UCF Falls to No. 11 BYU on Homecoming, 37-24

ORLANDO – UCF came up short in its quest to hand No. 11 BYU its first loss of the season Saturday, as the Knights fell to the Cougars, 37-24, at FBC Mortgage Stadium. The Cougars jumped out to an early 17-0 lead in the contest and never looked back en route to the victory.

“It’s a disappointing loss, to say the least,” said UCF head coach Gus Malzahn. “Really good team that exposed us on some things. You know, you look at the first quarter, I think we had four or five plays. They had the ball most of the first quarter. Hats off to them. They’re a good team, but we didn’t play our best football, and that’s what disappoints me.”

BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) started fast in the game and controlled the time of possession, owning a 40:28 advantage to UCF’s (3-5, 1-4) 19:32. The Cougars compiled 480 yards of total offense, while the Knights recorded 379 yards.

Jake Retzlaff passed for 228 yards on 16-of-24 attempts with a pair of touchdowns to lead the Cougs and running back LJ Martin rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries to headline BYU’s offense.

RJ Harvey surpassed 100 yards rushing for the 13th time in his career, recording 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Orlando native topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the contest to become the first UCF running back with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Marquette Smith in 1994-95.

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones tallied a season-high 116 receiving yards to compile his first 100-yard receiving game in a UCF uniform. He reeled in six passes to eclipse the century mark for the first time in more than two calendar years (Oct. 8, 2022).

BYU scored on six of its first three drives to jump out to a 17-0 lead before UCF answered with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a two-yard rush from Harvey to cut the margin to 17-7. The Knights forced a punt on the Cougars’ next drive and a few plays later, kicker Grant Reddick connected on a career-long 38-yard field goal.

After cutting it to one possession at 17-10, BYU’s Chase Roberts shed a tackle and raced down the field for a 62-yard touchdown reception to swing the momentum back in favor of the visitors before halftime as the Cougars led 24-10 at the intermission.

Following halftime, BYU outscored UCF 10-0 in the third quarter and pulled away for the victory.

Quarterback Dylan Rizk provided a late-game spark for the Knights, as he led UCF on a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter to cut into the deficit. He finished the game 6-for-10 with a career-high 102 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Daylan Dotson led the way for the Black and Gold with eight tackles, including seven solo with three tackles for loss and two sacks. He also forced a fumble and had a quarterback hurry in his best performance in a UCF uniform. Nyjalik Kelly contributed seven tackles, while Sheldon Arnold and Quadric Bullard each tallied six.

UCF returns to action next weekend when Arizona heads to Orlando. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on FS1 from FBC Mortgage Stadium.

No. 11 BYU at UCF | Saturday, October 26, 2024 | Orlando, Fla.

Offensive Notes

• RJ Harvey rushed for 127 yards and is now tied for fourth in program history with Marquette Smith with 13 100-yard rushing games.
• Harvey’s 127 yards put him over 1,000 on the season, giving him back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards. He is the first Knight to rush for at least 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Smith in 1994 and 1995.
• Harvey’s 54-yard rush in the second quarter marked his eighth career rush of at least 50 yards.
• In the fourth quarter, Harvey ran for a 5-yard touchdown, his 13th on the season. Harvey entered Saturday’s game ranked eighth in the FBS and first in the Big 12 in rushing TDs.
• Jacoby Jones’ 40-yard reception was the longest this season.
• Jones’ receiving efforts earned him his seventh game with 75+ receiving yards in his career.
• Jones’ 116 receiving yards gives him three career games with 100+ receiving yards. 
• Dylan Rizk’s fourth quarter 29-yard touchdown pass to Jones marked the first touchdown for both players as Knights.
• Rizk’s 102-yard passing game coupled with his 31 rushing yards set his career highs in both.

Defense

• Daylan Dotson started his first game at UCF against BYU. It marked his first start since his time with UT Martin.
• Dotson’s eight total tackles mark his single season high in a game, and his seven solo tackles were a career high.
• Dotson’s three TFL marked a single-game high. 
• Dotson’s FF in the fourth quarter was his first of the season and the fifth in his career.
• Dotson also recorded two sacks, a season high.
• Following the FF, Malachi Lawrence came out with his first career fumble recovery.
• Freshman Chasen Johnson made his first career start at cornerback. 
• Matthew Alexander’s TFL was his second of his season. His first was recorded against New Hampshire this season.
• Ricky Barber broke through the line for his first sack of the season in the second quarter.
• Barber also recorded his first TFL of the season and also recorded a QBH.
• Nyjalik Kelly’s second quarter forced fumble was the second of his career.

 

Special Teams

• Grant Reddick kicked a career-long 38-yard field goal in the second quarter to bring the Knights within seven, 17-10. 
• Reddick remains a perfect 5/5 on field goal attempts as well as 8/8 on extra point attempts.