ORLANDO – The 20th season of the Bounce House began with a bang as the UCF football team tied its program record for points scored in a game and set the record for largest margin of victory, beating Bethune-Cookman 73-6 to start the 2026 campaign.
Under the lights of a brand-new Roth Tower, UCF’s running game shone bright, as six different Knights accounted for seven rushing touchdowns, chalking up 360 yards in the process. The team-effort showed through the air as well, as nine different Knights caught a pass.
The 25th victory of Scott Frost’s UCF career resulted in UCF’s largest margin of victory, posting a 67-point gap over the Wildcats Thursday night, edging the previous best of 64 points against Grand Valley State in 1987. The win also tied the most points scored in a game in program history, equaling the 73 points scored against Austin Peay in 2017.
UCF’s first drive took just two plays, as junior running back Duke Watson took his first carry as a Knight 64 yards to the house for the first touchdown of 2026. Just 20 seconds later, Jayden Williams snagged his third career interception and returned it 47 yards for a pick-six, giving UCF a 14-0 lead with just over four minutes gone by in the game.
Alonza Barnett III scampered for a five-yard touchdown run, his first as a Knight, extending the lead to 21 with 3:11 to play in the opening frame. The first play of the second quarter saw Barnett spin his first pass as a member of the Black and Gold, finding Jonathan Bibbs for his fifth career touchdown snag. The strike through the air was the 50th career passing touchdown.
Will Stone nailed his first career field goal, a 34-yard kick to make it 31-0. Stone wound up finishing the night with 10 extra points, tying a single game UCF record. The Black and Gold added a Landen Chambers before halftime, a two-yard run to send UCF into the locker room up 38-0.
The third quarter was more of the same and saw the Knights tally a trio of rushing touchdowns and a strike through the air. Redshirt freshman and local Osceola High product Taevion Swint earned his first rushing touchdown, a 27-yard dash two minutes into the second half. Chambers followed suit with a 27-yard run of his own four minutes later, his second rushing touchdown of the night. Caleb Rollerson snagged a nine-yard touchdown pass from Keyone Jenkins. Agyeman Addae added the first rushing touchdown of his career to make it 66-0 UCF at the end of the third quarter.
The Knights added one more score in the fourth, this time a one-yard rush from Rocco Marriot after he nearly had a diving touchdown after a 17-yard scamper.
Bethune-Cookman added its lone score of the game as the clock expired, an eight-yard touchdown pass.
The Knights improve their season-opening win streak to 11 games with Thursday’s victory over Bethune-Cookman. UCF moves to 30-1 against FCS opponents since turning FBS in 1996.
Additionally, the Black and Gold have won 12 straight games on Thursdays, a mark that sits just three behind the longest winning streak on that particular day in FBS history. Miami owns 15 straight wins on Thursday, a mark posted from 1998-2008. UCF boasts the third-longest active Thursday winning streak, trailing fellow Big 12 Conference members Utah and Oklahoma State who each sit at 13.
Speaking of the Big 12, UCF sits tied for 12th for most points scored by a Big 12 team in the conference’s history; Oklahoma State holds that record of 84.
UP NEXT
The Knights hit the road for a non-conference showdown, visiting Pittsburgh in Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2026 campaign are on sale and can be purchased here! Be sure to be a part of all the action as the Knights play their 20th season in Acrisure Bounce House.
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.