UCF Knights football drop fifth straight in 37-24 loss to BYU at home

ORLANDO — Five days before Halloween, UCF endured its own personal Groundhog’s Day .

With the Knights ' deceivingly flattering 37-24 homecoming defeat to 12th-ranked BYU , they are in the same exact spot as this time a year ago — spoiling a 3-0 start with a five-game losing streak lasting through a winless October.

BYU scored the game's first 17 points, gained 480 yards of total offense and held the ball for nearly 40½ minutes. Jake Retzlaff completed 16 of 24 attempts for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and LJ Martin added 101 yards and a score on the ground.

"I'm disappointed in the fact that we didn't play good football tonight," Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. "We find ourselves in the exact same situation we were in last year, and we've got to find a way to finish like we did last year.

UCF basketball: No injury prognosis, timetable for return for guard Jaylin Sellers

"I've said it all along that our guys are going to keep battling. They'll come ready to practice next week, they'll give it their best and we've got to play better."

UCF has lost three straight at home for the first time since its winless 2015 campaign. BYU coasted through the entire second half with a multi-score lead to run its unbeaten record to 8-0 and keep its hopes alive for both a Big 12 Conference championship and an at-large berth into the College Football Playoff.

The Knights (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) will again need to scramble over the final month and win three of its last four just to achieve bowl eligibility, beginning with next Saturday’s Space Game against reeling Arizona .

UCF loses leading receiver Kobe Hudson on 1st offensive play

It's hard to envision a worse start for UCF than the one it had Saturday.

BYU marched 75 yards in eight plays, allowing Retzlaff to scramble 29 yards into the end zone on third-and-eight. And then the Knights lost their top wide receiver on their first offensive snap.

Kobe Hudson hauled in a 6-yard completion but remained down on the field following a tackle from Cougars cornerback Mory Bamba. Trainers helped Hudson off the field, and the fifth-year senior could not put any weight on his right leg.

"You never want to see your teammate go down, and Kobe, he's a vocal leader," left tackle Amari Kight said. "He's someone who rallies the team around. It wasn't fun to see. I'm praying for him."

Hudson was evaluated in both the medical tent and the locker room, emerging from the latter without his jersey and shoulder pads. Entering the day, he led UCF with 503 receiving yards — a mark good enough for ninth in the Big 12 — with three touchdowns.

Retzlaff was able to take advantage of the Knights' shorthanded seconday with two starters sidelined. Cornerback Mac McWilliams (hamstring) and safety Ladarius Tennison (vertigo) did not dress for warmups, both missing their first games of the fall. Starting nickelback Braeden Marshall, who had an interception at Iowa State, sat out the second half in street clothes.

True freshman Chasen Johnson made his first career start at cornerback for UCF, which continued its recent trend of playing three linebackers in base personnel — Xe'Ree Alexander, Ethan Barr and Deshawn Pace.

UCF's QB carousel continues spinning; Dylan Rizk takes his turn

Malzahn named Jacurri Brown the Knights' starting quarterback moving forward Monday on the heels of a strong rushing performance over Iowa State. He torched the Cyclones for 154 yards and two rushing touchdowns, but he completed just 8 of 20 passing attempts for 62 yards and two interceptions.

BYU erased the QB run game from the get-go, and forced Brown to try and win the game from the pocket. He entered halftime 8 of 12 for 96 yards, building rapport on the fly with Jacoby Jones, but he misfired on all five second-half throws, including two more picks.

"That's what teams will start doing now," Malzahn said of the Cougars' defensive gameplan. "We weren't real successful. We were OK with RPOs, but we missed some things and obviously turned the ball over."

In the fourth quarter, Dylan Rizk became the Knights' fourth scholarship quarterback to see snaps this season. KJ Jefferson started the first five games, EJ Colson became the program's youngest starter against Cincinnati and Brown drew the nod the last two weeks.

Rizk engineered a pair of scoring drives, largely against BYU's reserves. He went 6 of 10 for 102 yards and closed the scoring for the night with a 29-yard strike to Jones, who posted his first 100-yard game for UCF.

"Dylan seized the moment," Malzahn said. "He did a good job, gave us some life right there."

Malzahn deflected questions as to whether Brown will make another start versus Arizona, adding, "We're going to watch the film and figure out whoever gives us the best chance to win at every position."

RJ Harvey records 2nd straight 1,000-yard rushing season

RJ Harvey continues to be one of the shining lights in an increasingly dour UCF season. On Saturday, the Orlando native became the first Knights player to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing totals since Marquette Smith from 1994-95.

Harvey sparked a mini-comeback in the second quarter, breaking loose for a 54-yard run down the right sideline and punching in a 2-yard touchdown run on the next play — his 12th of the year.

UCF pulled within 17-10 in the final minute of the first half, aided by Jones' pair of receptions. He slipped past BYU defenders to convert a third-and-16 on a quick screen, and raced 40 yards into the red zone later on the drive.

But the Cougars delivered a knockout blow 32 seconds later when Chase Roberts created separation on a corner route and evaded Quadric Bullard's tackle attempt for a 62-yard touchdown catch.

Harvey ended the day with 16 carries for 127 yards and two TDs. He has surpassed the century mark in five of the Knights' eight games.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football drop fifth straight in 37-24 loss to BYU at home