Football Earns First Big 12 Win of 2025 Over West Virginia, 45-13Football Earns First Big 12 Win of 2025 Over West Virginia, 45-13

Football Earns First Big 12 Win of 2025 Over West Virginia, 45-13

by Franki Noble
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ORLANDO - Powered by dominance on both sides of the ball, UCF cruised past West Virginia 45-13 Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Bounce House, securing its first Big 12 victory of the season and the program’s first win over the Mountaineers.

After leading by only seven at the half, UCF took command with three touchdowns in the third quarter, two on offense and one by the defense, who forced two turnovers on the day.

Tayven Jackson earned the start at quarterback for the Knights, completing 23 of 34 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns while connecting with 10 different receivers. In total, the Knights racked up 578 yards of total offense, while recording nine passing plays of at least 15 yards, and six rushes of at least 10 yards.

The Knights wasted no time setting the tone. On the opening drive, Jackson connected with redshirt senior Chris Domercant for a 40-yard touchdown on fourth down, marking the Black and Gold’s fourth opening-drive score of the season. The play capped a 97-yard march, UCF’s longest scoring drive of the year.

Jackson and Domercant struck again later in the first quarter, hauling in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Jackson, again on fourth down. It marked Domercant's fourth career multi-touchdown game and his first at the FBS level, with both scores coming on fourth-down conversions. With the explosive start, Domercant became the first UCF receiver to record two touchdowns in a single quarter since Ryan O’Keefe did so against Temple on October 13, 2022.

West Virginia responded with a six-yard rushing touchdown in the first minute of the second quarter, trimming the lead to 14–7. The Mountaineers attempted to narrow the gap with a 44-yard field goal to end the half, but the kick was no good.

"I think we just talked about how well we played... we have to be able to line up, run the ball and get a yard, and that’s something we’ll certainly continue to look at over the bye week. Other than the short yardage, you’re not going to hit on everything, but we executed at a higher rate today than we have and made some big plays, and that’s the ingredient that’s been missing.”

Head Coach Scott FrostOn Halftime Conversations

Running back Jaden Nixon added to the offensive efforts in the third quarter, punching in his fifth rushing touchdown of the season from 12 yards out. Minutes later, he broke free for an electrifying 83-yard score, finishing the day with 116 rushing yards on just seven carries.

Nixon’s performance marked his 20th career rushing touchdown and sixth as a Knight. It was also the fourth time this season he’s recorded a rush of at least 50 yards, with each resulting in a touchdown.

UCF’s defense continued to shine, building on a growing reputation for clutch plays. With the Knights leading 21-7 in the third quarter, linebacker Keli Lawson scooped up a fumble forced by Nyjalik Kelly and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown, serving as Lawson’s second career score and first since 2022. The forced fumble was the fifth of Kelly’s career and his second this season.

The Knights held West Virginia to just 210 total yards, forced two fumbles and racked up seven sacks. The high volume of sacks marks the most in a game in almost two decades in a win in similar fashion at 47–13 over Marshall on November 3, 2007. Linebacker Cole Kozlowski led the defensive effort with 11 tackles and a sack, while Kelly added eight tackles and another sack.

“I know we were counted out early but we still have a lot of year left, a lot of the season left. We are still in the process of showing the world what we have to offer, but I hope this was a step in the right direction.”

Keli LawsonOn The Defense

In the fourth quarter, kicker Noe Ruelas drilled a 51-yard field goal, marking his fifth career successful kick from 50+ yards. Freshman quarterback Davi Belfort capped the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run late in the game, the first of his collegiate career.

West Virginia added a late touchdown from Diore Hubbard with under two minutes remaining.

With today’s win, the Knights earned their first win in October since 2022 as well as their first homecoming win since 2023.

UP NEXT
The Knights will enter their bye week as they prepare to continue Big 12 play as they travel to Baylor on November 1. Time and broadcast information to be announced at a later date.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.