PROVO, Utah (AP) — Bear Bachmeier threw for 289 yards and a touchdown to help No. 11 BYU beat UCF 41-21 on Saturday.
LJ Martin added 95 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for the Cougars (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 11 CFP) who clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game next Saturday where they will face Texas Tech for a second time this season. Parker Kingston added 181 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
BYU is playing in a conference championship game for the first time since battling Air Force for the WAC title in 1998.
“Last year, we were kind of feeling sad that we weren’t in this championship game because it came down to a tiebreaker and all that stuff,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “It just felt good to have this game and make sure that we lock it up. Now we can get back on the redemption trail and try to get back a game (where) we didn’t do so well in Lubbock.”
Tayven Jackson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns to lead UCF. The Knights (5-7, 2-7) did not qualify for a bowl game for a second straight season after giving up 31 unanswered points to the Cougars and totaling just 154 yards over the final three quarters.
Jackson picked apart BYU’s secondary in the first quarter, throwing for 110 yards while completing 10 of his first 12 passes. He tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Wade to put the Knights on the board and followed with a 20-yard strike to Agyeman Addae, giving UCF a 14-0 lead. Both receivers were wide-open on their respective scoring plays.
“We just weren’t playing our best,” Bachmeier said. “We knew we had to bounce back and I thought we responded well.”
BYU rallied before halftime after allowing UCF to gain only 16 total yards during the second quarter. The Cougars forced an interception on a trick play and allowed only minus 4 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, Martin punched it into the end zone twice from a yard out to level the score. Will Ferrin then gave BYU its first lead at 17-14, connecting on a 26-yard field goal right before halftime.
“I think we kind of surprised them with our energy and they settled into the game and probably overall have a better team than we have right now,” UCF coach Scott Frost said. “That’s where I want our team to be a little tougher. When we do get up 14-nothing, we get the next stop and we find a way to move the ball again.”
The Cougars extended their lead in the third quarter on Martin’s third touchdown carry. Martin dragged several would-be tacklers to the goal line with him on a 4-yard run off a direct snap. Kingston made it 31-14 midway through the third quarter after returning a punt 55 yards for a touchdown.
The Takeaway
UCF: A second-quarter turnover and an inability to get stops siphoned away any momentum the Knights built from a pair of first-quarter scoring drives.
BYU: The Cougars once again rallied from a double-digit deficit to keep their slim CFP at-large hopes alive going into their first Big 12 title game. BYU has trailed by 10 or more points in four of its eight Big 12 wins this season.
CFP Worthy
BYU entered this week’s game against UCF as a long shot to claim an at-large CFP bid. The Cougars believe they’ve made a strong case to earn a spot in the 12-team playoff, regardless of the outcome in the Big 12 title game.
Out of 11 wins, BYU has beaten two ranked teams and four other bowl-eligible teams and has top-10 strength of record and top-30 strength of schedule rankings.
“We deserve to be in the CFP,” Bachmeier said. “We’ve got a great team. We’ve got a great culture. Everybody’s just bought in.”
Sitake echoed his starting quarterback’s sentiments
“I don’t know what the other teams are about because I don’t know enough about what they’ve been able to do,” Sitake said. “But I feel good about our resume and what we can accomplish. If we win the game next weekend, then there’s no doubt we belong in the playoffs.”
50/50
Ferrin went 2 of 4 on his field goal attempts. He missed from 40 yards and 48 yards but made a 50-yarder with 3:53 left for the only fourth-quarter points for either team.
Up Next
UCF: Season is over.
BYU: Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday.
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