Baylor Throttles UCF in Orlando on Friday Night

Friday, October 30

Orlando, Fla.

6:30 p.m.

Baylor

5-3 , 3-2

UCF

4-4 , 2-3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Baylor	7	13	14	7	41
UCF	0	6	3	0	9

Game Book (PDF)

Caden Knighten jumps over a UCF defender 2026

10/30/2026 11:15:00 PM | Football

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Bears win 41-9 in Klanderman's first game as interim head coach

ORLANDO -- DJ Lagway threw for four TDs, including a pair to tight end Tony Livingston, leading Baylor to a 41-9 throttling at UCF, for the first win under interim head coach Joe Klanderman, on Friday night in front of 45,906 at the Bounce House.

Baylor (5-3, 3-2 Big 12 Conference) routed UCF (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) with a stingy defensive effort under the defensive coordinator Klanderman, who took over as the interim head coach on Sunday following the departure of seven-year head coach Dave Aranda.

Klanderman's defensive unit was stifling, holding UCF to 66 yards of rushing offense – 40 of which came in the final possession – and 281 yards total. UCF managed three field goals, with 148 yards of offensive output coming on those possessions. Beyond 122 yards of total offense in the closing minutes of the blowout, UCF managed six yards of total offense on the other 10 possessions. This was the fifth time in 2026 that the Bears have held an opponent to under 100 yards rushing.

It marked the third straight win for Baylor over UCF since the Knights entered the Big 12, which also featured a comeback win in 2023 that saw the Bears rally from down 35-7 in the third quarter to win 36-35. Since UCF went up 35-7 in the third quarter of the game in 2023, and featuring a 30-3 beating in 2025 in Waco, Baylor has outscored the Knights 100-12.

Baylor has now held seven opponents to 20 points or less in their first eight games, the most since 2021, when the Bears held eight foes to 20 or fewer points in a game during the Big 12 Championship season.

UCF was coming off a double-overtime win over No. 2 BYU last weekend in Orlando and were hosting the Bears in its annual Space Game, played for the 10^th straight season. UCF had only lost its Space Game once, vs. fellow space city foe Houston in 2025.

The Bears entered the game ranked in the nation's top five in sacks and tackles for a loss, and added to its total, collecting a season-high seven sacks and 12 TFLs. A game after going for 13 tackles, Travion Barnes led the defensive effort, alongside Micah Gifford, as the duo had six tackles each. Jamaal Whyce Jr. and Kaleb Burns each chipped in 1.5 sacks, with Traevon Mitchell and Devin Turner each earning solo sacks. Garrick Ponder had at least 1.5 tackles for a loss for the fifth time in eight games.

A native of Willis, Texas, and a transfer following the last two years at Florida, Lagway turned in a complete performance, throwing for a career-high tying four touchdowns and 319 yards on 16-of-25 passing. He reached 300 yards passing for the third time in 2026 and the fifth time in his career.

Lagway found Livingston, twice, Matthew Klopfenstein and Gavin Freeman for touchdown passes in the win. Freeman notched his fifth game of the year with over 100 yards receiving and his second straight, going for five catches for 114 yards, including a 77 yard scamper. Jadon Porter finished with a pair of catches for 74 yards, including a career-long 53 yarder. Dre'lon Miller had two catches for 44 yards.

Freshman Ryelan Morris had 11 carries for 82 yards. Michael Turner added 12 rushes, a team-high, for 41 yards. Caden Knighten had a rushing TD, his third of the year, with 31 yards rushing. Lagway rushed a career-high 11 times for 23 yards.

Baylor will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 7, hosting Iowa State in the nation's longest running Homecoming.

Both teams traded stops on their first two possessions, before the Bears opened the scoring with a 46-yard TD drive on seven plays, with Lagway finding Livingston for a four-yard TD strike with 4:06 left in the first quarter. BU took over on the UCF 46-yard line following an interception from Devon Jordan.

After forcing a third punt in the first four UCF drives – the other which was a field goal – the Bears went 63 yards on eight plays to take a 14-0 lead on a Knighten two-yard TD rush.

UCF mounted its first sustained drive of the game and finished off a Will Stone 39-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-3 with 3:24 left in the second quarter.

A pair of late-half field goals from Rhett Armstrong, one from 45 yards out to cap a 43-yard drive on five plays, and a 29-yard field goal to finish off a 43-yard drive on five plays, pushed the lead to 20-3.

UCF took advantage of a late defensive holding call with three seconds left on the first half clock to drill a 57-yard field goal from Stone, the longest in program history, and narrow the lead to 20-6.

The Bears held a 272-77 margin in total yards, including a 70-12 mark in rushing yards and a 202-65 mark in passing yards. It marked the third time in the first eight games that the Bears have not allowed a first-half TD.

Baylor stretched the led to 27-6 on its first drive of the second half, taking it 63 yards on four plays, highlighted by a 26-yard run from Ryelan Morris. Lagway found Livingston for his career-best second TD catch of the game.

A third-down Lagway find of Freeman for a 77-yard TD, with 8:29 left in the third quarter pushed the lead to 34-6.

The Knights cut into the lead after a 67-yard pass to Josh Derry on a sandwich tackle that Derry escaped for a catch and run, and finished off a field goal from Stone 37 yards out to cut narrow the lead to 34-9 with 6:24 left in the third quarter.

Lagway tied his career high with a fourth TD pass on a five-yard find of Klopfenstein to finish off a 35-yard drive on four plays. The lead grew to 41-9 with 12:33 left in the fourth quarter.

- BaylorBears.com -