Caden Piening reeled in a 6-yard reception with just three seconds left on the clock Saturday, officially lifting UCF over Kansas in a 33-32 stunner. What a finish to a wild game, man. Seriously, if you weren’t watching, you missed pure chaos.
The Knights Almost Gave It All Away
This game had everything. UCF built up a massive 19-point lead early in the third quarter, looking like they were going to cruise. But then, Kansas just kept chipping away. They scored 25 unanswered points, taking the lead themselves with only 1:06 left on the clock. Talk about a gut punch, right? You go from feeling totally dominant to watching it all slip away, and suddenly you’re down late in the fourth quarter. It was an absolute nail-biter, a classic comeback that was almost a complete collapse for the Knights.
One Minute of Pure Gridiron Magic
But UCF wasn’t done. They pieced together a ridiculous 10-play, 73-yard drive in just under one minute. Think about that: seventy-three yards, ten plays, less than sixty seconds, all to get to the 6-yard line. Then, Alonza Barnett III found Piening at the left pylon for the score that sealed it. The call on the field got upheld after a replay review, making it official. That game-winning grab didn’t just win the game; it snapped a brutal 12-game road losing streak for UCF. What a way to break a curse, huh?
Wild Swings Early On
It wasn’t just the end that was crazy. Kansas punted on their first possession, but then got the ball right back with an interception on UCF’s first play from scrimmage, returning it to the 3-yard line. Isaiah Marshall punched it in from 1 yard out for an early Jayhawks lead. UCF answered with a field goal after marching down to the Kansas 19-yard line. Later, in the second quarter, UCF made a gutsy call on fourth-and-1, and Duane Thomas Jr. delivered, scoring on a 10-yard rush to give the Knights the lead. They added another field goal on an 11-play drive, taking a 12-7 lead into halftime while holding Kansas to just 61 yards of total offense in the half. UCF even burst out of the locker room in the third quarter with two commanding touchdown drives, one capped by a 1-yard run from Taevion Swint and another with a huge 44-yard grab by Josh Derry, who finished the game with a game-high 143 receiving yards. Every score felt like a massive swing.
So, what’s next after that kind of drama? UCF, now sitting at 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12, hosts Arizona State next Saturday. Kansas, dropping to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12 after that heartbreaker, has to regroup fast as they face West Virginia in Morgantown next Saturday. Can you even imagine the locker rooms after that one?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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