Tag: UCF

Nov 29, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn looks on before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida State OC Gus Malzahn retires after 35 years of coaching

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn announced his retirement Monday after 35 years in coaching.

The former Auburn, University of Central Florida and Arkansas State head coach spent just one season with the Seminoles in 2025.

“After 35 years, it’s time for me to step away from coaching,” Malzahn said in a statement. “I am excited to spend more time with my family and focus on the next chapter of my life. I want to thank Coach (Mike) Norvell for giving me the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious program.”

Norvell promoted co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Tim Harris to replace Malzahn, 60.

Florida State led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing (218.7 yards per game) and total offense (472.1) in Malzahn’s lone season as the play-caller in Tallahassee.

Malzahn compiled a 105-62 record as head coach at Arkansas State (2012), Auburn (2013-20) and UCF (2021-24), including a 3-7 record in bowl games.

During his first season at Auburn in 2013, the Tigers lost 34-31 to Florida State in the BCS Championship game and finished 12-2. Malzahn was named the national and SEC Coach of the Year.

Malzahn coached in the high school ranks from 1991-2005 before becoming the offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2006. After two seasons as an assistant coach at Tulsa (2007-08), he joined Auburn as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2009-11. In 2010, Tigers quarterback Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy and Auburn completed a 14-0 season with a national championship.

–Field Level Media

LJ Martin, No. 11 BYU rally from slow start to beat UCF

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No. 11 BYU made a statement it didn’t need to make Saturday, rallying from an early deficit to beat UCF 41-21 in Provo, Utah to build momentum entering next week’s Big 12 championship game.

By game’s end, the Cougars’ early 14-0 hole was long forgotten. LJ Martin had a hat trick of touchdowns, Bear Bachmeier had 289 yards passing with an 84% completion percentage and Parker Kingston had two 45-plus-yard touchdowns.

Arizona State’s loss to Arizona last night solidified BYU’s place in the Big 12 championship game next week against Texas Tech, providing a chance for the Cougars to avenge their lone loss.

Leading 17-14 at the half, the Cougars (11-1, 8,1 Big 12) opened the second half with a 75-yard drive that took over six minutes and was capped with Martin’s 4-yard scoring run. The Big 12’s leading rusher finished with 95 yards on the day.

UCF (5-7, 2-7) punted to Kingston on the ensuing drive. After evading two defenders, he broke through the seam for a 55-yard touchdown to balloon the lead to 31-14.

The Knights responded with a trick play. Running back Agyeman Addae took a direct snap and threw to quarterback Tayven Jackson, who was wide open to cut the deficit to 31-21 with 3:24 left in the third.

Bachmeier and Kingston hit back with a 46-yard throw and catch on fourth-and-3 to push the lead back to 17. The pair connected six times for 126 yards.

Bachmeier completed 18 of his final 20 passes.

The Cougars put up 407 yards of offense, rattling off 31 straight points after falling down early.

Jackson led UCF on an opening drive where he went 7 for 8 with 70 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to Dylan Wade with 9:27 left in the first.

The second drive went just as well as Addae caught a 20-yard pass for a 14-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first.

Jackson finished the day 21-for-37 passing with 232 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble. Wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr. threw an interception and also caught four passes for 74 yards.

Martin rattled off two 1-yard touchdowns in the second quarter, the latter making it 14-14 with 4:54 left in the half.

BYU kicker Will Ferrin was 2-for-4 on the day, including a 26-yarder right before the half and a 50-yarder with 3:53 left in the game to cap the scoring.

–Field Level Media

No. 11 BYU controls own postseason destiny entering UCF matchup

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No. 11 BYU controls its own destiny for a spot in the Big 12 championship game, but UCF is ready to play spoiler with its own postseason berth on the line as the two teams clash Saturday afternoon in Provo, Utah.

It’s simple for the Cougars (10-1, 7-1 Big 12): win and in.

For the second straight week, BYU is listed as the first team out of the College Football Playoff, so the conference championship — which would be BYU’s first as a member of the Big 12 — is key for the Cougars to keep their CFP hopes alive.

The Cougars can also punch their ticket to the title game before they even kick off if Arizona State loses to Arizona. BYU can also get in with a loss through a combination of wins by Utah and Arizona State, as well as a loss by Texas Tech.

But the Cougars and coach Kalani Sitake are focused on handling the Knights (5-6, 2-6) and doing the dirty work themselves, especially on senior night.

“I look at all these (seniors) and it’s awesome. I’m so proud of what they’ve been able to build here and the culture that’s thriving with them,” Sitake said on Monday. “They’ve had a lot of wins and they’ve ushered us into the Big 12 and had some success now the last couple years. We just have to finish it strong for them.”

BYU is coming off a 26-14 win over Cincinnati in which Big 12 leading rusher LJ Martin set a career high with 222 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

Martin has 1,134 rushing yards this season on nearly six yards a carry to go along with eight touchdowns.

Bear Bachmeier’s 127 passing yards were his fewest since his first game, but he still recorded a rushing touchdown, his seventh in his last seven games. His freshman campaign has been solid, with 2,304 yards passing, 525 yards rushing and 24 total touchdowns.

The defense for the Cougars really showed out against the Bearcats, holding them to season-lows in points and rushing yards. They forced a fumble in the red zone and took advantage of three missed field goals.

BYU will look to continue feasting on a UCF offense that has struggled to move the ball. The Knights rank in the bottom half of the Big 12 in yards per game (386.3, 11th) and points per game (24.6, 13th).

UCF showed some grit last weekend, overcoming a 14-point halftime deficit to secure a 17-14 victory over Oklahoma State. It was the Knights’ first win in over a month and kept their slim hopes for bowl eligibility alive.

They did so thanks to Tayven Jackson and Dylan Wade, who connected four times for 145 yards, two touchdowns and a 50-yard throw-and-catch that set up the eventual game-winning field goal.

Jackson, who’s been shaky as the starter, produced one of his best starts of the season. He bounced back after throwing two first-half interceptions by completing 16 of 25 passes for 271 yards and the two touchdowns.

It’ll be a physical contest for coach Scott Frost’s bunch, who will try to claim the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2023.

“It’s a good team,” said Frost of BYU. “They’re probably the biggest team we’ve played up front and their linebackers are big. They just have a lot of grown men on the team because of their age and body types. That’s what they’re recruiting for. We’ve got to be ready for a physical game.”

BYU beat UCF 37-24 last season and is 3-1 all-time against the Knights.

–Field Level Media

UCF rallies from 14 down as Dylan Wade lifts Knights past Oklahoma State

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UCF staged a 14-point second half comeback behind a stifling defensive performance and a career day from Dylan Wade to continue Oklahoma State’s misery in a 17-14 win Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

After a tough first half, the Knights (5-6, 2-6 Big 12) stormed back to keep the Cowboys (1-10, 0-8) at the bottom of the conference.

Wade put up a career-high 145 yards and caught UCF’s two touchdowns on the day. He finished with four catches.

Wade connected with Tayven Jackson for the game-tying score from 2 yards away with 9:12 remaining on fourth-and-goal.

Wade then came up clutch again on UCF’s game-winning drive by streaking wide-open up the seam for a 50-yard completion on the first play of the drive. Jackson ushered the rest of the drive to set up Noe Ruelas’ winning 34-yard field goal with just 57 seconds left.

Wade helped UCF come out the gates hot with an 83-yard catch and run on the first play out of halftime to cut the deficit to 14-7.

Jackson finished his day going 16 for 25 with 271 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.

The UCF defense held the Cowboys to just 27 second-half yards and just one first down as Zane Flores couldn’t operate much for Oklahoma State.

After a promising first half, Flores finished the day 13-of-28 passing for 124 yards, two total TDs and an interception. After the UCF field goal, Flores threw his interception on the very next play.

The Cowboys came out of the gates firing, going 75 yards in a 13-play drive that was capped by a 5-yard pass from Flores to Gavin Freeman a little less than seven minutes into the game.

Oklahoma State kept UCF at bay for the entirety of the first half, forcing two interceptions along with a turnover on downs. The Knights had just 131 total yards in the first half.

Flores ended the half with a 6-yard scamper to extend the lead to 14-0, but was unable to help the Cowboys find much traction for the rest of the day.

–Field Level Media

Lowly UCF, Oklahoma State eager to snap losing streaks

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In the past eight weeks, UCF and Oklahoma State have combined for just one win.

This week may be both teams’ last chance for a victory this season when they clash in Orlando on Saturday.

The Cowboys (1-9, 0-7 Big 12) haven’t done much good this season as they fired long-time coach Mike Gundy in September and have yet to beat a FBS squad, dropping nine straight games. Oklahoma State is one of two teams in the bottom six nationally in scoring offense and scoring defense.

Oklahoma State had a promising outing last week against Kansas State, trailing 7-6 entering the fourth quarter. But Zane Flores threw two interceptions, including one in the fourth quarter when Oklahoma State was at the Kansas State 27, in what became a 14-6 loss.

“You do all the things necessary to get down there and then you turn it over, you’re not going to beat too many teams doing that,” said interim coach Doug Meacham on Monday. ” … But I’m proud on a lot of levels, about a lot of different things, and wish that we could find a way to break through.”

The Knights (4-6, 1-6) continued to struggle offensively in their 48-9 loss at No. 6 Texas Tech Saturday. UCF was held under 300 yards for the third straight game as the defense allowed a third consecutive 400-yard game.

Quarterback Tayven Jackson struggled, passing for just 178 yards, the fifth time in his last six games he’s thrown for fewer than 200.

Backup Davi Belfort saw some game action, but mostly was used as a threat on the ground. He had 36 rushing yards against Houston two weeks ago and had four yards with no passes attempted against the Red Raiders.

Coach Scott Frost alluded that he may give Belfort more opportunities and use him more to mix UCF’s offense up.

“Davi will continue to improve in everything he does as he gets more reps,” Frost said Monday. “It hasn’t been completely fair to him to put him in the situation he’s in without having gotten a lot of reps over the course of this year … but Davi is capable of running our whole offense.”

The Knights beat the Cowboys the last time they matched up, a 45-3 romp in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Nov 15, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Terrence Carter Jr. (7) reacts after catching a pass against Central Florida Knights defensive safety Phillip dunned (2) in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

No. 6 Texas Tech rolls to commanding victory over UCF

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Reggie Virgil accounted for three touchdowns and Cameron Dickey rushed for two scores to help No. 6 Texas Tech roll to a 48-9 victory over UCF on Saturday afternoon in Big 12 play at Lubbock, Texas.

Star linebacker Jacob Rodriguez rushed for a touchdown on offense and had nine tackles and an interception on defense for the Red Raiders (10-1, 7-1 Big 12). Behren Morton completed 14 of 20 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, while backup Mitch Griffis was 13-of-17 passing for 145 yards.

Tayven Jackson completed 27 of 33 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for the Knights (4-6, 1-6). Dylan Wade caught a scoring pass for UCF, which has dropped six of its past seven games.

The Red Raiders held a 499-230 edge in total offense, a 26-13 advantage in first downs and limited UFC to 52 rushing yards.

Virgil caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown and added two touchdown runs totaling 35 yards for Texas Tech. Dickey rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries.

The easy victory gave Texas Tech its first 10-win season since going 11-2 in 2008.

Texas Tech moved 75 yards on four plays to open the game with Dickey scoring on a 12-yard run.

The Red Raiders then brought Rodriguez in to score from the 2 on a direct snap and make it 14-0 with 9:29 left in the first quarter.

The lead reached 21 on the first play of the second quarter when Virgil scored on a 5-yard run.

Less than five minutes later, the Knights got on the board with a safety when Texas Tech’s Howard Sampson was flagged for holding in the end zone.

Virgil tacked on two more touchdowns – the first on a 30-yard reverse and the second on a 8-yard scoring pass from Morton – to give the Red Raiders a 35-2 lead with 2:58 left in the half.

Stone Harrington booted a 45-yard field as time expired in the half as Texas Tech led 38-2.

UCF put together a solid drive to start the second half and Jackson capped the 75-yard excursion with an 8-yard scoring pass to Wade.

Harrington kicked a 53-yard field goal and Dickey later scored from the 1 as Texas Tech held a 48-9 advantage with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Strong defensive effort leads Houston to tight win over UCF

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Ethan Sanchez kicked a tiebreaking 22-yard field goal with 2:31 left and the Houston defense allowed just three second-half points as the Cougars came from 10 points down to defeat UCF 30-27 on Friday in Orlando.

Conner Weigman, despite throwing three interceptions, helped Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) rebound after a rough loss to West Virginia a week ago. The quarterback produced 223 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing and added 82 yards on 22 carries. Amare Thomas had five receptions for 103 yards and a TD.

Sanchez’s game-winner came on a 15-play, 62-yard drive that lasted 7:51.

Phillip Dunnam nabbed all three interceptions of Weigman to become the first player in school history to pick off three passes in one game.

UCF (4-5, 1-5) had four of its six second-half drives end in punts, and not a single one went more than 28 yards.

Knights quarterback Tayven Jackson completed 15 of his 29 passes but for only 136 yards and an interception.

Jackson was benched on the final drive of the game for Davi Belfort, who had a pass intercepted by Kentrell Webb in the end zone with 11 seconds left, sealing the outcome.

Houston’s Dean Connors scored the lone touchdown of the second half on a 9-yard pass from Weigman to tie the game 24-24 with 7:38 left in the third.

The teams then traded field goals, a 54-yarder from Noe Ruelas and a 30-yarder from Sanchez, before the eventual game-winner.

Ruelas kicked off the scoring with a 37-yard field goal with 4:17 left in the first.

Myles Montgomery capitalized off of a Houston muffed punt with a 1-yard run to extend the lead to 10-0 with 9:39 left in the half.

Weigman found his favorite target streaking down the sideline, and Thomas went untouched into the end zone for a 64-yard score to cut it to 10-7 in the middle of the second quarter.

Just 1:16 later, Houston struck again as Latreveon McCutchin picked off a Jackson pass and returned it 45 yards for the Cougars’ first lead of the night.

UCF responded with Jaden Nixon rushing 15 yards for a 17-14 lead with 2:05 remaining in the half.

Weigman then threw his own pick-six as Dunnam returned it 43 yards to extend the lead to 10 with 96 seconds left before the break.

Houston salvaged a 40-yard field goal with no time left to cut the deficit to 24-17 at the half.

–Field Level Media

Conner Weigman, Houston stumble into matchup with UCF

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Both UCF and Houston, coming off multi-score losses, will look to get back on track when they meet Friday night in a Big 12 matchup at Orlando.

The Cougars (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) were riding high after taking down then-No. 24 Arizona State on Oct. 25 to earn their first AP Top 25 ranking since 2022. Then it all came crashing down for Houston on Saturday with a 45-35 home loss to West Virginia, which was previously winless in conference play.

A big part of the loss was the turnover battle. The Cougars gave the ball away four times, including two interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Conner Weigman.

Houston is 6-0 when it plays a turnover-free game, 1-2 when it gives the ball away at least once.

“Turn the ball over a few times, you just can’t do that, and that was disappointing,” Cougars coach Willie Fritz on Monday said. “To be so close and (commit) four turnovers doesn’t happen very often. So, we got to do a much better job in that area.”

Weigman has been reliable most times this season, especially when he’s connecting with his top option Amare Thomas. The two have linked up 40 times for 634 yards and seven touchdowns. They will have to be on point against the UCF team that ranks 11th in the nation in pass defense, allowing just 161.4 yards per game.

However, that strength vanished on Saturday for UCF (4-4, 1-4). The Knights allowed Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson to throw for 267 yards and three TDs without an interception as the Bears rolled to a 30-3 victory.

UCF was keen to gain some momentum after recording its first conference win the week prior, a 45-13 rout of West Virginia. Now coach Scott Frost must relight the fire under his team.

“There was a little bit of a hangover today, but we need to move on from that fast,” Frost said Monday. “There’s no time to sit and sulk and lick your wounds. We got to play in four days here, so it’s time to move on.”

Frost will hope from a better performance from quarterback Tayven Jackson, who threw for just 151 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions against Baylor. Jackson has five TD passes and four interceptions on the season.

The Knights have an 8-3 all-time record against Houston, with UCF having won three straight. The most recent meeting ahead was in Orlando, and UCF prevailed 27-13 on Nov. 25, 2023.

–Field Level Media

Nov 1, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears running back Caden Knighten (22) carries the ball as UCF Knights cornerback Jayden Bellamy (29) defends during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Sawyer Robertson. Baylor too strong for UCF

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Sawyer Robertson tossed three touchdown passes and Baylor benefited from its suffocating defense in a 30-3 victory over UCF on Saturday afternoon in Waco, Texas.

The Bears (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) put the exclamation point on their victory with their first touchdown since the opening quarter. Robertson escaped the pocket to avoid pressure before finding a diving Kole Wilson from 9 yards out with 6:04 left for the final score of the game.

Baylor got the ball on that drive off of an interception which was indicative of the day. The Bears defense forced three turnovers on downs, a missed field goal and two interceptions while allowing just 225 yards of total offense.

The three points Baylor allowed is tied for the least they’ve allowed in a conference game since 2006.

Robertson completed 29 of 40 passes for 267 yards and freshman Caden Knighten chipped in a career-high 104 yards on 21 carries.

UCF’s Tayven Jackson was facing constant pressure and went 18-for-33 for 151 yards and the two interceptions. Duane Thomas Jr. added eight receptions for 77 yards.

The only other second-half score was a 41-yard field goal from the Bears to push the lead to 23-3 with 4:28 left in the third.

Robertson came out firing on Baylor’s first drive as he completed six of his first seven passes, finishing the drive off with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Trigg.

The Bears followed it up with another Robertson TD, this time a 2-yard throw to Josh Cameron to give Baylor a 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.

The Knights turned it over on downs at the Baylor 13, which the Bears turned into a Connor Hawkins 40-yard field goal and a 17-0 lead with 14:14 left in the half.

Hawkins missed his second attempt, but after another UCF turnover on downs he drilled a 28-yarder to make it 20-0 with 2:28 left.

The Knights finally got on the board with no time remaining in the half, turning a Robertson fumble into a 45-yard Noe Ruelas field goal to cut the score to 20-3; their lone score of the day.

This was UCF’s seventh straight road loss.

–Field Level Media

Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) drops back to pass against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

UCF, Baylor battle for momentum in Big 12

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Both UCF and Baylor are hovering just above the lower depths of the Big 12, and the two programs are hoping to build momentum in the conference standings against one another as the Knights and Bears face off Saturday in Waco, Texas.

The Bears (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) are coming off of a second straight defeat, this time at the hands of then-No. 21 Cincinnati 41-20. Baylor fell down 24-0 after the first 27 minutes as the team’s defensive struggles continued.

Baylor allows 32.6 points per game which is bottom 20 in the country, and have allowed at least 375 yards in seven of eight games. The defense will have to step up, especially this weekend against a UCF team that averages 445.1 yards per game.

“It’s been two weeks of losing to the same thing, it’s kind of been the thing all season long,” said Baylor coach Dave Aranda on Monday. “Whether it’s the turnovers, stop on the run, self-inflicted wounds, and our focus has been on that, and we hit that today [during pratice].”

The one thing keeping the Bears in games has been Sawyer Robertson, who has the second-most passing TDs (23) and the most passing yards (2,513) in the country.

UCF (4-3, 1-3) is coming off of a bye week, and riding high after the Knights’ 45-13 trouncing of West Virginia on Oct. 18. It marked the sixth time this season they’ve held an opponent to under 200 passing yards.

The Knights’ passing defense (146.3 yards per game) is the sixth best in the nation and will surely be important to hinder Robertson, who has just two games under 250 passing yards.

Tayven Jackson has been under center for the Knights and has 1,183 passing yards to go with five TDs and two interceptions.

Jackson and UCF will look to Baylor as a way to stack some wins heading into a rough end of season stretch that consists of three currently ranked teams.

“This team’s made a lot of strides and the tough thing is we were close to winning another one or two and making this a completely different year, but now we got a chance down the stretch to see if we can win some of those close games,” said coach Scott Frost on Monday.

-Field Level Media