Kansas bulldozes UCF football for 399 rushing yards in 51-22 Big 12 win | 3 takeaways

It was thought UCF's debut Big 12 football season could not get much worse than the fourth quarter of its league home opener, when the Knights squandered a 28-point lead to Baylor in a stunning 36-35 defeat.

And yet, for the vast majority of Saturday afternoon, it did.

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Kansas, with Jason Bean filling in at quarterback for the injured Jalon Daniels, stomped the Knights 51-22 behind a relentless rushing attack. Devin Neal, Daniel Hishaw and Dylan McDuffie combined for 379 yards and five touchdowns, shredding a UCF defense that entered the day ranked 92nd against the run.

"You go back to the last quarter-and-a-half (against Baylor) and you put this game together, I'm very disappointed," Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. "Off week's come at a good time. We'll evaluate everything. We will rebound, and we will be better."

Adding injury to insult, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee — making his first start in three weeks after suffering a reported right meniscus injury on the final drive of UCF's Sept. 9 win at Boise State — exited in the second quarter.

"I don't think it was a bad call to play this week, by any means, because I was healthy," Plumlee said.

"I'm really, really thankful it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sitting there after Boise, a lot of thoughts go through your head about what could be and what could happen."

UCF drops to 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 play. The Knights still need three wins to become bowl-eligible for an eighth straight season.

Here are three takeaways from a dismal afternoon in the Sunflower State.

UCF held scoreless at halftime for 1st time since Halloween 2015

Shellshocked a week ago as Baylor ended UCF's home opener on a 29-0 run over the last 19 minutes, the Knights' woes carried over halfway across the country.

The Knights dug themselves a 24-0 hole with a pitiful display in all three phases, their first time being blanked in a first half since Oct. 31, 2015 — a 52-7 drubbing at Cincinnati in the middle of a winless season.

Plumlee trotted out for the opening series of the game and made a pair of accurate throws for 28 yards, leading UCF into Kansas territory. But after the team's fourth snap, he limped off the field and never quite looked comfortable again despite returning for two more drives. He hit on just one of his last four passing attempts.

"I think he was close (to 100%) going into the game," Malzahn said. "When he got hit, it kind of tweaked (his knee) a little bit, and I think it scared him right there. We got to the sideline, and (the training staff) still said he was OK.

"He made two throws, and even the one completion was a little behind Alec (Holler). I didn't feel really good at that point."

Yet, UCF's growing quarterback concerns pale in comparison to its run defense — bulldozed once again on the road.

Neal and Hishaw combined for 130 first-half yards on the ground, bursting through enormous holes paved by an experienced offensive line. The Knights struggled to deal with Kansas' pre-snap movement.

No team in college football motions more often than the Jayhawks.

"I feel like there wasn't really a hangover. We had a good week of practice. I feel like it just comes down to execution," senior defensive end Josh Celiscar said. "I feel like, a lot of times, we had the perfect play and just didn't make the tackle or didn't fill our gap properly. It's a lot of mistakes we made, but it's a lot things we need to fix as a defense. You've just got to learn from it."

Bean tossed a 5-yard touchdown to Lawrence Arnold, Hishaw plowed into the end zone on a 3-yard run and Trevor Wilson capped an ignominious UCF display by returning Mitch McCarthy's punt 82 yards to the house.

RJ Harvey, Randy Pittman Jr. among few UCF positives on the day

UCF's offense kicked into gear after the intermission, producing three straight 75-yard touchdown drives. It was all for naught as the Knights simply could not stop the Jayhawks on the ground. Kansas ended the day with 399 rushing yards, its most proficient performance in five years.

"Frustrated right now. … The fun in what we do is in winning," Plumlee said. "There's no secret in that. If somebody tries to make you feel better with a participation trophy, I think they are a little bit silly."

On a day of very few positives, RJ Harvey quietly rushed for a season-high 133 yards, his second 100-yard game in 17 appearances for the Knights. True freshman tight end Randy Pittman Jr. slipped free for a 23-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, the first in his college career.

Entering in relief of Plumlee, Timmy McClain completed 12 of 15 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore ended a string of 60 unanswered opposing points with a 13-yard toss to Alec Holler in the third quarter.

Javon Baker led all receivers with four catches and 85 yards.

Malachi Lawrence shared the team lead with two tackles for loss and contributed a sack for the fourth time in six games. Demari Henderson returned a botched PAT snap for a two points.

Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma await UCF after bye week

The road only gets tougher for the Knights when they return from the bye, renewing acquaintances with former quarterback Dillon Gabriel, offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and undefeated Oklahoma on Oct. 21.

Gabriel tossed a go-ahead touchdown with 15 seconds left Saturday as the Sooners edged Texas 34-30 in another classic chapter of the Red River Rivalry. With the win, and considering Oklahoma also has a bye next weekend, UCF will almost assuredly face a top-10 opponent.

In three seasons at UCF, Gabriel moved into fifth place all-time in passing yards (8,037) and touchdown passes (70). The left-handed Hawaiian completed 60.7% of his throws, averaged 8.8 yards per attempt and maintained a career passer rating of 156.9.

Gabriel started the first three games of Malzahn's tenure at UCF, leading a thrilling comeback against Boise State but suffering a broken collarbone in a last-minute loss at Louisville. He entered the NCAA transfer portal at the end of the 2021 campaign and initially committed to UCLA but flipped to reconnect with Lebby at Oklahoma.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: 3 takeaways from 51-22 loss to Kansas in Big 12 play