Alonza Barnett III threw for 158 yards and a touchdown and added another on the ground, Duke Watson rushed for 110 yards and a score, and UCF flew past visiting Bethune-Cookman for a record-setting 73-6 victory on Thursday in Orlando, Fla.
UCF (1-0) tied a program record with 73 points, first set in 2017 against Austin Peay. The 67-point margin set a new standard — the Knights’ previous largest margin of victory was 64. Landen Chambers rushed for two touchdowns as UCF won its 11th straight season opener.
Tyler Jefferson completed 4 of 10 passes for 55 yards for Bethune-Cookman (0-1), which was outgained 560-181. The Wildcats salvaged a forgettable night on the game’s final play, which saw Joel Morris hit Kobe Stewart for an 8-yard touchdown as time expired.
UCF began its season by forcing a Wildcats punt and scoring two plays later. On the second play of the Knights’ first drive, Watson ran 64 yards for a touchdown to give UCF an early 7-0 edge.
The margin was quickly doubled, as Jayden Williams picked off Jefferson and returned it for a 47-yard touchdown with 10:42 left in the first quarter.
Barnett tacked on a 5-yard rushing score at the 3:11 mark of the first.
Following Bethune-Cookman’s third punt in four drives, Barnett connected with Jonathan Bibbs on a 23-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 28-0 on the first play of the second quarter.
Will Stone drilled a 34-yard field goal to stamp a rare non-touchdown scoring drive for the Knights, giving them a 31-0 lead with 7:19 remaining in the first half.
After Horace Lockett recovered a Jefferson fumble, Chambers ran in an easy 3-yard score to punctuate a dominant offensive half.
The Wildcats’ lone highlight of the opening half came in the final minute, as Jaden Davis intercepted Barnett’s pass at the Bethune-Cookman 22-yard line, briefly stopping the bleeding.
Taevion Swint scored the Knights’ sixth touchdown on a 27-yard run less than two minutes into the second half.
From there, UCF continued the bludgeoning. Chambers ran in a 27-yard touchdown, backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins hit Caleb Rollerson for a 9-yard score and Agyeman Addae added to the onslaught with a 39-yard rush, making it 66-0 entering the fourth quarter.
On the first play of the fourth, Rocco Marriott became the sixth Knight to rush for a touchdown, extending the lead to 73 points.