In their opening home game of the 2026 season, the UCF Knights defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 73-6 in the largest margin of victory in school history to kick off an anticipating season.
The first quarter opened up with a 64 yard touchdown from running back Duke Watson, quickly followed a minute later by a 47 yard pick six from defensive back Jayden Williams. UCF ended the first quarter 21-0, with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Alonza Barnett III. This quick momentum in the first quarter gave way for the Knights to control the rest of the game.
The Knights wasted no time in opening the second quarter with a quick touchdown pass to wide receiver Jonathan Bibbs. The UCF defense continued to dominate the Bethune-Cookman offense, forcing a punting in each of the Wildcats’ drives and forcing a fumble. The first half of the game closed at 38-0.
The third quarter is where the Knights began to build towards breaking the previous school record for highest margin of victory. The march towards the record was marked by UCF scoring a touchdown in each possession of the third quarter. Alonza Barnett III came off in the second half and gave way to backup quarterbacks Kenyon Jenkins, Rocco Marriott and Kaleb Annett for the rest of the game. The third quarter finished 66-0.
The fourth quarter began quickly with a 1 yard rushing touchdown from Rocco Marriott, making the score 73-0. This score gave a clear pathway to break another school record – the highest scoring blowout in school history. That was until Bethune-Cookman wide receiver Kobe Stewart received a catch in the endzone with 2 seconds to go in the 4th. The game finished 73-6, with UCF winning by the highest margin of victory in school history.
Alonza Barnett III finished with a completion percentage of 61.1%, 158 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and 1 sack. Barnett, with College Football Playoff (CFP) experience with James Madison University, leads a new hope for UCF Football.
The Knights have a true test against the Pittsburgh Panthers next week, serving as a strong stepping stone for them, as they fight for an improvement from last season’s 5-7 record. Next game will be Saturday September 12th at 3:30 in Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium.
