UCF hands BYU its first loss

The Knights beat the No. 2 Cougars 39-31 in double overtime after a roughing-the-kicker penalty extended the decisive drive.

The Pate State StaffAnalysis from the desk · monitored by an editor

● Published
OCT 25, 2026

Points allowed after holding TCU and Iowa State to 10 apiece

293

Passing yards Keyone Jenkins put on BYU

Touchdown passes Jenkins threw

What Happened No. 2 BYU’s unbeaten start ended Saturday when UCF used a roughing-the-kicker penalty to extend its second-overtime possession, scored and converted for two before a goal-line stand sealed a 39-31 win in Orlando.

The Cougars fell to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play after their Oct. 17 win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame. UCF moved to 4-3 and claimed the first victory over an AP top-five opponent in program history.

BYU no longer controls an unbeaten route to the Big 12 championship game or the top seed in the College Football Playoff race. The Cougars still have their conference season in front of them, but the loss narrowed their margin after a 6-0 start.

Coach Kalani Sitake framed the response plainly.

“This will be humbling for us, and we have to learn from it.”

Kalani Sitake

“This will be humbling for us, and we have to learn from it,” Sitake said.

Why This One Matters BYU became the fifth AP top-two team to lose before November, the most by that point in a season since 1990. The Cougars had just beaten Notre Dame 28-24, then ran into a UCF offense led by quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns.

That output stands out against BYU’s October work before Saturday. The Cougars held TCU and Iowa State to 10 points apiece, then allowed 39 to UCF. Arizona State visits Provo on Oct. 31 with a clear look at where UCF found room in the passing game.

What Most People Are Missing The finish was not one failed offensive play by BYU. Its blocked 46-yard field-goal try forced overtime after a 10-second runoff triggered by UCF kicker Will Stone’s helmet coming off left the game tied 31-31.

The roughing penalty gave the Knights another chance. UCF turned it into a touchdown and two-point conversion, then stopped BYU at the goal line.

What the Coaches Can Actually Change BYU’s offense supplied enough production to win. Bear Bachmeier threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, and Kyler Kasper caught six passes for 129 yards.

The sharper concern sits with the defense and the kick situation that revived UCF’s decisive drive. Jenkins’ 293 yards and three touchdowns give the Cougars a specific problem to address before Arizona State arrives.

What to Watch Next 1. Whether Arizona State produces the same kind of passing day Jenkins did: 293 yards and three touchdowns. 2. Whether BYU avoids another penalty on a field-goal attempt or other late kick situation. 3. Whether Bachmeier protects the ball after his interception at UCF, and whether Kasper again delivers the production he had in Orlando.

BYU’s unbeaten route is gone. Its response begins with fixing the problems UCF exposed.

01 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered

Can BYU repair the pass defense before Arizona State visits Provo?

UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, a sharp change from BYU’s previous October defensive work against TCU and Iowa State, which scored 10 points apiece. Arizona State arrives on Oct. 31 with an opportunity to test the same areas UCF found in the passing game.

Will BYU handle the next late kick situation differently?

The finish turned on special-teams chaos: a blocked 46-yard field-goal try forced overtime after a 10-second runoff, then a roughing-the-kicker penalty extended UCF’s second-overtime possession. UCF converted that extra chance into a touchdown and two-point conversion before its goal-line stand.

Can the offense pair its production with a cleaner finish?

BYU’s offense produced enough to win, with Bear Bachmeier throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns and Kyler Kasper catching six passes for 129 yards. But Bachmeier also threw an interception, and BYU was stopped at the goal line after UCF took the lead in double overtime.

02 · The Watch ListWhat to Watch Next

Can Arizona State match Keyone Jenkins’ passing day?

Jenkins threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns against BYU. The Cougars had held TCU and Iowa State to 10 points apiece before allowing 39 to UCF.

Does BYU stay clean on a late kick situation?

A roughing-the-kicker penalty extended UCF’s decisive second-overtime possession. BYU also had a blocked 46-yard field-goal try force overtime after a 10-second runoff left the score tied 31-31.

Does Bear Bachmeier protect the ball?

Bachmeier threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns at UCF, but he also had one interception. The article identifies ball protection as a next-game watch item.

Can Kyler Kasper repeat his Orlando production?

Kasper caught six passes for 129 yards against UCF. The next test comes when Arizona State visits Provo on Oct. 31.

ANALYSISProduced with Pate State AI · reviewed by The Pate State editorial teamStandards

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On the record: Drafted from the cited reporting under our editorial standards. Corrections are timestamped, never silent.

Up Next — Keep ScrollingBYU beat Notre Dame in the way I never expectedThe Cougars converted eight of 12 third downs and scored 28 points on four red-zone trips. That’s control, not a fluke.

CONTINUED FROM THE NOTEBOOK

BYU beat Notre Dame in the way I never expected

The Cougars converted eight of 12 third downs and scored 28 points on four red-zone trips. That’s control, not a fluke.

BYU beat Notre Dame 28-24, and the number that explains it is eight: The Cougars converted eight of 12 third downs against a defense that had allowed 66 points across its first six games.

Notre Dame entered Provo 6-0 after outscoring opponents 264-66. Nobody had scored more than North Carolina’s 26 points against the Irish.

That’s why I don’t consider this a fluke. BYU was more complete than I expected and won in repeatable situations: third down, third-and-short and the red zone.

“They're just flat-out better than I thought they were.”— Josh Pate

Start with Bear Bachmeier. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 224 yards, ran for 45 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a touchdown. With LJ Martin unavailable, Bachmeier kept solving the next problem. Notre Dame could make BYU snap it again, but it couldn’t consistently get off the field.

Perfect execution on third-and-short was central. Converting there kept the full call sheet available, extended possessions and prevented Notre Dame from turning the night into a series of short fields and quick answers.

Then came the finish. BYU made four red-zone trips and scored 28 points. Notre Dame made five and scored 18. That 10-point difference inside the 20 is larger than the four-point final margin.

Name the fluke.

Notre Dame didn’t arrive with a hollow record. The Irish had beaten Wisconsin 41-13 and Michigan State 27-10. They were No. 4 in the preseason AP poll and No. 8 in the coaches poll after going 10-2 in 2025. BYU wasn’t catching a team that had spent September wobbling. It beat one that had controlled every game on its schedule.

Provo had an incredible atmosphere. Atmosphere only carries so far. BYU paired the emotion with execution.

That gets a clean answer on Nov. 7, when Miami visits Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET. Miami opened 6-0 after being ranked No. 1 in both preseason polls, and its 41-13 win at Clemson showed what it can do away from home. I’ll judge Notre Dame’s response there.

BYU beat a 6-0 team by controlling third down, owning the red zone and asking Bachmeier to produce without the conference’s reigning offensive player of the year beside him.

— JP

ANALYSISWritten by Josh PateStandards

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