Baylor defeats UCF 41-9 in Space Game after Citronauts upset No. 2 BYU

Baylor defeated the UCF Knights 41-9 on Friday night at the Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando. The result ended the 10th annual Space Game with a lopsided score for the Bears. UCF dropped to a 4-4 overall record and 2-3 in conference play. The victory moved Baylor to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

The game took place before a sellout crowd of 45,906. This attendance marked the first sellout since the renovated Roth Tower opened. It also represented the eighth-largest crowd in the history of the venue. UCF fell to 8-2 all-time in the Space Game series.

Baylor established a 14-0 lead in the first half. DJ Lagway threw a 4-yard pass to Tony Livingston for the opening score. Caden Knighten added a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Will Stone kicked a 39-yard field goal for UCF with 3:24 remaining in the second quarter. Baylor extended the lead with field goals by Rhett Armstrong. Stone responded with a school-record 57-yard field goal to end the first half, leaving the Citronauts trailing 20-6.

The Bears took control in the third quarter. They scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half. Lagway connected with Livingston for 21 yards and Gavin Freemaan for 77 yards. Those plays increased Baylor's lead to 34-6. The Bears eventually scored on five consecutive possessions. Lagway finished with 319 passing yards on 16 of 25 attempts and four touchdown passes.

Keyone Jenkins entered the game in the second half after an injury. He replaced Alonza Barnett III, who had not played since an injury against Pittsburgh. Jenkins connected with Josh Derry for a 67-yard gain, the longest play of the season for UCF. That completion set up a 35-yard field goal by Stone. UCF finished the night with 9 points. Baylor recorded 503 total yards, including 319 through the air. The Bears' defense recorded seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

The loss followed a major upset just one week prior. On Saturday, UCF defeated No. 2 and No. 3 BYU 39-31 in double overtime. That contest was the Knights' Homecoming Game. The win marked UCF's first victory over an AP top-five opponent. It was the program's fourth AP top-10 win and 11th overall ranked win. The previous highest-ranked victory for UCF came against then-No. 6 Baylor in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl.

In the BYU game, Keyone Jenkins was named Maxwell Award Player of the Week, Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week, Manning Star of the Week, and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Head Coach Scott Frost was named Bear Bryant National Coach of the Week. The team was named the Pop Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week on Monday. Freshman wide receiver Tyren Hornes led UCF with 137 receiving yards in that contest. Senior Josh Derry caught his third consecutive touchdown pass. Junior running back Duke Watson rushed for 94 yards.

The Knights will travel to Kansas on Saturday for a 3:45 p.m. kickoff at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The game will air on ESPN2. Radio coverage will be available on AM740 and FM 96.9 The Game. The pregame show begins at 5:30 p.m. Spanish radio coverage will feature Carlos Bohorquez and Sergio Ruiz Torres. Live stats are available on UCFKnights.com.