Last time Scott Frost graced the sidelines in UCF gear, the Knights were at the pinnacle of college football. UCF completed the first undefeated season of any program in the College Football Playoff era, rattling off 13-straight wins capped by an unforgettable triumph over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Frost already had a foot out the door during that Peach Bowl, holding the official title as Nebraska’s head coach.
But eight years later, both feet stood firmly on the field as Frost recommitted to the program
he once took on an unforgettable journey. Just like Frost’s last game with the Knights, UCF faced a non-conference opponent from the state of Alabama. And similar to that contest, UCF overcame a 7-point second half deficit to win by seven, sliding past Jacksonville State 17-10.
While the 43,000 in attendance were eagerly awaiting Frost’s second debut, another coaching debut almost stole the limelight. Charles Kelly replaced Rich Rodriguez as Jacksonville State’s head coach during the offseason, bringing in an overhauled roster of over 50 new players that challenged the Knights to the finish.
With under 100 seconds remaining in a tie 10-10 ballgame, Jax State hurried to the line of scrimmage and snapped the ball from the UCF 36. TCU transfer running back Cam Cook swung the carry to the left side of the field, but an unblocked Jayden Williams flew in to upend Cook and force a critical turnover on downs. Injected with fresh momentum, UCF capitalized. Knights quarterback Tayven Jackson scrambled for a 15-yard pickup on 3rd and 10, drawing another 15 yards due to targeting at the end of the run. Three plays later, Jackson went for gold, slinging a deep ball to an open DJ Black in the end zone to hand UCF a 17-10 edge with 1:11 remaining.
Jacksonville State traversed as far as its own 46-yard line on its last gasp, but Jayden Bellamy intercepted Gavin Wimsatt as the city of Orlando collectively exhaled a sigh of relief. The Knights were 18-point favorites in this one but missed opportunity after opportunity to take down a new-look Gamecock squad. One of those opportunities was a shanked 43-yard field goal with 4:19 remaining in a deadlocked game.
But not only did Jacksonville State have it tied in the fourth quarter — Kelly’s Gamecocks briefly led by seven. Toward the beginning of the period, running back Andrew Paul caught a 17-yard pass to set up his own 10-yard rushing touchdown. Paul’s scamper at 12:00 remaining was the first touchdown by either team in the Acrisure Bounce House. However, the Gamecocks’ 7-point advantage expeditiously woke up the Knights. Roughly two minutes of action later, Jackson navigated his team down the field, completing a screen to tight end Dylan Wade, who completed a 39-yard catch-and-run for the tie.
The ending was a shootout compared to the first half. Neither team managed a point by halftime. UCF and Jacksonville State punted three times each, while the Knights fumbled once and the Gamecocks were rejected on a field goal to conclude the second quarter. The elements contributed to both teams’ offensive funk as a lightning delay exceeding two hours interrupted the second quarter of the game. One casualty of the weather delay was UCF starting quarterback Cam Fancher, who suffered a back injury on a targeting foul and never returned. Indiana transfer Tayven Jackson, who finished 17-of-24 with 282 passing yards and two touchdowns, took over for Fancher in a 0-0 ballgame in the second quarter.
The scoreless streak snapped in the third quarter on what felt like a lost opportunity for UCF. The Knights were on the doorstep of the end zone, one yard shy of glory, but a false start penalty on third down forced them to kick a 24-yard field goal to break open the score. Jacksonville State answered a possession later in a game that never saw either team lead by more than seven.
Thursday night was a missed opportunity for a Jax State program in search of its first Big 12 victory. The 4th and 1 failure ultimately swung the game, moving the defending Conference USA champion to 0-1 on the season. Meanwhile, UCF is 1-0 under Frost, who extends his win streak to 14 with the program. The Knights are now 10-0 in their last decade of openers, a streak which commenced under their former and current head coach in 2016.
