Humbled BYU returns home after loss to UCF with plenty to unpack

Playing as the No. 2 team in the country is tough duty.

BYU found out in Orlando, Florida, just how tough it is as an inspired, unranked UCF team beat the undefeated Cougars in double-overtime, 39-31, in the Bounce House.

Credit the Knights. They played an outstanding, big-play football game.

UCF’s coaching staff used an extra week to place BYU in jeopardy. They did so all game long.

“I thought it would take 31 to win this game and I just wanted to get 31, then it went into overtime,” said UCF coach Scott Frost, who called the win perhaps the biggest in school history.

BYU’s swords and shields proved to be too heavy in this one. The target on their backs, just like five of the nation’s top seven teams experienced a week ago, was simply too much to carry.

The game provided BYU a tremendous opportunity to take a solid perch atop the Big 12 standings heading into a home game against Arizona State after Cincinnati rolled past undefeated and No. 8 Texas Tech earlier in the day.

The losses by these two undefeated Big 12 top-10 teams shot hope into the upper echelon of the league.

For the Cougars, it is a classic case of what could have been.

The Cougars did not play very well.

Actually, they didn’t play great in a win over Notre Dame, but still won.

That kind of sloppiness caught up with them two time zones away in the rain.

Mistakes, untimely penalties, a lack of composure down the stretch, and absolutely inept tackling on UCF’s speedy receivers, backs and quarterback spelled disaster for the Cougars just one week after an emotional upset of the No. 2 Irish in Provo.

No. 2 is a perilous role, indeed.

The Cougars had plenty of chances to win this game, both during regulation and in overtime.

An unsportsmanlike penalty on BYU senior captain Keanu Tanuvasa, and a roughing the kicker by Kendal Wall at the end were huge. But so were missed sacks by Braxton Lindsey.

When Isaiah Glasker attempted to tackle UCF freshman Tyren Hornes in the first half, it led to the longest play of the game, a 56-yard gain on a simple, short screen play to set up a big UCF touchdown.

On that play, a third-and-17 after a Justin Kirkland sack, Glasker had his chance to tackle Hornes, but he just bounced off the Cougar defender.

True freshman UCF WR Tyren Hornes is balling against No. 2 BYU.
247Sports had him as a 4-star prospect and the No. 172 overall player in the 2026 class.
137 yards on 6 receptions for the Sarasota (Fla.) Booker product. pic.twitter.com/hDs4qfCowh

— Zach Blostein (@ZBlostein247) October 24, 2026

That play, and a tipped interception of a Bear Bachmeier pass in the first half that killed a Cougar drive, loomed huge on this day. Because UCF scored on that possession turnover, it could be seen as a potential 14-point swing in the game.

UCF basically won this game by attacking BYU’s soft edges with speed. By attacking BYU’s corners with downfield blockers and taking out linebackers like Glasker from the mesh point, UCF made big chunk plays all game long. UCF converted 9 of 17 third downs — many times by simply running out of the grasp of defenders.

“We bought into our process. Obviously there’s a lot of rat poison out there after beating Notre Dame but credit UCF, they had an extra week to prepare for us and had us dialed up,” said senior center Bruce Mitchell during a KSL radio interview after the game.

“Some lessons have to be taught the hard way,” Mitchell said.

Maybe part of it was karma.

BYU should have defeated Notre Dame going away last week, but the muffed punt and the failure to convert a fake kept the Irish in the game.

In this game, UCF made more plays, and BYU failed to be clean and sharp all game long.

One could call it a head scratcher that the Big 12 scheduled BYU to travel two time zones away after the Notre Dame game — win or loss — when the Cougars were a league favorite to challenge for a CFP berth.

That’s still there for the Cougars.

But even that Big 12 scheduling gem is forgotten in the way BYU failed to rise to the occasion as a No. 2.

Penalties, including the controversial one on Wall for roughing UCF’s kicker in overtime, were big factors in this loss. But it remains to be said that it should not have come to that for Kalani Sitake’s team.

As a No. 2-ranked team, even coming off an emotional win the week before, BYU should have done far more against a 3-3 UCF team.

If you are good, you are really good when it counts.

This Cougar team was not good when it counted, when it was pressed, when it needed stops and sustained drives.

Unfortunately, the loss kind of buried an exceptional game by receiver Kyler Kasper, who had six catches for 129 yards and a touchdown.

UCF had been in position to beat three teams this season, including Texas Tech, and couldn’t find the right combination of plays to get it done.

“That was the best team we’ve played against,” said UCF coach Scott Frost. “I credit our coordinators who really prepared.”

From the view 30,000 feet up, BYU’s defense did not execute what was needed in Orlando. If the BYU offense scores more than 24, the Cougars should win.

“We have no choice but to be humble,” Sitake said afterward.

BYU returns to Provo with something they really need to take the next step this season — a clear vision of what they need to do in order to play better football on Halloween night and beyond as the Big 12 title chase really heats up after Saturday.