Shanna Rose I WV Sports Chat
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tayven Jackson threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns as UCF earned its first Big 12 victory, rolling past West Virginia 45–13 on Saturday afternoon at the Acrisure Bounce House.
Jackson returned after missing last week’s game against No. 24 Cincinnati with a shoulder injury suffered against Kansas.
Jaden Nixon ran for 116 yards on just seven carries, including an 83-yard touchdown, while Chris Domercant added 89 yards and two scores for the Knights (4–3, 1–3 Big 12). UCF racked up 578 total yards of offense compared to just 210 for the Mountaineers.
WVU (2–5, 0–3) managed only 79 passing yards. True freshman Scotty Fox Jr. made his first start of the season, completing 6 of 17 passes for 47 yards.
The Mountaineers’ only points came off UCF turnovers — one following a fourth-down stop in Knights territory and another after a late interception return to the 1-yard line. Kahlil Wilkins led WVU with 48 yards on 15 carries, including a 6-yard touchdown. Diore Hubbard scored the other.
UCF jumped out to a 14–0 first-quarter lead before WVU capitalized on a fourth-and-one stop at the Knights’ 39. Wilkins broke off runs of 16 and 11 yards on the drive before punching it in from six yards out.
The momentum didn’t last. The Knights blew the game open in the second half, starting with a nine-play, 92-yard drive capped by Nixon’s 12-yard touchdown run.
Moments later, Nyjalik Kelly strip-sacked Wilkins, and Keli Lawson scooped up the loose ball and returned it 32 yards for another UCF score. Nixon’s 83-yard touchdown run on the next drive made it 28–7, and the Knights never looked back.
WVU returns home to face TCU next Saturday for Homecoming at Milan Puskar Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game has been dubbed a “Coal Rush.”
Photo Credit: Dale Sparks- All Pro Photography- WVU Athletics
