By Tom C. “Midnite” Burke
TCU football begins Big 12 Conference play on Saturday, September 26, against UCF, in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff in the Acrisure Bounce House is scheduled for 2:30 pm (Central). FS1 is televising the game.
The Frogs and the Knights are each 2-1 and coming off big home victories.
On Saturday, September 19, TCU defeated Arkansas State 31-7, in Fort Worth, Texas. It was the Horned Frogs’ second consecutive victory, coming after a 63-7 win over Grambling State on September 12, in Fort Worth. TCU opened the season with a 15-10 loss to North Carolina on August 29, in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which was played in Dublin, Ireland.
Central Florida opened its season with a 73-6 home win over Bethune-Cookman on September 3. The Knights lost an away game to Pittsburgh, 12-7, on September 12. On September 19, UCF defeated Georgia State 44-20, in Orlando, despite trailing 24-20 at halftime.
One is a Lonely Number
TCU is in its 15th season as a member of the Big 12 Conference. UCF is in its fourth season in the Big 12.
TCU has won five of its last six Big 12 road-openers, with three of the last four being double-digit victories for the Frogs.
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
The game will be the first time that UCF has opened its Big 12 slate at home.
The Frogs and Knights have faced each other one previous time, on September 14, 2024, in what was a rude welcoming for Andy Avalos to big-time college football as the first-year defensive coordinator for TCU, a position he moved into prior to that season after he was fired as Boise State’s head football coach.
Avalos’ Horned Frogs’ defense was shredded for 519 total yards by UCF’s offense in a startling 35-34 comeback victory by the Knights, before an announced sellout crowd of 48,889 (seventh-largest in TCU football history) in TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Frogs led 21-7 at halftime, 28-7 early in the third quarter and 31-13 near the end of the third quarter. Then UCF outscored TCU 22-3.
TCU ended the 2024 season 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12. The Frogs defeated Louisiana 34-3 in the New Mexico Bowl, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
TCU, Dykes Have Experience in Florida
The Horned Frogs will be playing in Florida for the first time since they defeated USF (Southern Florida), 13-10, in Tampa, on October 10, 2003. The home loss was the first for South Florida since November 13, 1999.
TCU is 6-9 all-time against teams from the Sunshine State. In addition to its one loss to UCF, the Frogs are 2-1 against Florida State, 3-6 versus the University of Miami and 1-1 against USF.
During his tenure as a head football coach, Dykes is 1-1 against UCF. As the head coach of SMU, his Mustangs lost to UCF, 48-20, on October 6, 2018, in Orlando. Dykes and the Ponies got revenge on November 23, 2021, when they defeated the Knights 55-28 in Dallas.
TCU an Early Favorite
At DraftKings Sportsbook, TCU opened as a three-point favorite over the Knights (betting lines may vary by sportsbook and are subject to change before kickoff).
Midnite Madness predicts a 20-17 UCF victory.
UCF Overview
UCF, otherwise known as the University of Central Florida, is a public university in Orlando, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida. It has an enrollment of about 60,000 students.
The Knights’ athletic colors are black and bright gold.
UCF joined the Big 12 in 2023, from the American Athletic Conference. In doing so, the Knights became the first NCAA football program to play at every sanctioned level: Division III, Division II, Division 1-AA, Division 1-A (Independent), Group of 5, Power 5 and now Power 4. The Knights have been Division 1-A since 1996.
UCF is celebrating its 20th season in its Acrisure Bounce House in 2026, a stadium in which the Knights have nearly 100 wins. Acrisure is an American technology and insurance company. The stadium is referred to as the “Bounce House” because it is rowdy, with highly enthusiastic, supportive fans “bouncing” their excitement and support of the Knights to the beat of blaring music. Needless to say, it is an intimidating environment for opposing teams and their fans.
The stadium’s capacity is nearly 46,000. The playing field is natural grass.
“Having been to UCF in Orlando, it’s a good environment,” said Dykes. “They have great fan support. The student body is really active and involved. Of course, that was a number of years ago. I’m sure it’s even better now than it was then.
“It’s going to be loud and their guys will be excited to play. We’re going to have to do a really good job of communicating and then, like anything else, just focus on doing our job consistently and stay kind of emotionally stable, dialed in, and understand it’s going to be a 60-minute football game and let stuff play out.”
Scott Frost Leads UCF, Again
UCF’s head coach is Scott Frost, who is in the second season of his second tenure at the university.
Frost was re-introduced as the program’s head coach on December 8, 2024. He originally served as UCF’s head coach from 2016 to 2017, culminating in a historic 13-0 season, an American Athletic Conference (AAC) championship and a “national championship,” with a victory over No. 7 Auburn in the 2018 Peach Bowl.
The Colley Matrix recognized the 2017 UCF team as national champions, and the school claims a national title despite not receiving an invitation to participate in the College Football Playoff. However, the NCAA only recognizes the 2017 UCF team as a “Final National Polls Leader,” reserving “National/Co-National Champion” status for teams that finish atop at least one of the “consensus polls,” those being the AP, Coaches Poll and NFFFWAA.
UCF was the only undefeated team in the final AP top 25 poll for the 2017 season, but Alabama, at 13-1, was ranked as the nation’s top team. The Knights were ranked sixth.
Following his two years at UCF, Scott Frost served as the head football coach at the University of Nebraska for four-plus seasons from 2018 to 2022. Nebraska fired Frost three games into the 2022 season after an upset loss at home against Georgia Southern.
Frost posted a 16-31 overall record and a 10-26 Big 10 Conference record with the Cornhuskers. He is 26-15 overall at UCF, but the 13-0 season in 2017 is his only winning season as a head coach.
Prior to returning to UCF in 2025, Frost had been serving as a coaching consultant for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams in 2024.
Frost was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is the home city of the University of Nebraska. He played college football as a quarterback for Stanford and the Cornhuskers. He led Nebraska to a split 1997 national championship with Michigan.
Frost played professionally for six seasons as a safety in the National Football League (NFL).
Dykes Cautious about UCF
“They’re a typical UCF and Scott Frost team,” Dykes said about the Knights. “I mean, they’re always kind of the same. They’re always going to have athletic guys, guys who can run. They’ve got a lot of speed. They will show you a lot of different looks on offense, with schemes and motions, play actions, wheel routes, switch routes and throws down the field.
After the Horned Frogs defeated Arkansas State Dykes announced that senior wide receiver Jordan Dwyer is expected to be available for the Horned Frogs’ game against UCF. Dwyer has missed the first three games of the season with a foot injury. The Idaho transfer was the second-leading receiver for TCU last season behind Eric McAllister. Dwyer produced 730 yards and seven touchdowns in his first FBS season and entered 2026 as one of the top returning wideouts in the Big 12.
“We expect Jordan to play,” Dykes said. “It’ll be good to have Jordan back. We have tons of room to grow on offense. I think we are headed to a good place. We just need to do a better job of keeping defenses on their heels and not letting them get too settled. Jaden is getting better every week. A lot of the young receivers have improved.”
Dykes also said that senior edge Zach Chapman may play against the Knights. Chapman has been injured and has not played this season.
Frost Respects TCU
When asked about TCU, Frost said that the Knights and Frogs have followed similar paths.
“Our season and TCU’s season have been pretty close,” said Frost. “We both have played a really tough game and lost a close one (UCF to Pitt and TCU to North Carolina). We both have played an opponent we had advantages over. Both have played really good Group of 6 teams. So, we’ve had similar paths to this point.
“I’m looking forward to this challenge. This is another opportunity for our team to earn respect and for what we want out of this season. TCU is a good team that is getting better. Their defense is not giving up many points. They do a lot of different things, It’s hard to dial them in.
“They have talent on offense, with a lot of new people, like us. It takes a while to find your rhythm. They definitely have talent on offense. Jaden (quarterback Jaden Craig) can really play. We have to be ready for him. We have to stop their run game. Everything starts with that. It can be tough to limit explosive plays with the talent they have on offense. There are going to be a lot of good athletes on the field Saturday night. We’ll see where the chips fall.”
UCF Offensive Overview
UCF’s offense is averaging:
- points per game: 41.33
- total yards per game: 385.3
- rushing yards per game: 228 (6.8 per rush)
- passing yards per game: 157.3
On offense, the Knights have scored 11 rushing touchdowns and four passing touchdowns. They have had two passes intercepted, given up five sacks and lost no fumbles.
Redshirt-senior quarterback Alona Barnett III (#14), who is a transfer from James Madison and has earned nods to various quarterback awards watch lists, including the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien and Manning, is injured and not expected to play against TCU. He has completed 31-of-49 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown one interception.
Senior quarterback Keyone Jenkins (#12), who is a transfer from FIU, orchestrated UCF’s victory over Georgia State. He completed 11-of-21 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored two rushing touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
Sophomore wide receiver Waden Charles (#9) leads UCF’s receiver corps. He has caught seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He has a long reception of 30 yards.
Redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Ric’Darious Farmer (#6), who is a transfer from West Virginia, has caught seven passes for 80 yards. He has not scored a touchdown. He has a long reception of 35 yards.
Senior wide receiver Josh Derry (#5), who is a transfer from Monmouth, has caught seven passes for 78 yards. He has not scored a touchdown. He has a long reception of 26 yards.
Redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Bibbs (#3), who is a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe, has four receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown. He has a long reception of 23 yards.
Redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Caleb Rollerson (#13) has a touchdown catch, among his three receptions for 31 yards
Senior tight end Dylan Wade, who is a transfer from Maryland and was named to the Mackey Award Watch List, has three catches for 35 yards and no touchdowns.
UCF’s ground game is led by two running backs, junior Duke Watson (#26) and redshirt-junior Landen Chambers.
Watson, who is a transfer from Louisville and has been named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List, has rushed 27 times for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 99 rushing yards per game and 11 yards per rush. He has a long run of 64 yards.
Chambers, a transfer from Central Arkansas who is from Fort Worth (Fossil Ridge High School) and who has been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List, is a 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back. He has rushed 15 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He has a long run of 35 yards. He has caught two passes for 21 yards.
Redshirt-freshman Taevion Swint (#4), sophomore Agyeman Addae (#35), freshman Rocco Marriott (#8) and Barnett (#14) each have one rushing touchdown.
UCF Defensive Overview
UCF’s defense is allowing:
- points per game: 16
- total yards per game: 327
- rushing yards per game: 137.7
- passing yards per game: 189.3
Knights defenders have intercepted four passes and given up three touchdowns through the air and two rushing touchdowns. UCF has recorded six sacks and forced two fumbles, recovering one.
Senior linebacker Lewis Carter (#20), who is a transfer from Oklahoma and has been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, has 24 tackles and two quarterback-hurries.
Senior linebacker Tackett Curtis (#24), who is a transfer from USC, has 23 tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack. He also has one interception.
Redshirt-senior defensive back Demari Henderson (#8), has 14 tackles, including one tackle for loss. He has two interceptions and one pass breakup.
Redshirt-junior edge Isaiah Nixon (#6) has made 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He has two quarterback-hurries.
Redshirt-senior linebacker Jahleel Culbreath, who is a transfer from Old Dominion and has been named to the Butkus Award Watch List, has eight tackles and two quarterback-hurries
Junior edge Sincere Edwards (#10) has three tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and two quarterback-hurries.
Redshirt-junior edge Aymeric Koumba (#12), who is from Bordeaux, France, and a transfer from the University of Michigan, has a sack.
Redshirt-senior edge Ken Talley (#11), who is a transfer from Penn State, and redshirt-senior defensive tackle Horace Lockette (#0), who is a transfer from Georgia Tech, each have 1.5 tackles for loss.
Fifth-year defensive back Jayden Williams (#2), who is a transfer from FAU, has one interception.
UCF Special Teams
The Knights’ punter is senior Atticus Bertrams (#49), who is from Australia and a transfer from the University of Wisconsin. He has punted 11 times. He is averaging 46.6 yards per punt. He has not had a punt blocked.
UCF’s field goal kicker is redshirt-senior Will Stone (#15), who is from Austin and a transfer from the University of Texas. He has made four-of-four field goal attempts this season.
Side Notes of the Matchup
Here are four side notes of the game:
- TCU fifth-year quarterback Jaden Craig transferred to TCU form Harvard prior to this season. One of his friends is UCF redshirt-senior defensive back Ty Bartrum (#21), who transferred from Harvard to Central Florida prior to the 2026 season. Bartrum served as the lone captain of Harvard’s 2025 team.
- Frost’s nephew William “Will” Frost, who is the son of Scott’s brother Steve in Dallas, is in his second year as a volunteer student assistant coach for the Horned Frogs, after having been a walk-on long snapper.
- UCF has six players from Texas on its roster, including from Austin, Missouri City, Houston, Dallas, Denton and Fort Worth.
- UCF’s football roster includes players from France, Italy, England, Nigeria and Germany.
- TCU has two players from Florida on its roster: freshman linebacker Noriel Dominguez, who is from Miami, and senior offensive lineman Jaheim Buchanon, who is from Fort Meyers and a transfer from from Florida International University (FIU).
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