UCF Routs Bethune-Cookman, 73-6, in Both Teams’ Season Opener

UCF opened its season Thursday night the way it had hoped to, scoring on each of its first three possessions and cruising to a 73-6 win over Bethune-Cookman at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando. The Knights led 21-0 after the first quarter and 38-0 at halftime before piling up 28 more points in the third, finishing with 560 total yards against a Wildcats defense that had little answer for UCF’s ground game.

UCF’s Ground Game Set the Tone Early

UCF scored touchdowns on the ground and finished with 360 rushing yards on 38 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per carry. Running back Duke Watson broke a 64-yard touchdown run just over three minutes into the game, and the Knights added a defensive score minutes later when Jayden Williams returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 before the first quarter was over. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III capped the opening quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run of his own, then found Jonathan Bibbs for a 23-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to push the lead to 28-0. A Will Stone field goal and a pair of short touchdown runs, including two from Landen Chambers, made it 38-0 at the half.

The third quarter was more of the same. Touchdown runs from Taevion Swint and Chambers again, a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins to Caleb Rollerson, and a 39-yard touchdown run from Agyeman Addae carried UCF to a 66-0 lead before a 1-yard Rocco Marriott run made it 73-0 with just under 15 minutes to play.

Bethune-Cookman Avoided the Shutout Late

Bethune-Cookman’s offense struggled to generate movement for most of the night, finishing with 181 total yards against 40 rushing attempts for 107 yards and 74 yards through the air. Three different quarterbacks saw action: Tyler Jefferson started and completed 4 of 10 passes for 55 yards with an interception, Amari Jones went 5 of 8 for 11 yards, and freshman Joel Morris finished 1 of 2 for 8 yards, including the Wildcats’ only touchdown, an 8-yard pass to Kobe Stewart with no time remaining on the clock. Running back Isaiah Daniel was a bright spot, carrying 10 times for 65 yards, a 6.5-yard average, and receiver Rickie Shaw II led all B-CU pass catchers with four catches for 40 yards.

On defense, linebacker Tre Rigby recorded the program’s first sack of the season and led the Wildcats with six total tackles. Cornerback Jaden Davis intercepted a pass in the second quarter for his first career interception, though B-CU was unable to convert the turnover into points. The Wildcats were also penalized 11 times for 58 yards and lost two fumbles, part of a turnover margin that finished minus-three against a UCF defense that did not commit one.

UCF Defensive tackle Jeffson Lafontant, who played at Bethune-Cookman before transferring to UCF ahead of the 2025 season, recorded two tackles and a tackle for loss against his former team.

Score by quarter, Bethune-Cookman at UCF, Sept. 3, 2026, at Acrisure Bounce House. Attendance: 43,127.

UCF (1-0) moves on to a road trip to Pittsburgh next week, while Bethune-Cookman (0-1) returns home to open its own stadium slate against Stetson.