UCF opened its season with a win against Jacksonville State 17-10 on Thursday night, but it seemed like nothing could go right for the Knights, even in a win. Both teams had to deal with over a two-hour weather delay in the second quarter, but things started going wrong before then.
The Knights got the ball first, and on the first play of the drive, Cam Francher, FAU transfer and the starter for the Knights, went deep and just missed his receiver, but fans were excited to see the ballsy play call from Frost. However, that seemed to be the only big play call as UCF seemed committed to the run, even when it wasn't working. The drive stalled at midfield, ending in a punt for the Knights.
The bright side of this game was the defense, which only allowed 10 points to the Gamecocks. The UCF defense was able to get stops and the ball back to the offense, who couldn't seem to find a rhythm. The offense also coughed up the ball for the second time when Fancher didn't see a linebacker coming off the edge and was laid out, lost the ball, and Jacksonville State scooped it up and scored. The play was ultimately overturned for a targeting call, and at that point, the delays began.
The game didn't resume until 9:55 p.m. EST, meaning this game was going to end late. A blocked field goal was the only bright spot of the rest of the first half for the Knights as the offense, then led under Indiana transfer Tayven Jackson, who came in for the injured Fancher. Fancher went out with a back injury after the big hit, and it was Jackson's game from then on.
The second half didn't produce points till late into the third quarter when UCF had a huge catch adn run from senior running back Myles Montgomery. However, a false start on the one-yard line, something that plagued the Knights all game long, kept them out of the endzone and settled for a field goal.
After going down 10-3, the Kngihts were able to score their first field touchdown of Frost's second stint with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to tight end Dylan Wade. The fourth quarter probably brought the most energy and excitement as the Gamecocks were marching with under two minutes left in the game, but a clutch tackle on fourth down from the defense got the ball back to UCF.
Jackson was able to connect with DJ Black for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 left on the clock. The UCF defense came up in clutch yet again with an interception to seal the win.
Sloppy mistakes could plague UCF all season long
UCF will have to clean up the mistakes as they move forward if they want to have any type of success this season. The penalties have to be cleaned up because those were simply just drive killers on offense and have too many opportunities to Jacksonville State on defense.
Frost is currently on a 14-game win streak when it comes to coaching at UCF right now, and it is a wonder how long that streak will last, but UCF can be happy about the win, but not necissarily about the play they showed on the field.