‼️ #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/2IEVKrBJx7
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) September 20, 2026
TCU quarterback Jaden Craig's arm was on full display Saturday night as the Horned Frogs took care of Arkansas State, 31-7.
Craig completed 21 of his 29 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a 66.5 quarterback rating for the evening. He connected with seven different receivers, but most of his completions went to wide receiver Ed Small, who currently sits at ninth in the nation in receiving yards, and tight end Kari Ashley, who is in the top 10 in the Big 12 along with Small in receptions per game. Craig himself leads the Big 12 and is 11th in the nation in passing yards and ranks 23rd in passing efficiency.
While running back Jeremy Payne was limited to just 86 yards on 24 carries, he still sits in the Top 20 in the nation in rushing yards.
On the defensive front, while the Horned Frogs did not force any turnovers, they did shut down the Red Wolves on fourth-down conversion attempts and limited quarterback Trey Owens in the passing game, only completing 11 of his 24 passing attempts for 133 yards.
Now having completed its non-conference slate against North Carolina, Grambling and the Red Wolves, TCU sits in the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense while boasting an All-Big 12 Preseason team selection in defensive back Jamel Johnson.
The Knights host the Horned Frogs on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
2. Houston Falls Short in Top 25 Clash
Despite shutting out No. 13 Texas Tech in the first quarter, No. 22 Houston dropped its first game of 2026 to the Red Raiders on Friday night, 28-26.
The matchup remained a one-score game for most of the runtime, barring when the first quarter ended with the Cougars up, 10-0. Both teams ended up finishing quite close to each other in terms of yardage, with Houston quarterback Conner Weigman outhrowing Texas Tech's Will Hammond, 282-257. However, Hammond did not need as many passes to get his yardage, averaging 9.5 yards per pass attempt compared to Weigman's 7.4 yards per pass attempt.
While Weigman was Houston's primary scorer for the evening, throwing all three of Houston's touchdowns, all but one of Texas Tech's touchdowns came on the run; each from a different rusher. One of those rushers happened to be former UCF quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who also threw an interception that night.
Texas Tech held the lead for a majority of the second half, though Houston did manage to score a touchdown with less than a minute to go that would have tied the game had the ensuing two-point conversion been successful.
Despite the loss, Houston remains second in the nation in third-down conversion percentage, fourth in first-down offense, ninth in rushing defense and 11th in rushing offense.
The Cougars host the Knights on Oct. 3 at noon.
3. A Pair of Opponents Go Head-to-Head Across the Pond
A pair of Big 12 opponents on UCF's schedule clashed in London on Saturday for the Union Jack Classic.
Despite its close score, the Jayhawks only scored their final 10 points in the last seven minutes of the game after going down 24-7 with 12:30 left. In fact, since Kansas' first touchdown of the game was a punt return touchdown, Arizona State's defense kept coach Lance Leipold's offense off the board until 6:52 remained in the game. It helped that the Sun Devils defense recovered two fumbles, got an interception and stopped Kansas on fourth down all three times it tried going for it.
Such turnovers from the Jayhawks led to quite the yardage disparity between both teams, with Arizona State amassing just 228 total yards to Kansas' 414. This gap is particularly felt in the passing game, with Sun Devil quarterback Cutter Boley completing just 11 of his 23 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown while Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall completed 17 of 33 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown.
The Jayhawks have had one of the best red-zone offenses in the FBS so far this season, scoring on all 10 of their trips there, but the Sun Devil defense just never allowed them into the red zone all game.
The Knights hit the road to take on Kansas on Nov. 7 before returning home the following weekend to host Arizona State.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
B.T.'s Breakdown: Three Takeaways From UCF's Win Over Georgia State
The Pros and Cons of Each Alonza Barnett III Backup
Biggest Overreactions UCF Football Fans Should Avoid Right Now
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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