UCF Knights Football began the Scott Frost 2.0 era by hosting the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at the Acrisure Bounce House on Thursday night that dealt with over 2 hours of lightning delay. In yet another stormy season opener that went into the wee hours, the Knights stopped JSU from crowing in a 17-10 victory.
In any opening game, the speculation runs rampant to what future performance will look like — and it’s only exacerbated by a head coach returning to a program where he previously rehabilitated
them to a 2017 national championship two years after a winless season. With that, here’s how The Student of the Game evaluates the first performance of 2025 for the Knights
Special Teams: B
A completely new cast of characters on this part of the squad (including having coach Pete Alamar devoted to coaching special teams instead of splitting a coach’s time between special teams and tight ends as UCF’s staff did last year). The special teams was responsible for a field goal block from linebacker Keli Lawson from 35 yards out that kept the score tied 0 at the half.
Punter Anthony Venneri had a solid night with three punts inside the 20 and averaging 34 yards per attempt kicking in a relatively short field throoughout the night.. He had the opportunity for an additional spot inside the 20, but the return team couldn’t quite keep it in.
Kicker Noe Rulas provided the only points in the first three quarters for the Knights with his 24-yard field goal. Unfortunately, he missed a kick that would have put UCF up late in the game.
While it wasn’t perfect, specials teams wasn’t a negative except for giving up a fake punt fourth-down conversion which is already an improvment from perfromances last season.
Defense:B
The defense did what they were supposed to do against a G5 team. The Gamecocks failed to convert a third-down attempt until they finally moved the chains late in the 3rd quarter on that down allow thre times total in 15 tries.
While four offsides penalties as part of the nine total accrued by the team is why too high, the defenses reseolve to take the game by the horns and give the offense the chance to win was absolutely huge. Speaking of huge, defensive tackles Horace Lockett and Rodney Lora each recorded a sack while the defensive front put up six tackles for loss with two from edge rusher and defensive captain Malachi Lawrence.
Is there room for growth? Yes — but it was the defense’s will that kept UCF from a complete disaster in an opening week loss.
Offense: D-
Knight fans are right to be concerned with the open of the 2025 season on offense. However, while no one wants to see a starting quarterback get hurt as Cam Fancher did in the first half, it gave Tayven Jackson the opportunity to take the reins and find comfort in the offense to eventually salvage produce to secure the opening week victory.
The whole reason one starts a quarterback like Fancher with experience is that with experience comes poise. Yet in the time Fancher played before leaving the game, he seemed fair less comfortable that his younger counterpart. Jackson was able to find a rhythm, take a big hit, and them deliver the game winning touchdown throw to DJ Black.
However, there were many mistakes, missed opportunities, and metal errors. False starts, a chop block, holding penalties and more that decimated a team that not only shot itself in the foot, but also took a Myles Montegomery touchdown off the scoreboard while doing it.
In fairness, two of those penalties from the offense happened on the same play, but JSU defense pushed the Knights back so far on that play that they declined the penalty. Free yards wasn’t enough for the Gamecocks, they were perfectly happy with what they had achieved and believed they could supplant the Knights for a win over the only power conference team on their schedule.
