Tayven Jackson’s grit shines despite UCF’s 34-20 setback at K-State
MANHATTAN, Kan. — When Tayven Jackson walked to the UCF locker room late in the second quarter with his left arm in a sling, it looked like his day — and possibly much more — was over. The redshirt junior quarterback had just been slammed to the turf by Kansas State’s Cody Stufflebean, leaving the Knights without their starter in the middle of their Big 12 opener.
But by the time the third quarter rolled around, Jackson stunned everyone. He’d shed the sling, put his pads back on and jogged onto the field to lead the Knights’ offense, even as his shoulder throbbed. It was a moment that embodied UCF’s toughness in a 34-20 road loss that dropped the Knights to 3-1 (0-1 Big 12).
“I just went back and got an X-ray and it was just an A.C. joint,” Jackson said after the game. “It can’t get worse, so I just had to gut through it. My teammates were very supportive, and we fought hard.”
Playing Through Pain
Jackson had been limited to 18 passing yards before the injury and watched Jacurri Brown throw an interception on his first drive, a turnover the Wildcats quickly turned into a touchdown. Brown responded with an 82-yard strike to DJ Black, one of the longest touchdown catches in UCF history, but Kansas State scored again and led 17-7 at halftime.
When Jackson re-entered in the third quarter, UCF’s offense found a spark. Running back Jaden Nixon ripped off a 54-yard touchdown to pull the Knights within 31-17 late in the third.
But penalties and missed chances derailed potential comeback drives. With under 10 minutes to play, UCF moved into Kansas State territory with a chance to make it a one-score game before false starts and clock-management issues stalled the possession.
“That was on me,” Jackson said. “Clock management, getting the play called fast in the huddle — I take full responsibility for those couple drives.”
A Message of Toughness
Jackson finished 12-of-24 passing for 115 yards with one interception, snapping a streak of 100 throws without a pick. He acknowledged the pain but said it’s part of the job.
“Yeah, there was pain, but it’s pain every time you get hit, so you just have to get through it,” he said. “That’s who we are as a team. That’s what Coach Frost teaches us, and that’s what our culture is, just being tough. This is natural.”
Jackson said the quarterback room embraces that mindset.
“We preach that tough quarterback equals tough team, so there’s only one way to play quarterback and that’s to be tough,” he said. “That’s what we try to do.”
Quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton, known himself for playing through adversity at UCF, offered a simple check-in when Jackson prepared to return to action. “He just asked me, ‘You ready? You good?’ And I said, ‘Yeah,’” Jackson recalled.
An Emotional Week
Saturday’s game capped an emotional week for UCF following the sudden death of offensive line coach Shawn Clark. The Knights wore helmet decals in his honor, and Jackson admitted the circumstances took a toll.
“It was emotional. We wanted this game for Coach Clark, but I know he’s up there wanting to get to the film and teach us little things that we did wrong,” Jackson said. “We played with great energy and gave it all that we had. There’s just a lot of things that we need to clean up, but that’s the exciting part.”
Despite the loss, Jackson said the locker room stayed upbeat, echoing Frost’s assessment that the team didn’t hang its head.
“It says a lot about our team that we have fight and we don’t get down because winning is hard, especially in college football,” Jackson said. “It’s all about positive energy, and that’s what we did at halftime. We came out pretty well, but it wasn’t our best day today.”
Looking ahead
UCF’s offense produced 402 yards but also committed three turnovers, went 0-for-2 on fourth down, and averaged just 1.7 yards per carry outside of its four explosive runs. Kansas State, meanwhile, rushed for 266 yards.
Still, Jackson believes the Knights showed they’re close.
“We could have laid down, but we didn’t. We kept fighting,” he said. “We tried to claw and scratch. We did a good job, but we didn’t do enough. But that’s everywhere. Again, it’s the good part that we’re right there.”
The Knights will return home to host Kansas next Saturday night at the Bounce House.
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