UCF QB Keyone Jenkins Remains Starter, Scott Frost Riding ‘Hot Hand'

Scott Frost is rewarding Keyone Jenkins' program-lifting performance, naming him the starter going forward after the UCF Knights upset the then-No. 2 BYU Cougars.

Frost said he wants to ride the "hot hand" even though star transfer Alonza Barnett III, who won the job, is close to returning.

Jenkins recorded his second straight game with 200-plus yards and four touchdowns. He threw for a season-best 293 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 35 yards and one touchdown.

The Big 12 named him Week 8's Offensive Player of the Week alongside Cincinnati Bearcats running back Cole Tabb on Monday.

UCF's starter made numerous game-changing plays to extend drives and score against the conference's fifth-best scoring defense. Wide receiver Tyren Hornes had a career-best game, with Jenkins finding him open for big-yardage plays.

Hornes took a designed wide receiver screen for 56 yards to convert a crucial third-and-18 in the third quarter. Jenkins punched in a 1-yard touchdown a few plays later to go up 24-21.

He was a master magician in overtime, evading pressure from pass rushers. The senior found wide receiver Josh Derry for a 25-yard touchdown on the Knights' first overtime drive and connected with Hornes to convert a two-point play in double overtime.

Jenkins has more than earned his promotion. He improved every week, familiarizing himself with the playbook and unlocking more aspects of the offense the team lacked the previous week.

When Frost named him the starter in Week 3 against the Georgia State Panthers, he struggled. The 6-foot quarterback completed 7-for-17 passes for one touchdown and an interception, and rushed for 25 yards and two touchdowns.

He bounced back in the next week against the TCU Horned Frogs, breaking McKenzie Milton's single-game completion record. Jenkins completed 19-for-20 passes, while Milton completed 24-for-26 passes against Austin Peay in October 2017.

The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week broke 200 passing yards against the then-No. 20 Houston Cougars on Oct. 3, and recorded a season-high four touchdowns against the then-No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Oct. 10.

Jenkins' growth stabilized UCF after losing Barnett. The team lacked that composure last season with multiple injuries to the quarterback room.

His journey from three-year starter at FIU to backup at UCF to starter is intriguing. The experience he gained at his previous program is paying off in Orlando, and the team is now two wins away from breaking a two-year bowl drought after a historic upset.