The Deseret News is providing live coverage of Saturday’s game between BYU and UCF. Check back for updates throughout the game.
Final score
BYU 37, UCF 24
The Cougars are 8-0.
BYU racked up 480 total yards — with 252 coming on the ground — in a 37-24 rout of UCF to claim sole possession of first place in the Big 12.
Jake Retzlaff threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score. LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati combined for 184 rushing yards on 28 carries, while Chase Roberts and Mata’ava Ta’ase each caught touchdowns.
The Cougars also forced two UCF turnovers and held the nation’s second-best rushing offense to nearly 100 yards less than its season average.
BYU now has a bye week before heading to face Utah in a heated rivalry battle.
Fourth quarter
BYU 37, UCF 24
0:56 — New UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk has provided a bit of a spark for the Knights, throwing a 29-yard touchdown to Jacoby Jones to make the score appear more respectable. BYU 37, UCF 24.
3:10 — Will Ferrin nets his third field goal of the day. BYU 37, UCF 18.
9:14 — RJ Harvey’s second touchdown of the game pulls UCF within two scores. BYU 34, UCF 18.
12:09 — Jay Hill’s defense forces another turnover.
True freshman Faletua Satuala grabbed his first career interception, giving the Cougars the ball back at their own 9-yard line. BYU 34, UCF 10.
Satuala is the 11th different BYU defender to record an interception this season.
14:14 — The Cougars suffer their first real blunder of the day.
Jake Retzlaff fumbled on a strip sack, with the Knights jumping on the loose ball to regain possession. BYU 34, UCF 10.
Third quarter
BYU 34, UCF 10
3:40 — Will Ferrin drills another field goal to put the Cougars ahead by 24 points. BYU 34, UCF 10.
BYU has scored on six of its seven drives today.
5:48 — BYU’s offense has been the star today, but now it’s the defense’s turn to play hero.
Isaiah Glasker grabbed an interception for the first forced Cougar turnover of the day, with a Jack Kelly blitz sending UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown into a panic to force the errant throw. BYU 31, UCF 10.
Glasker now has two interceptions this season, tying Tanner Wall and Jakob Robinson for the team lead.
7:01 — BYU can’t be stopped.
The Cougars tally their fourth touchdown of the day, this time on a 1-yard pass from Jake Retzlaff to tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase. BYU 31, UCF 10.
BYU has now scored on five of its six drives today, with each touchdown coming after picking up at least 72 yards.
Ta’ase’s touchdown was just his fourth catch of the season, though three of them have come in the end zone. Additionally, Retzlaff has now thrown for two or more touchdowns in seven of eight games this year.
Halftime
BYU 24, UCF 10
What a day for the Cougar offense so far.
BYU racked up 320 total yards before halftime against UCF, holding possession for more than 21 minutes and averaging 7.8 yards per play in a 24-10 showing.
Most impressively, the Cougars have imposed their will in the run game, rushing for 120 yards on 22 carries.
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff has gone 12 of 19 in passing for 200 yards and a touchdown, adding 16 yards and another score on the ground.
Safeties Tanner Wall and Crew Wakley both lead the Cougars with four tackles each, with Blake Mangelson picking up a sack as well. The Knights, however, have averaged 8.8 yards per carry, with RJ Harvey running for 104 yards already.
UCF will receive the second half kickoff as BYU looks to maintain its advantage for the remaining 30 minutes of play.
Second quarter
BYU 24, UCF 10
0:27 — Chase is on the case.
Looking for another score before halftime, Jake Retzlaff found Chase Roberts downfield, only for Roberts to avoid the defender and sprint down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown. BYU 24, UCF 10.
The 62-yard connection was BYU’s longest play from scrimmage this season and the longest reception of Roberts’ career.
Retzlaff has now thrown for 200 yards thus far in the half, with his strike to Roberts marking his 20th total touchdown of 2024.
0:59 — The Knights pull within seven points on a 38-yard field goal. BYU 17, UCF 10.
7:02 — UCF finally gets on the board.
Immediately after a 54-yard run, Knights running back RJ Harvey crossed the goal line for a 4-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 points. BYU 17, UCF 7.
8:13 — The Cougars are rolling.
BYU’s run game continues to give UCF trouble, with LJ Martin now rumbling through defenders into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. BYU 17, UCF 0.
Martin now has 69 rushing yards today with seven touchdowns on the season.
As a team, the Cougars have racked up 221 total yards on the afternoon, with the Knights managing just 50.
14:53 — Will Ferrin extends the lead to 10 points with a 41-yard field goal. BYU 10, UCF 0.
The kick wasn’t even Ferrin’s most impressive play of the drive — he ran for eight yards and a first down on an elaborate fake kick where holder Sam Vander Haar snapped the ball through his legs and into the hands of a running Ferrin.
BYU has already held possession for more than 12 minutes today while running for 77 yards on 5.5 yards per carry.
First quarter
BYU 7, UCF 0
10:32 — Jake Retzlaff came to play today.
With his pocket quickly collapsing, the Cougars’ QB scrambled for a 29-yard touchdown to cap a 75-yard opening drive and give BYU an early lead. BYU 7, UCF 0.
The Cougars ran five times for 43 yards on the series, with Retzlaff making a pair of key throws to Keelan Marion and Darius Lassiter as well.
How to watch the game
BYU’s road matchup with UCF will be televised on ESPN and can also be streamed on the ESPN app.
Pregame prep
Here are a few stories to get you ready for BYU’s game against UCF.