UCF dominates Belichick-led Tar Heels, 34-9, in non-conference statement win
The matchup may have featured Bill Belichick on the opposing sideline, but it was Scott Frost’s Knights who stole the show in a convincing 34-9 win over North Carolina.
Behind a career night from Tayven Jackson and another suffocating effort by Alex Grinch’s defense, UCF overwhelmed the visiting Tar Heels.
Jackson, the redshirt junior quarterback, delivered his most complete performance since transferring in. He finished 25 of 32 for 223 yards and a touchdown and added a career-high 66 rushing yards and another score on the ground.
UCF improves to 3-0 heading into next Saturday’s Big 12 opener at Kansas State. Scott Frost stretched his winning streak at UCF to 16 games.
Early statement: Offense efficient, defense disruptive
As they’ve done all season, the Knights set the tone early.
UCF opened the game with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Jackson’s 13-yard keeper where he faked the handoff to Myles Montgomery and raced in untouched. Jackson accounted for 67 of those 75 yards, both with his arm and legs.
The defense immediately responded. On UNC’s opening series, Gio Lopez’s first-down pass was deflected at the line by Horace Lockett and plucked out of the air by edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly — his first career interception. It set up a short field and led to a 36-yard field goal from Noe Ruelas, giving UCF a quick 10-0 lead.
Kelly’s pick marked UCF’s fifth takeaway in three games. The defense has yet to allow a touchdown in the first half all season.
Ruelas delivers, defense locks down
After forcing a three-and-out on the next series, Jackson engineered another long drive — this one going 14 plays and 42 yards — that ended with a 41-yard Ruelas field goal to make it 13-0 early in the second.
North Carolina finally pieced together a promising drive midway through the second quarter, reaching the UCF 12-yard line. But cornerback Jayden Bellamy got a hand on a Lopez slant, tipping it into the air and into the arms of Braeden Marshall. The junior safety’s interception ended the threat and kept the Tar Heels out of the end zone.
That pick was Marshall’s third career interception and second takeaway of the night for UCF.
Quick strike before the half
With just over a minute remaining in the half, Jackson and the Knights got the ball back at their own 17.
What followed was surgical.
After a 10-yard run and a roughing the passer penalty, Jackson found tight end Kylan Fox on a pair of catches — one for 11 yards and another for 17 — the latter a wide-open touchdown over the middle with just 13 seconds left. It was the first career score for Fox and gave UCF a commanding 20-3 lead at the break.
Second half: Big drive, bigger close
North Carolina opened the third with its longest drive of the night — a 19-play, 80-yard marathon that lasted 8:40. But it came only after UCF had pushed the lead to 27-3 on another impressive drive.
Jackson ripped off a 25-yard run, hit Dylan Wade for an 18-yard gain, and Montgomery did the rest, punching it in from the 1-yard line.
Lopez exited with a leg injury during UNC’s next possession and was replaced by Max Johnson, who eventually found Kobe Paysour for an 8-yard touchdown. The two-point try failed, and UCF still led 27-9.
That’s as close as UNC would get.
What followed was a masterpiece.
Starting at their own 7 with 12:20 left, the Knights embarked on a game-sealing, clock-draining 18-play, 93-yard drive that took 10:26 off the clock. Backup QB Jacurri Brown checked in to convert a fourth-and-1 and stayed in for multiple snaps, using his legs to keep the drive alive. Jaden Nixon capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to put the game away for good at 34-9.
Top Performers
- Tayven Jackson: 25-32, 223 yards, 1 TD, 66 rushing yards, 1 TD
- Jaden Nixon: 10 rushing yards, 41 receiving yards, 5-yard TD
- Dylan Wade: 5 catches, 47 yards
- UCF Defense: 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 4 TFLs, held UNC to 217 total yards
- Lewis Carter: 10 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack
- Nyjalik Kelly: 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 QB hurry
- Horace Lockett: 2 tackles, 1 pass breakup (led to INT)
UCF outgained UNC 366-217 and won the time of possession battle by more than seven minutes (33:47 to 26:13). The Knights were a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone and converted 4-of-4 fourth-down attempts.
Packed house, familiar faces
A sellout crowd of 44,206 packed the Bounce House — the largest home crowd since last season’s Colorado game. They witnessed Frost go head-to-head with his former NFL coach, Bill Belichick, now in his first season at UNC.
Frost, who played under Belichick with the New York Jets from 1998-99, admitted during the week that the matchup carried some personal weight. The final score sent a message loud and clear.
Up next
UCF hits the road for its Big 12 opener next Saturday in Manhattan against Kansas State (Noon ET, FS1). The Wildcats, who handed UCF a 44-31 defeat in the 2023 Big 12 opener, are off to a disappointing 1-3 start.
If Saturday night was a glimpse of what this UCF team is capable of, the Knights just might be ready to make some noise in Year 3 of Big 12 play.
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