Written by Francisco Vera.
The UCF Knights drop a must-win season finale against 11th-ranked BYU with the score of 41-21. This loss keeps them out of bowl eligibility with a 5-7 record and only two wins in Big 12 Conference play.
It was an early kickoff in Provo, and UCF appeared to be a completely different team from earlier in the season. A touchdown on their opening drive, followed by the defense forcing a BYU three-and-out, proved the Knights had the momentum early.
UCF would score again and jump to a two-score lead, but the Cougars would regroup, and LJ Martin would score their first touchdown of the game.
Momentum would begin to shift as Tayven Jackson would throw his first interception of the game, giving the ball back to BYU. The Knights’ defense would step up and force a missed field goal by kicker Will Ferrin.
UCF would go three-and-out on the next drive, and the Cougars would get the ball back. After a four-minute drive, LJ Martin would find the endzone for the second time today, making it a tied game.
As the first half came to a close, BYU would drive down the field one final time. After some great defensive efforts by the Knights, they would force kicker Will Ferrin to come back out and attempt his second field goal of the game. At halftime, BYU led 17-14.
The Cougars got the ball to start the second half and would drive down the field. LJ Martin would punch it in and score his third of the day, resulting in 24 unanswered points for BYU.
Another BYU touchdown would come after Parker Kingston returned an Anthony Venneri punt, ultimately putting the Cougars in the driver’s seat, making it their game to lose.
The Knights would show signs of life by responding with a touchdown; however, a 46-yard touchdown catch by Parker Kingston would bring the game right back to square one.
A couple of plays into the next UCF drive, Tayven Jackson would fumble the ball, and BYU would recover. This drive would end in yet another missed field goal by kicker Will Ferrin, with the score remaining at 38-21.
The game was put on ice back in the third quarter, but Will Ferrin would score his second field goal of the game to finish it off.
The final score from LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo was 41-21 in favor of the Cougars, giving them an 11-1 record heading into AT&T Stadium for the Big 12 Championship game against 5th-ranked Texas Tech.
This painful loss officially ends the season for the Knights, finishing with a 5-7 record and only winning two games out of a potential nine in Big 12 conference play.
