KJ Jefferson threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Hudson with 36 seconds left as UCF rallied from 21 points down to edge TCU 35-34 on Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
TCU kicker Kyle Lemmermann’s 58-yard field-goal attempt was wide right on the final play of the game.
The Knights (3-0, 1-0 Big 12) took over at their own 28 with 3:14 remaining in the fourth quarter and converted two third-down plays on the game-winning drive. Jefferson, an Arkansas transfer, finished 13-for-22 passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
UCF relied on the ground game and running back RJ Harvey, who had 180 yards and two scores on 29 carries, while the Horned Frogs (2-1, 0-1) did most of their damage through the air. Josh Hoover threw for four touchdowns and had 402 yards on 35-of-52 passing for TCU, and wide receiver Jack Bech had nine catches for a career-high 200 yards to go along with a TD.
The Knights overcame a strong showing from the Horned Frogs’ special teams. Caleb Fox deflected a 47-yard field-goal attempt by UCF kicker Colton Boomer to preserve a 7-0 TCU lead in the first quarter. On the second-to-last play of the first half — with TCU ahead 21-7 — LaMareon James came in from the edge to block a Boomer 27-yard field-goal try.
The Horned Frogs also blocked an extra-point attempt in the third quarter.
TCU controlled the first half. Hoover threw a 14-yard TD pass to Eric McAlister to open the scoring and added touchdown passes of 18- and 16-yards to Savion Williams before the break.
Hoover connected for his fourth touchdown pass of the night on the Horned Frogs’ first drive of the second half, hitting Bech for a 50-yard bomb to make it 28-7 TCU.
But UCF didn’t blink. Harvey took a direct snap and went 1 yard for a score to make it 28-13 with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter. After a Horned Frogs field goal made it 31-13, the Knights went 75 yards in three plays, with Jefferson finding Hudson for a 27-yard scoring strike.
Following a TCU punt, UCF drove 80 yards, with Harvey scoring on the ground from 27 yards out and taking a shovel pass to convert a two-point conversion that pulled the Knights within 31-28 with 13:38 left in the fourth quarter.
TCU upped the lead to 34-28 on a 24-yard field goal by Lemmermann with 8:44 left.
