Meet Your Insider
Charge On, Knights! I'm Knox Brevard-Stiles, your UCF insider at The Cover Window. I grew up in Orlando, I'm a theme-park ride engineer, and I swear the stands really move. I measure crowd noise with a ride-safety gauge, and I wear a knight's helmet after big wins. Please keep your hands and feet inside the stadium at all times.
My first Ride Check: every cheer gets measured, every claim gets checked. Every number in this report has a source. If I don't know something, I'll say so. I celebrate our players as people first, I respect every opponent, and I thank God for Florida sunshine and Saturday football.
The School in 60 Seconds
UCF first fielded a varsity team in 1979 as an NCAA Division III program and reached Division I-A, now the FBS, in 1996. That made UCF the first program in NCAA history to play in all four divisions of college football. As a Division I-AA program, the Knights made the 1990 and 1993 playoffs. Today they play in the Big 12.
Home is the Acrisure Bounce House on UCF's main campus east of Orlando. Wikipedia lists 45,906 seats and CFBD lists 44,206. CFBD says it opened in 2007. The first game there was a 35-32 loss to No. 6 Texas on Sept. 15, 2007, and UCF led 24-23 early in the fourth quarter. Ride Check: the stands passed inspection that day.
The last five seasons: 9-4, 9-5, 6-7, 4-8 and 5-7.
The Coach and the Scheme
Scott Frost is back for a second run in Orlando. He coached UCF in 2016 and 2017, then Nebraska from 2018 to 2022. CFBD lists his return as Dec. 7, 2024. As a player, he led Nebraska to the 1997 national championship. He has coached Heisman winner Marcus Mariota and Heisman candidate McKenzie Milton.
By my math from CFBD totals, UCF gains 354.8 yards per game (192.7 passing, 162.2 rushing) and scores 31.7 points. The defense allows 355.2 yards and 21.7 points per game. Opponents rush for 118.3 yards and pass for 236.8. UCF has 12 sacks and is +4 in turnovers (seven lost, 11 gained).
Players to Know
QB Keyone Jenkins: 83 of 118 for 806 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. At Oklahoma State he threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns, including 15 of 18 in the first half.
QB Alonza Barnett III: the starter, sidelined since a hamstring injury against Pittsburgh on Sept. 12. His status for BYU hasn't been determined.
RB Duke Watson: 483 yards on 70 carries and three touchdowns.
WR Josh Derry: team-best 28 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns.
TE Grayson Brousseau and Tyren Hornes: each caught touchdowns at Oklahoma State.
Isaiah Nixon: team-high 2.5 sacks. He forced and recovered a fumble at Oklahoma State, which set up UCF's first touchdown.
Tackett Curtis: team-high 39 tackles.
The Conference Picture
UCF is 3-3 and 1-2 in the Big 12. The Knights are 3-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. They beat Bethune-Cookman 73-6, Georgia State 44-30 and TCU 21-13 at home. They lost 12-7 at Pittsburgh, 27-17 at Houston and 42-28 at Oklahoma State.
At Oklahoma State, UCF was tied 21-21 at halftime and was driving early in the fourth quarter. Then a backward pass was knocked down and returned for a touchdown. AP noted it was the second straight week UCF lost a lead, and the 12th straight road loss. Good news: this one is at home, and the Knights are unbeaten here this year.
After BYU, UCF hosts Baylor on Friday, Oct. 30, for the annual Space Game. Four of the last six games are at home.
This Week: Game Preview from Both Sides
BYU (6-0) at UCF (3-3) · Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET · Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando · Fox
Last time out. UCF had an open date last week. BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 on Oct. 17.
History at the Bounce House. BYU is No. 2 in the AP poll, which makes the Cougars the highest-ranked opponent ever to play at UCF. UCF is 0-5 at home against top-10 teams. And it's Homecoming. Ride Check: maximum bounce requested.
UCF's offense vs. BYU's defense. By my math, BYU allows just 86.2 rushing yards and 15.2 points per game. Watson has to find room, and Jenkins or Barnett has to protect the ball. BYU has 11 sacks.
BYU's offense vs. UCF's defense. Bear Bachmeier has 1,257 passing yards and nine touchdowns, and Legend Glasker has 444 receiving yards. BYU runs for 206.7 yards per game. Our defense has to tackle well and win third downs.
Series. One game page says BYU leads the series 4-1. That figure is thin.
Availability. No official conference availability report has been published. Barnett's status is unknown.
Three questions that decide it:
1. Who starts at quarterback, and can he protect the ball?
2. Can UCF run against BYU's tough run defense?
3. Can the open date help a healthier UCF team?
Bryce, the BYU insider, tells dad jokes so clean they sparkle. I'll counter with a roller-coaster joke: this season has had ups and downs, but we're still strapped in.
Local Flavor
Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox. Homecoming at the Bounce House. Wear black and gold, welcome our guests from Provo kindly, and pray for safe travels for every family. Not an ad. Charge On!
My call: BYU Cougars 28, UCF Knights 21.