The UCF Knights' offense looked dysfunctional against the Pittsburgh Panthers, a stark contrast to the dominant performance put together against Bethune-Cookman.

UCF scored seven points, 66 fewer than in Week 1, and the jump in difficulty showed itself early. The offense couldn't build any positive momentum, as Pittsburgh neutralized the run and quarterback Alonza Barnett III struggled to complete intermediate passes.

The Knights got on the board late in the fourth quarter and could've won the game with two minutes left, but the Panthers' defense stalled them in their final drive.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the team's offensive performance in Pittsburgh

Frost did his homework on Pittsburgh's historic run defense and relied on Barnett's passing rather than his dynamic running back trio.

Duke Watson and Taevion Swint combined for nine yards, with Swint rushing for -1 yard. The Panthers completely negated their opponent's run game, which put up 360 yards in Week 1.

They mucked up every run play at the line of scrimmage, leading to early 3-and-outs or short drives. Those are the same issues from last season carrying into this season.

Saturday's showing signifies that UCF relies on a balanced attack to put points on the board rather than focus on one method of attack.

The Knights' offensive line did a poor job of protecting their quarterback. Pittsburgh's pass rush and blitzes often collapsed the pocket quickly, forcing Barnett to extend plays with his legs or rush a pass.

UCF even gave up its first safety since 2023 against Tulsa, and the offensive line allowed quick pressure to Barnett in their own end zone when Swint fell on the play-action call.

It's a concerning sign to see the interior struggle badly against another Power Four program, and it could change the outlook of the team's performance in Big 12 play.

A dominant win over Bethune-Cookman didn't provide much of a sample size to judge Barnett's skill set, and 60 minutes against Pittsburgh did.

The redshirt senior struggled to complete intermediate passes consistently, either slightly overthrowing his intended receiver or miscommunicating on play calls. It played a significant role in the offense getting off the field in less than 10 plays.

He did, however, throw an impressive 19-yard touchdown pass to Waden Charles to keep the Knights alive in the fourth quarter.

UCF's defense put Barnett and the offense back on the field to win the game with less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds left, but those same struggles became the final nail, and Pittsburgh forced a turnover on downs.