A Tough Night in Orlando
The UCF Knights’ home opener ended in disappointment on Friday, October 30, 2026, as they were outclassed by the visiting Baylor Bears with a final score of 41-9. The contest at Acrisure Bounce House saw the home team struggle to generate offense against a disciplined Baylor defense, resulting in a lopsided outcome that left UCF with a 4-4 record while Baylor improved to 5-3.
Scoring Breakdown
Baylor struck first and never looked back. The Bears took an early 7-0 lead in the opening quarter on a Tony Livingston four-yard touchdown pass from DJ Lagway, followed by a kick from Rhett Armstrong. UCF failed to score in the first period, going into halftime trailing 13-0.
The second quarter saw Baylor extend its dominance through both the ground game and special teams. Caden Knighten capped an offensive drive with a two-yard run for a touchdown, making it 14-0. However, UCF’s kicker Will Stone began to chip away at the deficit with three field goals: a 39-yarder, a 57-yarder, and another score later in the half.
Baylor answered with two more Rhett Armstrong field goals, one from 45 yards and another from 29 yards, bringing the halftime score to 20-6.
Lagway's Dominance
DJ Lagway was the standout performer for Baylor, completing 16 of 25 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns. His connection with Tony Livingston proved critical, as Livingston caught two touchdown passes, including a 21-yarder in the third quarter.
