UCF (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) suffered a heartbreaking loss in its annual Space Game to Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12), 30-27, after remaining undefeated for eight years.
In a back-and-forth game featuring six turnovers and responsive drives from each team, here are some takeaways from Friday's game.
Knights Become Even More Hobbled
The Space Game saw six players get injured and sidelined: cornerback Braeden Marshall, running back Myles Montgomery, linebacker Jayden McDonald, quarterback Tayven Jackson and EDGEs Nyjalik Kelly and Malachi Lawrence.
Trainers attended to Marshall and Lawrence after they remained down on the field for a little bit, but they got up and walked off the field under their own power. Montgomery injured his shoulder in the second quarter after his 1-yard touchdown. He had an arm cast at the start of the third quarter after being ruled out.
McDonald suffered a leg injury, and the trainers helped him off the field. Kelly suffered a left leg injury and wore a walking boot on the sidelines.
Jackson had a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter, as revealed by coach Scott Frost. It's why he opted to go with Davi Belfort as his replacement for UCF's final drive.
These six injured players add to an already extensive list of Knights injuries, including some season-ending injuries to defensive tackle Horace Lockett and EDGE Sincere Edwards.
UCF Offense Can't String Together Long Drives
After putting up its lowest-scoring game of the season against Baylor, the Knights bounced back with 27 points against Houston. However, they couldn't put together long drives. The team had two drives of 10 plays; the rest of the drives were about three to four plays before punting.
Short drives — unless there are long yardage gains or great field position — are detrimental to how the offense operates. The players can't get into a rhythm, and it tires the defense out for long stretches.
UCF had six three-and-out drives. Three of those drives ended with zero yards gained, and one of ended with -3 yards. That's a recipe for disaster for a struggling offense, because their drives most likely end in punts — something punter Anthony Venneri did seven times.
Houston's time of possession was 35 minutes and 26 seconds, almost 10 minutes more than the Knights. Short drives are a killer, as evidenced by how much time each team had the ball and how many times they punted.
Momentum-Killing Penalties
The theme of the season for UCF: penalties. They had nine penalties for 75 yards against Houston, and some of them drained the momentum of a drive.
For example, tight end Dylan Wade caught a 23-yard pass from Jackson to get his team into the red zone at the Cougars' 12-yard line. Then he had a 10-yard holding penalty, pushing UCF slightly out of the red zone.
Although the team scored on a field goal, the 10-yard loss made scoring much more difficult. Going from a short yardage situation to a long yardage one puts more pressure on the offense to make a big play downfield to earn a first down.
That's not a sustainable way for the Knights' offense to make a living. The players and coaches have preached about mitigating the self-inflicted mistakes they're making, but they keep happening game after game.
Overcoming The Road Demons
UCF will prepare to face the No. 8-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on FOX. It will be the team's biggest challenge of the season, as they are winless on the road and must win two of the last three games to become bowl eligible.