UCF transfers shine as Knights tie points mark, cruise past Bethune-Cookman 73-6

UCF fans were worried about storms in the Central Florida area before Thursday’s season opener against Bethune-Cookman, but it turns out all the electricity was on the football field.

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Louisville transfer Duke Watson took a handoff from quarterback Alonza Barnett III on the Knights’ second play on offense and the 5-foot-11 junior running back was off to the races for a 64-yard touchdown less than four minutes into the game.

It was an impressive start as UCF scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, jumping out to a 31-0 lead before cruising to a 73-6 win over B-CU.

It tied the program’s record for most points in a game, which was set against Austin Peay on Oct. 28, 2017 — coach Scott Frost’s second season with the Knights. It was also the largest margin of victory, eclipsing the 64-point advantage UCF had against Grand Valley State in a 67-3 win on Oct. 31, 1987.

Watson finished with a team-high 110 yards rushing and Barnett scored a pair of touchdowns: one passing and one rushing in their UCF debuts, as the Knights (1-0) won 11 straight season openers and nine straight games against Bethune-Cookman (0-1).

The victory is also the 25th for Scott Frost as the coach at UCF going back to the 2016-17 season.

After Watson’s run, the Knights doubled the score as safety Jayden Williams stepped in front of B-CU receiver Rickie Shaw II and raced 47 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 14-0 lead. It was Williams’ first career interception for a touchdown and the first interception for a touchdown by UCF since Phil Dunnam against Houston on Nov. 7, 2025.

Barnett got in on the scoring, scampering 5 yards into the end zone for a touchdown, capping off an 85-yard drive and pushing the Knights’ lead to 21-0 with 3:07 left in the first quarter.

UCF added another touchdown on its third possession as Barnett fired a laser of a pass to receiver Jonathan Bibbs for a 27-yard touchdown. It was the senior quarterback’s first touchdown pass as a Knight and his 50th career touchdown pass.

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Will Stone connected on a 34-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to extend the lead to 31-0. It was Stone’s first collegiate field goal and his first as a Knight after spending four seasons at Texas as a kickoff specialist.

The Knights continued their offensive assault as Landen Chambers, another transfer running back, crashed into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run after the two-minute timeout, extending the advantage to 38-0.

UCF running back Taevion Swint opened the second half with a 57-yard kickoff return and capped it off with a 27-yard touchdown run. It was the first career rushing touchdown for the Osceola High product and pushed the lead to 45-0.

Backup Keyone Jenkins entered the game in the third, replacing Barnett with 11:27 left. Barnett, the former James Madison quarterback, finished 11 of 18 with 158 yards and a touchdown and an interception. He also added a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter.

The Knights increased their lead to 52-0 after a 27-yard touchdown run by Chambers.

Jenkins found receiver Caleb Rollerson in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown grab that pushed UCF’s advantage to 59-0.

Running back Agyeman Addae became the fifth Knight with a rushing touchdown after his 39-yard scoring run late in the third quarter. Fourth-string quarterback Rocco Marriott added a 1-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter to make the score 73-0.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram at @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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