ORLANDO — Even while hyperfocused in the heat of college football battle, Scott Frost still caught a few flashbacks to the last time UCF dug deep in double overtime.
Nine years ago, with the American Athletic Conference's championship hanging in the balance, UCF made the decisive plays and fended off Memphis to keep its unbeaten season alive. On Oct. 24, the Knights found themselves in the opposite role, looking to spoil No. 2 BYU's bid at perfection.
"I was sitting there on fourth down, and I (said), 'Tre Neal.' I just wanted someone to get an interception like Tre Neal did," Frost said of the game-clinching pick, created by Shaquem Griffin's pressure off the edge.
"We've been in the position to win (this year), and we haven't made the play. And I can't tell you; I have to watch the tape to see how many guys made plays tonight."
Backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, two of them beyond regulation. Grayson Brousseau, a Utah native, hauled in the go-ahead score, and freshman Tyren Hornes secured the two-point conversion to heap extra pressure on the visiting Cougars. And the Knights defense held firm against its own goal line to finish one of college football's biggest upsets of 2026.
UCF (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) notched its first win against an opponent ranked in the top five of The Associated Press poll, a 39-31 thriller at the Acrisure Bounce House. The Knights' previous high mark was their 52-42 Fiesta Bowl victory over No. 6 Baylor on New Year's Day in 2014.
"I think I've been involved in some of the coolest games in UCF history, and that one's right up there," Frost said.
"I'm happy for UCF. A win like this has been a long time coming for us. I'm happy for the players in there that have been close a few times and haven't got it done. They found a different gear tonight when we were in that situation."
Here are three takeaways from the Knights' historic victory, including what it means for the five-game stretch run.
UCF defense denies BYU's Bear Bachmeier a Heisman moment
Bear Bachmeier built a compelling case for Heisman Trophy candidacy, especially in the absence of star running back and reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin. Through six games, the sophomore compiled 1,257 passing yards, 284 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns — including a go-ahead, 6-yard toss to Walker Lyons in last weekend's signature win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame.
UCF's defense denied Bachmeier another Heisman moment with the game on the line.
The Cougars moved the sticks to UCF's 8-yard line on a 17-yard catch from Kyler Kasper. Bachmeier halved the distance to the end zone with a 4-yard rush on first-and-goal.
But UCF's defense clamped down and forced three straight incompletions, the last of which skipped short of Lyons in the end zone to send the home crowd into a frenzy. Students rushed the field from the north end zone stands, caving in the on-field cabanas to celebrate.
"It was unreal. It felt like a movie," said junior running back Landen Chambers, who had a pair of first-half touchdowns. "The goalposts coming down, everything, I just took it all in."
UCF held the Cougars to 3.2 yards per rushing attempt and won the turnover battle. Tackett Curtis snagged a pass tipped by defensive tackle Thomas Collins for a pick during the first half's two-minute drill, which led to Chambers' 4-yard TD reception.
Bachmeier finished with a 16-of-32 passing line for 257 yards, two touchdowns and the lone pick. He gained 37 yards on the ground and scored a third-and-goal touchdown.
Keyone Jenkins shines as Alonza Barnett III nears return
Alonza Barnett III appears close to returning from the hamstring injury he suffered Sept. 12 at Pittsburgh. The redshirt senior was listed as a game-time decision on the Big 12's final availability report, released 90 minutes before kickoff, and he warmed up with the second-team offense.
So if this was it for Jenkins as the Knights' starting signal-caller, he saved his best outing for last.
Jenkins protected the football and made plays both inside and outside the pocket. In overtime, he delivered an immediate response to Bachmeier's 28-yard TD pass to Legend Glasker by shaking loose from a sack and hitting Josh Derry for a 25-yard score to tie the game again.
"I was really, really hoping he saw me in the end zone," Derry said. "And he got it to me."
UCF sent out the field goal unit in the second overtime after Jenkins overthrew a lob intended for Hornes, but got renewed life when Kendal Wall committed a roughing the kicker penalty. Two plays later, Jenkins hit a motioning Brousseau in the flat, and the 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end plowed through a tackler to score.
After the win, Jenkins said he had a vision two nights ago about experiencing a field-storming in the Bounce House.
"Toward the end of the game, I was just talking to God, walking up and down the sideline, like, 'I need you, Jesus,'" Jenkins said. "I knew it was going to happen. I told some of the guys that when we storm the field tonight, around 8 o'clock, I was going to post (on social media) to a certain (Drake) song. That was a great environment to be in."
Jenkins acknowledged Barnett will return to the lineup once he's healthy. Frost praised his QB2, an increasingly important position given the volatility and physical demands of a 12-game regular season.
"Our guy isn't playing like a backup. Our guy played like a legit starter tonight," Frost said. "We needed every one of the plays that he made. Man, I'm glad that we went and got him."
True freshman Tyren Hornes turns in breakout performance
Similarly, Frost is thrilled his staff, particularly wide receivers coach Sean Beckton, refused to give up recruiting Hornes from Sarasota's Booker High last winter. Hornes committed to the Knights in the spring, flipped in favor of Michigan State in the summer and rejoined UCF's class as an early enrollee, announcing his decision during the Under Armour Next All-America Game in DeLand.
Hornes was announced as a starter for the Knights, and he produced a breakout performance. He caught six of nine targets for 137 yards, 86 of which came after the catch.
UCF produced six plays of 15 yards or more in the passing game, and Hornes was responsible for four of them — perhaps none bigger than a 56-yard jailbreak on a simple third-and-17 perimeter screen. He bounced off BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker and surged down the left sideline.
Instead of punting that drive, UCF instead finished it with a 1-yard lunge from Jenkins to regain the lead.
"We recognized the talent in him right away, and made the decision in the bye week to start him and get him more opportunities," Frost said. "He's capable of some of those plays. What a starting debut for that young man. I look forward to getting him the ball more."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football denies Bear Bachmeier Heisman moment in 2OT upset of No. 2 BYU