UCF needs second-half heroics to push past Oklahoma State in home finale

It all began when a few fans climbed to the top of the north side of Acrisure Bounce House Stadium during the second quarter of UCF’s home finale against Oklahoma State.

More fans soon joined them, taking off their shirts and waving them defiantly.

What started as a small group quickly turned into a wave of shirtless supporters. The trend had taken hold in Orlando and was in full swing on Saturday afternoon.

Whatever the cause, this display ignited a spark in a struggling UCF team as the Knights rallied to secure a 17-14 win over the Cowboys on Senior Day.

Kicker Noe Ruelas connected on a 34-yard field goal with 57 seconds left for the win.

Safety Braeden Marshall intercepted Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores to seal the win.

“Shout out to them. That’s when we started rallying,” said Ruelas, who was named a Lou Groza semifinalist earlier in the week. “I’m not going to lie, but it was a big section up there. It’s been going around in college football, and it was fun to see it tonight.”

UCF (5-6, 2-7 Big 12) snapped a three-game losing streak while moving one game closer to being bowl eligible after missing out last season. The victory is also the 40th career win for Scott Frost in 8 seasons.

“Saying it wasn’t a great first half is probably an understatement,” Frost said.  “But the message at halftime was my challenge all week, which was that we’ve got to play hard and we’ve got to play fast. They came out and got a spark on the first play and the defense played a tremendous second half.”

Oklahoma State (1-10, 0-8 Big 12) did not resemble a team ranked No. 122 in total offense as the Cowboys efficiently moved down the field on their opening possession. Flores connected with receiver Gavin Freeman in the flat for a 5-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead.

It was the third time in the last four games that UCF allowed a touchdown on the opponent’s opening possession.

The Knights’ initial possession didn’t go as planned as pre-snap penalties continued to be a downfall.  A false-start penalty turned what could have been a manageable 4th-and-1 into a challenging 4th-and-6, ultimately forcing UCF to punt instead of going for it.

The defense stepped up on OSU’s next possession, stopping the Cowboys on a 4th-and-1 at the UCF 39.

But quarterback Tayven Jackson’s pass to Carl Jenkins Jr. was tipped and intercepted by cornerback Cam Smith. It was Jackson’s seventh interception of the season and the fifth consecutive game in which he’s thrown a pick.

UCF failed to score in the first quarter for the sixth time this season.

Oklahoma State tacked on an additional touchdown late in the second quarter as Flores scampered six yards into the end zone with 50 seconds left in the half.

Jackson was intercepted for the second time on UCF’s next possession as the Knights went into the half scoreless for the first time since the season opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28.

“I hate throwing picks, but it’s a part of the game,” said Jackson, who finished 16 of 25 for 271 yards with two touchdowns. “Everyone throws picks. Go watch football on TV, but I’ve got to fix those areas too, because that hurt us. I’ve got to learn from them.”

The redshirt junior redeemed himself a bit to start the second half, finding tight end Dylan Wade wide open racing down the sideline for an 83-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7. It was the longest touchdown pass of the season for the Knights and the second straight game with a touchdown for Wade.

“We actually knew about the play all week,” Wade said. “We knew it was going to be a big hitter and he called at the right moment, first play out of half.”

It was a back-and-forth affair after that, as both teams struggled to get much going offensively.

UCF drove inside Oklahoma State territory, getting to the Cowboys’ 2.

But facing a 4th-and-2, Jackson found Wade for his second touchdown of the game, tying things up at 14 apiece with 9:12 left.

Wade finished with a career-high 145 yards on four catches and two touchdowns.

After surrendering 14 points and 207 yards of offense in the first half, UCF’s defense played lights out after halftime, with the Knights allowing just one first down and 27 yards in the second.

“The defense played a great second half,” said Frost. “I wish we could do that the whole game and just really grind down on somebody, but you can’t. I can’t say anything bad about the way that the defense played in the second half.”

UCF finished with 396 yards of offense, while holding Oklahoma State to 228 yards.

The Cowboys have lost 10 straight games this season and 17 consecutive conference losses.

The Knights wrap up the regular season on the road with a trip to face No. 12 BYU in Provo, Utah, next Saturday. A win over the Cougars would make UCF bowl-eligible for the first time since the 2023 season.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: moc.lenitnesodnalro@lehcsrumm. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.