Lagway's Four Touchdowns Lead Baylor Past UCF 41-9

A Dominant Start Sets the Tone

The Baylor Bears established control early and never looked back, securing a decisive 41-9 victory over the UCF Knights at Acrisure Bounce House on Friday. The final score reflected a complete team performance, with Baylor improving its record to 5-3 while UCF fell to 4-4 in what was played before a crowd of 45,906 in Orlando.

Lagway Connects for Four Scores

Quarterback DJ Lagway was the architect of the offensive explosion, completing 16 of his 25 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns. His connection with Tony Livingston opened the scoring in the first quarter, as Livingston caught a 4-yard pass to give Baylor a 7-0 lead.

Lagway continued to find open targets throughout the contest. In the second quarter, he connected with Gavin Freeman on a massive 77-yard touchdown strike that extended the lead. Later in the third quarter, Lagway found Freeman again for another score, this time from 21 yards out. He capped his statistical day by throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Klopfenstein in the fourth quarter.

Scoring Breakdown Across Quarters

Baylor’s offense was efficient, putting up 7 points in the first quarter and adding 13 more in the second period. The Bears’ defense held UCF scoreless in the first half, despite Knighten’s 2-yard run being the only other Baylor touchdown.

The second quarter saw Rhett Armstrong contribute significantly with three field goals, including kicks from 45 yards and 29 yards, helping Baylor build a 20-3 halftime advantage.

UCF’s Will Stone managed to get on the board with three field goals of his own: a 39-yarder in the second quarter, a 57-yarder later in the half, and a 35-yarder in the third, bringing the Knights to 9 points.

Key Performances on Both Sides

While Lagway dominated the passing game, Baylor’s ground attack was supported by Ryelan Morris, who rushed 11 times for 82 yards. For UCF, Alonza Barnett III threw for 133 yards on 8-of-16 passing, and Rocco Marriott provided a spark with 50 rushing yards on just two carries. Josh Derry led UCF in receiving with three catches for 70 yards.

The Bears outscored the Knights 14-0 in the third quarter and added another 7 points in the fourth to seal the game. The final margin of 32 points highlighted a comprehensive effort by Baylor, who controlled the tempo from the opening whistle.

Sources

ESPN