Takeaways from No. 2 BYU’s double overtime loss at UCF
Oct 24, 2026, 8:07 PM
ORLANDO, Fla. — BYU football was near the top of the polls this week, and it was short-lived as the Cougars lost in double overtime at UCF.
Here are some takeaways from BYU’s 39-31 loss to the Knights.
At the conclusion of the game, UCF fans stormed the field to celebrate what was the first win for the Knights over a top-five team in program history.
BYU falls to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play.
Brutal call by the officials on the roughing-the-kicker penalty
BYU defensive end Kendal Wall was called for a roughing-the-kicker penalty that extended UCF’s offensive series in double overtime.
Instead of settling for a field goal and allowing BYU to win the game on their possession, UCF was able to score a touchdown and tack on a two-point conversion.
Wall was devastated as BYU’s offensive series in double overtime came to an end. He had his hands on his helmet, probably in shock that the flag was thrown. But it happened.
UCF kicks the field goal but BYU was called for a roughing the kicker penalty!
UCF will have it 1st and Goal pic.twitter.com/Yqmq9uw8O4
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 24, 2026
Bear Bachmeier has to improve in road games
BYU sophomore signal-caller Bear Bachmeier suffered his first loss as the Cougars’ starting quarterback against an unranked foe. Maybe the Cougars were teetering on the edge from what happened earlier this month in Fort Worth against TCU.
The passing yardage total was okay at 257 yards, but he only completed 50% of his passes.
His one interception was fluky, coming off a tipped pass intended for his brother, Tiger Bachmeier.
When teams can take away Bear’s ability to run the ball, it becomes an offensive slog. Bachmeier finished with 15 carries for 37 yards, and his longest was only nine yards.
With LJ Martin out, Bear has to be able to pop off some big runs every once in a while.
UCF coach Scott Frost had his team prepared coming off the bye week
Coming out of a bye week, despite a long list of injuries and a team that had come up short against good opponents, UCF was ready for the moment against No. 2 BYU, the highest-ranked opponent ever to visit the Bounce House.
Scott Frost, who has a long history facing Kalani Sitake from their days in the old Pac-12 at Oregon and Utah, showed off his playcalling in this game.
The tempo, motions, and misdirections kept BYU on their heels all night.
UCF finished the game with 463 yards of offense, the most BYU has allowed to an opponent this season.
Keyone Jenkins was 25-of-41 for 293 passing yards and three touchdowns. UCF running back Duke Watson was a chain mover, rushing for 94 yards on 15 carries.
If this UCF team shows up every week, they could be dangerous down the stretch in Big 12 play.
The absence of LJ Martin is significant
Remarkably, BYU got the win over Notre Dame last week without star running back LJ Martin. Because without him, nights like Saturday against the Knights are prone to happen for the Cougars.
BYU finished with 116 rushing yards on 36 carries with an average of 3.2 yards per carry.
That’s a far different look than a team that opened the year as one of the best rushing attacks in college football with Martin in the fold.
It was basically the fourth straight game without Martin, as he suffered an injury early in the game against TCU. His absence finally caught up with BYU.
Sione Moa got a big workload, 13 carries for 36 yards and one touchdown in his first game back since Week 1 against Utah Tech. Preston Rex is sold on option pitches.
But no one compares to the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
On the flip side, UCF rolled out Watson and former BYU commit Landen Chambers for a two-headed duo in the backfield.
Wild moments to close out the fourth quarter
When BYU held UCF out of the end zone in a goal-line stand near the end of the fourth quarter, it had the makings of the 2026 team’s version of a Kyle Morrell goal-line stand against Hawaii in 1984.
Anisi Purcell came up with the tackle on 4th & Goal from the BYU one-yard line, and you felt in that moment that BYU would find a way to escape with a victory.
After a three-and-out from the BYU offense, UCF got another opportunity in regulation, which ended with Faletau Satuala coming up with a block on the game-winning field goal attempt from the Knights.
Here is the explanation on what happened at the end of the BYU / UCF game according to Mike Pereira. pic.twitter.com/JlKyEY5uM8
— Jet (@_jetgaming) October 24, 2026
It was a 3rd-down attempt, and UCF thought there would be another attempt because they recovered the ball. With the helmet coming off the kicker before the player hit the ground, there was a 10-second runoff, which sent the game into overtime.
It was as wild an officiating situation as you’ll ever see in a game.
BYU’s defense needs to find a way to generate more takeaways
The fourth time this season, BYU lost the turnover margin. In 2024, they recorded an interception in every game. Last year, BYU was averaging close to two takeaways a game.
When you don’t generate turnovers, it’s hard to win road games in the Big 12.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
