Texas Tech steamrolls UCF 48–9 as Knights’ road woes continue in Lubbock

LUBBOCK, Texas — From the moment Texas Tech ripped off a 75-yard touchdown drive on the game’s opening possession, UCF found itself on its heels inside a hostile Jones AT&T Stadium. The sixth-ranked Red Raiders imposed their will early, dominated on both lines of scrimmage, and handed the Knights a 48–9 defeat on Saturday afternoon, UCF’s most lopsided loss of the season and its eighth straight setback away from the Bounce House.

Texas Tech (10–1, 7–1) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, built a 38–2 halftime lead, and cruised through a scoreless fourth quarter. UCF, meanwhile, produced a season-low 230 yards of offense, including just 52 yards rushing on 29 carries (1.8 avg), while the defense surrendered a season-high 499 yards to a Red Raider offense that rarely faced third-and-long and never turned the ball over.

Red Raiders seize control immediately

Before some fans had even found their seats, Texas Tech had already cracked UCF’s defense open. The Red Raiders needed only 63 seconds to go 75 yards for the game’s opening touchdown, a sequence that included a 17-yard completion followed moments later by a 40-yard strike to Reggie Virgil, setting up Cameron Dickey’s 12-yard scoring run.

It was only the second time all season UCF had allowed an opening-drive touchdown.

UCF’s response was a three-and-out that featured a fumbled snap by quarterback Tayven Jackson and a sack by former Knight Lee Hunter, a foreshadowing of the offensive struggles to come. Texas Tech promptly doubled its lead on the next possession, leaning on J’Koby Williams’ 23-yard burst and finishing a six-play, 58-yard drive with Jacob Rodriguez’s 2-yard keeper to make it 14–0 just over five minutes in.

Nothing came easy for UCF’s offense in the opening quarter. The Knights managed just four yards on nine plays and punted on their first three possessions while Texas Tech piled up 183 total yards in the first 15 minutes alone.

A brief spark — then another avalanche

The second quarter began the same way the first ended: with points for Texas Tech. Virgil capped a 13-play march with a 5-yard sweep to extend the margin to 21–0. UCF finally created a brief flash of momentum midway through the quarter when the Knights forced a safety — their first since the 2024 opener — after Howard Sampson was flagged for holding inside the end zone.

But any lift evaporated almost immediately.

On Texas Tech’s next possession, Virgil — who had already scored once — took a pitch left, accelerated around the edge and raced 30 yards untouched for his second rushing score of the half. After a Tayven Jackson interception, Virgil struck again, this time on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Behren Morton, becoming the first player to account for three touchdowns against UCF since Kansas in 2023.

A 45-yard field goal at the halftime horn put the Red Raiders ahead 38–2 — the most points UCF has allowed in a first half since SMU scored 38 on Nov. 13, 2021.

Jackson finds Wade, but Tech keeps pulling away

Despite the deficit, UCF opened the third quarter with its best offensive possession of the afternoon. Jaden Nixon and Agyeman Addae found small lanes, and Jackson connected with tight end Kylan Fox for a first down before hitting Duane Thomas Jr. to push into Texas Tech territory.

Jackson capped the 75-yard, eight-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dylan Wade, who secured the ball in traffic for his second score as a Knight. That trimmed the lead to 38–9, but it would be UCF’s only touchdown of the day.

Texas Tech immediately answered with a 53-yard field goal, then added its fifth rushing touchdown, a 1-yard plunge from Dickey, late in the third to make it 48–9. With the game well in hand, the Red Raiders comfortably drained the clock with a 16-play fourth-quarter drive that consumed more than 10 minutes.

A long, injury-depleted day for the Knights

Jackson finished 27-of-33 for 178 yards with one touchdown and one interception, though 23 of his attempts traveled five yards or less beyond the line of scrimmage, a necessity against a Texas Tech front that totaled four sacks and eight tackles for loss.

UCF once again played shorthanded, missing as many as 10 players listed as out on the weekly availability report, including running back Myles Montgomery (shoulder), nickel Braeden Marshall, linebackers TJ Bullard and Jayden McDonald, and backup quarterbacks Cam Fancher (ribs) and Jacurri Brown (shoulder). Frost indicated afterward he does not expect either quarterback to return this season.

Nixon led the Knights with 32 rushing yards on 15 carries (2.1 avg), while Addae contributed 30 yards on four attempts. Wade and Thomas Jr. tied for the team lead with six receptions each.

Defensively, Demari Henderson and Lewis Carter each posted 12 tackles, but UCF totaled no sacks and only three tackles for loss. Texas Tech ran the ball 35 times for 205 yards and five touchdowns (5.9 avg), highlighted by Dickey (77 yards, two TDs), Williams (45 yards) and Virgil (35 yards, two TDs). Morton and Griffis combined to go 27-for-37 for 294 yards and one touchdown.

What’s next

At 4–6, UCF’s margin for error in its quest for bowl eligibility has disappeared. The Knights must win out, beginning with next Saturday’s Senior Night matchup against Oklahoma State (4 p.m., ESPN+) — and then close the regular season at No. 12 BYU.