Houston prevents successful launch, ends UCF’s Space Game streak, 30-27
Mission IX was prepared for launch.
For the ninth consecutive season, UCF hosted its annual Space Game, paying homage to the university’s origins of training scientists and engineers to assist the United States space exploration program during the heat of the 1960s Space Race. The first eight missions in Orlando were all highly successful launches. The Knights, rebranded as the “Citronauts” for the Space Game, rattled off an 8-0 record in their first eight Space Games, dominating each game by an average score of 51-20 and winning their first two Big 12 installments by over 40 points apiece.
But things were different when Houston came to town.
Houston, the site of NASA mission control, used its authority to abort UCF’s Friday night mission. The Cougars became the first opponent to disrupt the Space Game tradition, exiting Orlando with a 30-27 victory to improve to 5-0 on the road this season. In the process, they incited their own Space Race with UCF, adding rocket fuel to perhaps a budding rivalry.
“We talked about it a little bit that we’re Space City,” Houston head coach Willie Fritz said postgame. “We showed a video about it last night. Coach (Derrick) Sherman did a presentation giving them a little background on NASA and Houston. When they call back in they say ‘Houston,’ don’t they?”
In the waning seconds, a hopeful Orlando crowd exceeding 44,000 stood eagerly, hoping the Knights’ usual Space Game heroics would emerge on the final drive. UCF trailed 30-27 heading into this critical series and gave the reins to backup quarterback Davi Belfort, a redshirt freshman who hadn’t played a meaningful collegiate snap to date.
However, the mobile Belfort quickly provided a spark with two significant runs to pierce into field goal range.
“(Starting quarterback Tayven Jackson) had a hamstring earlier in the game, and we had taped it up,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said on his rationale to switch quarterbacks for the final drive. “We figured they’d be coming after us, and we needed somebody to get away from the pass rush and maybe create something. For the most part it worked.”
However, on 3rd and 13 from the Houston 27-yard line, the Knights opted to take a shot for the win. Belfort attempted his first pass of the night, and Houston countered it perfectly in deep quarters coverage. Free safety Kentrell Webb intercepted his first career pass, suddenly silencing the electrifying Bounce House crowd full of stunned fans decked in astronaut helmets and spacesuits.
“We weren’t too familiar with him,” Webb said. “We saw after the first two plays he was a little more mobile, so we were just trying to focus on that. We knew when he did throw the ball, we were going to have to make him pay.”
It marked the first game of the Willie Fritz era that the Cougars won despite a negative turnover differential, after previously faring 0-10 in such contests. UCF won that category 4-2 by recovering a muffed punt and intercepting three passes. All three picks were courtesy of strong safety Phillip Dunnam, who became the second FBS player in the 2025 season to record a hat trick, joining UConn’s Cam Chadwick who accomplished the feat six days prior.
Dunnam returned a 44-yard pick-six in the second quarter, and in total, UCF generated 17 of its 27 points courtesy of takeaways.
“West Virginia beat them last week and it was four turnovers by Houston,” Frost said. “We had the same thing, but we threw a pick-six and that kind of negated one and there at the end. We leaned on the defense pretty heavy tonight.”
The Space Game magic seemed to creep into the Bounce House as UCF crafted a 10-0 second quarter lead over the favored Cougars. Houston’s offense struggled to finish drives until that point, but everything changed when Conner Weigman launched a deep shot to Amare Thomas.
Thomas, who had a game-high 103 receiving yards, showcased his speed to get under the ball and cruised to the end zone for a 64-yard touchdown.
“Amare’s a dude, and I think that was the last time they played man the whole game,” Weigman said.
Roughly one minute later, Houston established a 14-10 lead courtesy of the defense. Outside linebacker Latreveon McCutchin snatched a screen pass toward the flats and stormed back the other direction for a 45-yard touchdown.
McCutchin’s point-blank interception – his second of the season – ended a dry spell for a Houston defense which finished its previous three games devoid of a pick.
“I was actually in coverage, but I was coming off the edge so I kinda played run first and it was a play action,” McCutchin said, recalling his pick-six. “I played the run a little bit too deep and knew I had to get back into my coverage, so I dropped back a yard or two. The quarterback threw it to the point where I just jumped up and grabbed it. Then one of my teammates Will James came in and ran and passed me up to get the block and clear the way for me to get into the end zone.”
UCF entered halftime with a 24-17 lead, but the Knights’ offense magnificently stalled in the second half, producing just three points and 104 yards across the final 30 minutes of action.
Houston forced six three-and-outs and seven punts, utilizing a potent defense to counter for the offense’s four turnovers.
“I just finished individually thanking everybody on defense,” Weigman said. “That was big time by them. They stepped up and won the game for us.”
Houston’s offense improved steadily as the night progressed. In the second half, the Cougars ignited a formidable ground attack utilizing a heavy dose of Weigman’s mobility, as well as running backs Dean Connors and DJ Butler. The trio combined for 214 rushing yards (158 in the second half) and paved the way for Ethan Sanchez’s go-ahead 23-yard field goal with 2:31 remaining.
“The main thing is DJ Butler and Conner Weigman and Dean Connors were hitting it vertical and moving the pile,” Fritz said. “There were a couple gains in there that looked like they were gonna be 5 and they turned into 8 yards and then 11 or 12. They were running behind their pads, and then the offensive line and tight ends opened the hole, and they were doing a good job getting extra yards.”
UCF (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) clinched its third straight season finishing below .500 in Big 12 play, still in search of its breakthrough season in the conference. For the first time in the Space Game’s nine-year history, the Knights did not enjoy a successful landing.
They must bounce back with two wins in their final three outings in order to avoid a second-straight season of missing a bowl.
“I just told them to hold their head up high,” Frost said. “I thought they fought really hard. This morning the message was they’re coming off a disappointing week, we’re coming off a disappointing week, both teams are gonna be hungry. I thought they were gonna come in and just out-hit us and we couldn’t let them do that. We talked about playing hard and they did that to the end. They did everything I asked them to do. We came up just a play or two short. I know where this is going. We’re getting better.”
Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) recovered from a Week 10 loss to West Virginia, improving to 4-0 in one-score games and remaining perfect in road environments this year. The Cougars secured an eighth win for the first time since 2022, continuing their climb in year two of the Fritz era with road victories serving as an integral part of the breakout season.
“Our coaches preach ‘win in white’, so we want to win in white. That’s kind of the theme we have every road game,” Webb said. “Win in white, win in white, win in white. When you go on the road, it’s a different environment than what we’re used to. Less distractions and things of that nature. You can really just go at an opponent, and we’ve done a good job of that.”
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/fbs/40654/houston-prevents-successful-launch-ends-ucfs-space-game-streak-30-27
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