Bianchi: Houston, UCF has a problem – the road is their KryptoKnight!

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There are bad road losses.

There are brutal road losses.

And then there is whatever you want to call the disastrous debacle UCF just staged in Houston.

An improbable implosion? A massive meltdown? A colossal collapse?

Pick your poison.

UCF led No. 20 Houston 17-0 midway through the third quarter Saturday and appeared ready to exorcise the road demons that have haunted this program for more than two years. Instead, those demons grabbed the Knights by the throat. Houston scored 27 unanswered points, UCF’s offense completely disappeared and the Knights staggered out of Texas with a 27-17 loss – their 11th consecutive defeat on the road.

Eleven!

At some point, this stops being a losing streak and starts becoming a psychological disorder.

Scott Frost can say all he wants that this UCF team has nothing to do with the teams that accumulated most of those road losses. Technically, he’s right. Psychologically? I’m not so sure. There is clearly something about leaving the Bounce House that turns UCF from the Knights into the Nervous Wrecks.

UCF now owns the longest road losing streak in the Big 12 and the fourth-longest in the country. The Knights haven’t won away from home since beating TCU on Sept. 14, 2024, but none of those previous losses were as devastating as this one.

This was the game that was supposed to change everything. If they had beaten a ranked Houston team on the road, UCF would have been 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12. The Knights might have even cracked the Top 25 themselves.

Instead, they cracked under the pressure.

Consider this mind-boggling statistic: Teams winning by 17 or more points in the second half were 130-3 this college football season.

Congratulations, UCF. Make it 130-4.

After taking a 17-0 lead, the Knights gained just 65 yards and ONE first down on their final five possessions.

Remember the first Scott Frost era when UCF’s pyrotechnic, no-huddle offense was nicknamed UCFast? This offense is so UCFlat, it’s painful to watch.

Here’s all you need to know: During the second season of Frost’s first UCF tenure, the Knights finished with the No. 1 offense in America. Now? They entered Saturday ranked 101st nationally in total offense.

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Anybody who expected Frost to wave a magic wand and instantly recreate 2017 was kidding themselves. College football has changed dramatically, and UCF has moved up in weight class from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12. Still, there’s no excuse for what happened Saturday, especially the baffling disappearance of running back Duke Watson.

Watson, UCF’s most dangerous offensive weapon, carried the ball only nine times. His final carry was a 37-yard burst that helped set up the touchdown that gave UCF its 17-0 lead with 8:13 remaining in the third quarter. And then? Nothing. UCF did not attempt another running play to one of its running backs.

How does that happen?

Yes, the Knights were playing with backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins. Yes, their offensive line is banged up. Yes, their receiving corps lacks explosive playmakers. Wouldn’t those limitations make you MORE inclined to get the ball in the hands of Watson, who came into the game averaging 8.9 yards per carry?

“It’s not that we didn’t call run plays,” Frost explained. “… All run plays have RPOs (run-pass options) on them. When they have too many in the box, we’re throwing the RPO.”

Whatever.

If you’re looking for a positive after this collapse, at least there is this: The Knights have two losses this season – one to No. 20 Houston and the other to undefeated Pitt in a monsoon – and UCF was in position to win both games.

And give Jenkins credit for battling. He was under constant pressure and briefly left the game after cramping while trying to make a tackle after one his passes was deflected and intercepted. But while Jenkins battled, Houston quarterback Conner Weigman took over. Weigman ran for three second-half touchdowns and essentially put the Cougars on his back while UCF’s offense curled into the fetal position.

This loss was on UCF’s offense. The Knights’ defense kept UCF alive early. Houston ventured inside the Knights’ 10-yard line three times in the first half and somehow came away with zero points thanks to two fourth-down stops and a forced fumble. For most of three quarters, UCF had every opportunity imaginable to bury Houston.

The Knights simply couldn’t finish the job.

Before the game, Frost said winning on the road requires an attitude.

“You’ve got to have a little bit of chip on your shoulder when you go on the road,” he said.

He’s absolutely right. But after 11 consecutive road losses, UCF needs more than a chip. It needs a breakthrough.

And now comes the cruelest part. The Knights have to get right back on a plane and do it all over again next week at No. 19 Oklahoma State. Another road game. Another unfriendly stadium. Another chance to finally end this nightmare.

Or extend it.

Frost said before the Houston game that his players should view road games as opportunities to do something “cool and special.”

Saturday certainly was something special.

Just in the worst way imaginable.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen.

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