Just one week after seven top-25 teams lost, five of them in the top-7, the No. 2-ranked team in the country, BYU, suffered its first loss of the season. The 6-0 Cougars came to Orlando to face the 3-3 UCF Knights in what, on paper, should have been an easy win. But games aren’t played on paper, and UCF showed they shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead after quarterback Bear Bachmeier found wide receiver Kyler Kasper for a 27-yard touchdown. The Knights rallied in the second quarter, scoring on a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Landen Chambers. Then kicker Will Stone connected on a 20-yard field goal. BYU answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by Bachmeier. Then, with 4 seconds left in the half, UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins passed to Chambers for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 17-14.
BYU pulled ahead again in the third quarter with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Sione I Moa. UCF answered with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, BYU tied the game with a 47-yard field goal by Mathias Dunn. With 1:42 left, Jenkins tried a quarterback sneak on fourth down but was stopped short of the goal line, giving BYU the ball back with a chance to win. However, they couldn’t get anything going and punted back to UCF with under a minute left. With 10 seconds left, UCF lined up for a field goal, but BYU blocked the kick, sending the game to overtime.
In the first overtime, Bachmeier found Legend Glasker for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 31-24. UCF answered back with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Josh Derry. In double overtime, Jenkins found tight end Grayson Brousseau for a touchdown and Tyren Hornes for the two-point conversion. BYU would fail on fourth down and goal, and UCF got the upset.
UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins is the star of this game, going 25-41 for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier went 16-32 for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. This devastating loss came after BYU bested No. 4 Notre Dame last week. They take on Arizona State next week before playing Utah the week after. Their playoff hopes are still alive, but they can’t afford another game like this against UCF.
