HOUSTON — For nearly three quarters Saturday afternoon, No. 20 Houston could not find an answer for UCF.
Then the Cougars found all of them at once.
Houston erased a 17-point second-half deficit and scored 27 unanswered points to defeat UCF 27-17 at TDECU Stadium, improving to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play.
The Knights controlled the game early and wasted little time making an impact. Quarterback Keyone Jenkins connected with Josh Derry for 49 yards on UCF’s first offensive play before finding Derry again for a 13-yard touchdown to complete a 75-yard opening drive.
Houston had opportunities to respond, but UCF repeatedly turned the Cougars away near the goal line. The Knights produced two fourth-down stops near their own goal line and later forced a Patrick Overmyer fumble in the end zone, keeping Houston scoreless through the opening half.
Will Stone’s 30-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter sent UCF into halftime with a 10-0 advantage.
The Knights extended that lead in the third quarter. Duke Watson broke loose for a 37-yard run during a 71-yard drive, and Jenkins eventually finished the possession with a five-yard touchdown run.
With 6:01 remaining in the third quarter, UCF led 17-0.
From there, the game completely flipped.
Houston quarterback Conner Weigman broke through with a 19-yard touchdown run, completing a seven-play, 75-yard drive and cutting the deficit to 17-7.
Less than two minutes later, the Houston defense produced the game’s defining momentum swing. Latreveon McCutchin intercepted a deflected Jenkins pass and returned it 17 yards to the UCF 2-yard line. Two plays later, Weigman scored from one yard out.
In a span of less than three minutes, UCF’s 17-point advantage had been reduced to 17-14.
Houston carried that momentum into the fourth quarter.
After the Cougars’ defense forced a three-and-out, Houston marched 62 yards on 11 plays. Weigman finished the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the second half, scoring from one yard out to give Houston its first lead, 21-17, with 10:15 remaining.
UCF never answered.
Jonathan Dimas connected on field goals from 40 and 46 yards down the stretch, while the Houston defense shut out the Knights in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback.
Weigman finished 18-of-33 passing for 239 yards without an interception while adding 50 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Re’Shaun Sanford II led Houston’s rushing attack with 62 yards on 18 carries, while Overmyer caught six passes for a team-high 76 yards.
Houston finished with 393 total yards and 23 first downs compared with UCF’s 332 yards and 13 first downs. The Cougars also controlled possession for 33:22 and ran 77 offensive plays to UCF’s 59.
Jenkins completed 23 of 35 passes for 253 yards, one touchdown and one interception for UCF while also scoring on the ground. Palm Beach County’s own Waden Charles finished with 4 catches for 68 yards. Derry was the Knights’ biggest threat through the air, finishing with seven receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
The loss spoiled an afternoon that began with UCF firmly in control. The Knights scored on their opening possession, kept Houston off the scoreboard throughout the first half and built a three-score advantage deep into the third quarter.
But once Houston finally broke through, the Cougars never stopped.
Houston scored on five consecutive possessions after falling behind 17-0 — three Weigman rushing touchdowns followed by two Dimas field goals — and its defense prevented UCF from scoring again.
The result gave No. 20 Houston one of its most dramatic victories of the season: 27 unanswered points and a 27-17 comeback win after staring at a 17-0 deficit late in the third quarter.
