DJ Lagway’s 4 Touchdowns Hands UCF 2nd Space Game Loss

Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway carved through UCF's pass defense for his second-best game this season, handing the Knights their second straight loss in the annual Space Game.

Lagway threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns in the Bears' 41-9 win on Friday at Acrisure Bounce House. He threw for his second-most yards since tossing 333 against Auburn on Sept. 5, and tied his season-high of four touchdowns against Arizona State on Oct. 3.

The Bears quarterback handed UCF its worst loss of the season, coming off a historic program upset against then-No. 2 BYU last Saturday.

It got ugly quickly for quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who head coach Scott Frost knighted as the starter to ride the "hot hand." Jenkins threw his first interception after he took care of the ball in last week's upset.

He rolled to the left and zipped a pass to wide receiver Waden Charles. The ball slipped through Charles' hands, and cornerback Devon Jordon caught the tipped pass, putting Baylor at UCF's 46-yard line.

Lagway led the first strike for a seven-play, 46-yard drive. A 10-yard quarterback run to the right put the Bears up in scoring territory at the four-yard line, and he connected with tight end Tony Livingston, his former teammate at Florida, for a 4-yard touchdown.

The scoring avalanche began, and UCF's defense couldn't stop it.

Baylor's star transfer rushed up the middle for five yards, another scoring opportunity in the second quarter. Running back Caden Knighten punched in a 2-yard touchdown, giving the Bears a 14-0 lead with more than nine minutes to play before halftime.

Frost's squad finally responded, cutting the deficit to 11 after placekicker Will Stone hit a 39-yard field goal. That was the only way the Knights could score on Friday.

Both teams exchanged field goals before the break, and Baylor led 20-6 at halftime.

Lagway added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Livingston caught a 21-yard touchdown, the Gator connection thriving, and wide receiver Gavin Freeman caught a 77-yard long ball from Lagway for his third.

The junior capped off the night with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matthew Klopstein in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins' poor performance led Frost to put Alonza Barnett III in the second half, which didn't amount to much.

Baylor performed exactly how Frost thought the team would coming off a coaching change. He said he expected a 'motivated' Bears, and they were, scoring their third-most points this season.

UCF splits a two-game home stand and will travel to Kansas to face the Jayhawks next Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.