UCF Football was off last week, but one look at the team’s injury report for BYU on Saturday could fool you.
The Knights listed 10 players, including starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III and freshman running back Taevion Swing (162 yards), as questionable or worse on Thursday. Another six players – 4 defense, 1 offense, 1 special teams – are probable for the week’s top-10 home test vs. No. 2 BYU, which is hot off its nationally-regarded win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo.
BYU, led by sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier (1,257 passing yards), is just a 6.5-point favorite heading into Orlando, as Knights backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins is expected to make his fifth consecutive start for UCF on Saturday. It’s a messy injury report this week, with six different linemen – including OL combo Owen Spell and Tyler Gibson – in preparation for a BYU defense that held the Irish to 115 rushing yards and just 8-of-10 on third down last weekend.
Keyone Jenkins Tries to Lead UCF vs. BYU
It’ll be up to Jenkins, who left the game for UCF in the third quarter of the Houston loss, to test BYU through the air on Saturday with Barnett unavailable, and it’ll come as the senior backup grows comfortable as his team’s signal caller. The Scott Frost staff displays trust in Jenkins, but the payout hasn’t come in the win column following two Big 12 losses at Oklahoma State and Houston; Both losses saw Jenkins combine for 518 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and two interceptions on 53 attempts.
Jenkins will have his top two targets – wideout Josh Derry (304 yards) and tight end Dylan Wade – this week despite mounting injuries working against his offense. Cut down on the turnovers, and perhaps UCF can put itself into the fourth quarter of its BYU game this week, but a full 60 minutes isn’t something the Knights have provided themselves with in recent weeks, and the Cougars are extra vigilant now in their bid for the College Football Playoff amongst the national field.
BYU is pushing onward without its starting running back, LJ Martin, previously on pace to become the Big 12 leading rusher this season before an ankle injury sustained vs. TCU removed the star rusher from the lineup for an estimated 4-to-6 weeks; Preston Rex took 10 carries for 66 yards last week vs. Notre Dame.
To stay within such a low spread, UCF needs a big day out of Jenkins and the offense to keep pace with a BYU squad intent on keeping its perfect 3-0 Big 12 record intact. It’s hard to bet against the Cougars, but this home return for UCF after a week off certainly factors into the math as Frost and company look for a big one this weekend when the league’s frontrunners come to town.
