FORT WORTH, TX — Winning is an attitude.
That’s the motto for the UCF athletics department this season coined by vice president and director of athletics Terry Mohajir and the football team epitomized that mindset Saturday evening, rallying from a 21-point deficit to earn a 35-34 win against TCU in its Big 12 Conference opener at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Trailing 21-7 at halftime and 28-7 following the first drive of the second half, the Knights regrouped and were the better team for the remainder of the contest. UCF (3-0, 1-0 B12) outscored TCU (2-1, 0-1) 13-10 in the third quarter and 15-3 in the fourth quarter to open Big 12 play with a win.
The comeback win ties the Boise State game from 2021, head coach Gus Malzahn’s first game leading the Knights, for the largest come-from-behind win in program history.
“I’m extremely proud of our team,” said UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn. “They’re (TCU) a really good team and very well-coached. We simplified things on offense in the second half, making a commitment to running it downhill and it opened up the pass. Our guys found a way to win the game, we overcame. There are a lot of areas that we need to improve on, but I think we have the makings of a good team.”
It was a tale of two halves for the Knights, scoring 28 points in the second half as opposed to seven in the first half. Four of UCF’s five drives following the intermission ended in a touchdown.
Jefferson was 9-of-11 for 166 yards with two touchdowns in the second half and the Black and Gold ran for another 144 yards to compile 310 yards in the last two quarters. The Sardis, Mississippi, native finished the game 13-of-22 for 230 yards with three touchdowns and he rushed nine times for 46 yards.
Hudson accounted for 145 of Jefferson’s passing yards, as the fifth-year senior reeled in six passes and found the end zone twice, including the game-winning score late in the fourth quarter. It marked the second consecutive game and seventh in his career surpassing 100 yards receiving.
One of the nation’s most talented running backs, RJ Harvey continued his scorching hot start to the season rushing for 180 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns on the ground. The Hometown Hero also scored his second career receiving touchdown to end the day with 209 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. Harvey, who also caught a 2-point conversion pass from Jefferson) has now rushed for more than 100 yards in his last five games dating back to 2023, scoring 11 TDs during that span.
Defensively, linebacker Deshawn Pace was all over the field to lead the Knights with 11 tackles, including eight solo, to finish one shy of matching his career high. He had two big stops on TCU’s second to last drive, which resulted in a punt to give UCF the ball back with 3:14 remaining.
The Knights’ defense limited the Horned Frogs to just 58 yards rushing, but they threw for 402 yards. UCF’s approach was balanced with 289 yards rushing and 230 passing yards.
UCF will have a bye week before returning to action against Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 28 at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
Here is the box score:
UCF 35, TCU 34
UCF (3-0, 1-0) 0 7 13 15 _ 35
TCU (2-1, 0-1) 14 7 10 3 _ 34
First Quarter
TCU _ McAlister 14 pass from Hoover (Lemmermann kick).
TCU _ Williams 18 pass from Hoover (Lemmermann kick).
Second Quarter
UCF _ Harvey 29 pass from Jefferson (Boomer kick).
TCU _ Williams 16 pass from Hoover (Lemmermann kick).
Third Quarter
TCU _ Bech 50 pass from Hoover (Lemmermann kick).
UCF _ Harvey 1 run (Boomer kick).
TCU _ Lemmermann 31 FG.
UCF _ Hudson 27 pass from Jefferson (PAT blocked).
Fourth Quarter
UCF _ Harvey 27 run (Harvey pass from Jefferson).
TCU _ Lemmermann 24 FG.
UCF _ Hudson 20 pass from Jefferson (Boomer kick).
Harvey tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
Following another stellar performance to lead UCF to a win in its conference opener on Saturday, UCF running back RJ Harvey has been named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.
One of the nation’s most talented running backs, Harvey continued his scorching hot start to the season rushing for 180 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns in the Knights’ 35-34 win against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas. Orlando's Hometown Hero also scored his second career receiving touchdown to end the day with 209 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
Harvey has now rushed for more than 100 yards in his last five games dating back to 2023, scoring 11 TDs during that span.
He also moved up to No. 4 on the UCF all-time list for rushing touchdowns with 29 and his 2,663 career rushing yards are fourth most in program history.
Harvey leads the Big 12 this season in rushing yards (448), rushing touchdowns (8) and rushing yards per game (149.3). He leads the nation in scoring with 56 points to his credit.
Jefferson named to Davey O’Brien Great 8 list, Manning Award Star of the Week
After helping lead UCF to a 35-34 comeback win at TCU on Saturday, quarterback KJ Jefferson has been named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 List and a Manning Award Star of the Week. Jefferson spearheaded a second-half rally for the Knights, as the Black and Gold overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.
Hailing from Sardis, Mississippi, Jefferson finished the game 13-of-22 for 230 yards passing with three touchdowns and contributed 46 yards rushing to end the game with 276 total yards. He was at his best in the second half, as he was 9-of-11 for 166 yards with two touchdowns.
Jefferson had a 191.9 quarterback rating for the game, connecting on nine of his last 11 passes, including his first five passes of the second half. On UCF’s game-winning drive, he was 4-of-5 for 54 yards and found wide receiver Kobe Hudson across the middle on a post route to knot the score at 34-34 before Colton Boomer’s extra point split the uprights to give UCF the one-point victory.
After an extraordinary number of notable quarterback performances across the country, the Davey O’Brien Foundation’s Great 8 committee has elected to use its “Davey Double” option in Week 3, thereby increasing the number of Great 8 honorees this week from eight to 16.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week, selected from the Great 8 list, was to be announced Tuesday morning.
College football fans can follow the Manning Award on social media (@ManningAward) to vote for what they think was the best performance from this past weekend. After voting closes on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (Central), the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.
VOTE HERE _ https://allstatesugarbowl.org/news/2024/9/16/manning-stars.aspx.
