UCF and chaotic, seemingly inexplicable finishes have become quite the pairing this season.
Two weeks after knocking off BYU in perhaps the wildest ending of the college football season, the Knights found themselves in another crunch time thriller Saturday, this time on the road at Kansas.
For most of the contest, UCF appeared on track to secure its first comfortable victory in Big 12 play. The Knights built a 26-7 lead by the 9:52 mark of the third quarter, seemingly having solved the Jayhawks on both
sides of the ball. But their next two possessions went nowhere, producing consecutive three-and-outs that combined for -6 yards. That sudden offensive futility left the door ajar for a Kansas comeback, and the Jayhawks capitalized with two-straight touchdown drives and a field goal to trim the deficit to 26-24.
Then, following a spectacular punt by Atticus Bertrams, Kansas regained possession at its own 5-yard line with 2:27 remaining, needing just a field goal to complete the program’s largest comeback since 2010. Somehow, the Jayhawks crammed 11 plays and 95 yards into 81 seconds, capping the clutch drive with a Dylan Edwards touchdown run with 1:06 remaining, catapulting Kansas ahead 32-26.
But the scoring drive was so quick that it granted UCF 66 seconds of opportunity while armed with two timeouts. The drive did not start in promising fashion as the Knights opened the drive with several misfires. But quarterback Alonza Barnett III — making his first start since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2 — caught fire, jumpstarting the offense with a 20-yard completion to Tyren Hornes on 3rd-and-10. Then he hit Chase Hinshaw for another 20 and Josh Derry for a 19-yar pickup, positioning UCF 15 yards away from the end zone with 13 seconds remaining.
Then, the Knights went for the punishing blow. Barnett lofted a pass toward the back of the end zone, where Derry made a juggling grab while falling backward. The official initially threw his hands up to signal touchdown, but the replay review showed Derry had not secured possession before landing out of bounds. The call was overturned, leaving UCF eight seconds to work with.
The next attempt didn’t produce a touchdown, but it still benefited the Knights. They drew a pass interference penalty, advancing the ball from the 15-yard line to the 6, giving UCF one more opportunity to reclaim the victory.
On the deciding play, Barnett kept his eyes to the left from the snap, patiently waiting for tight end Caden Piening to break toward the boundary. Barnett fired the pass, and Piening made a diving catch right before the sideline. The official emphatically raised both arms to the sky to signal a UCF touchdown, but once again, the Knights’ fate rested with the replay officials.
Multiple angle played on the stadium scoreboard and ESPN2 broadcast as review seemingly lasted an hour for the anxious fans in Lawrence and the players on both sidelines. After several minutes of discussion, the replay center ruled there was no evidence to overturn the initial ruling to an incompletion. Touchdown, UCF.
With the game deadlocked at 32-32, UCF trotted out kicker Will Stone for the all-important extra point. But the probable kick wasn’t necessarily a given as Stone missed his first extra point of the evening. However, through the added pressure, the senior drilled it, allowing the Knights to undo Kansas’ dramatic comeback and escape Lawrence, 33-32.
The 33 points marked UCF’s highest scoring output in regulation in Big 12 play this season. Barnett’s return provided the offense a significant spark, as the James Madison transfer finished with 251 passing yards and two touchdowns, while extending plays with 36 yards as a rusher. Derry served as his top target, generating a season-high 143 yards on eight catches, including the crucial 19-yard reception that set up UCF in the red zone on the game-winning drive.
When Stone’s extra point split the uprights, it was more than just one emotional win. It signified the end of a troubling trend as the Knights ended their 12-game road losing streak, capturing their first win away from home since Sept. 14, 2024 when they overcame a 21-point deficit at TCU.
UCF (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) matched its win total from the 2025 season by prevailing in Lawrence. Now, the Knights will have three chances to clinch bowl eligibility during the final month of the regular season with Arizona State, Iowa State, and Colorado looming on the schedule — three opponents currently below .500.
UCF has yet to post a winning season since joining the Big 12 in 2023. But after ending up on the right side of another improbable finish, the “Cardiac Knights” have given themselves a legitimate chance to change that. And after the BYU and Kansas games, who knows what chaos may unfold along the way?
