ORLANDO – An hour and twelve minutes of stormy skies may have delayed the start, but once the clouds cleared, UCF unleashed a storm of its own. The Knights lit up the Bounce House in a 68-7 rout of North Carolina A&T, fueled by a historic night from speedster Jaden Nixon.
And what a spark it was. On the very first play of the game, Nixon blazed through the smoke and sprinted 96 yards to the end zone. That kickoff return marked the first time since 2010 a Knight took the opening kick back to the house, echoing memories of Quincy McDuffie’s burst against Tulane and Mike Hughes’ season-launching run in 2017.
Head coach Scott Frost couldn’t have asked for a better revival of his signature #UCFast philosophy.
“We’ve been talking to him, as fast as he is, he just needs to run through the smoke,” Frost said.
Well, Nixon did more than run through it—he set it on fire.
First-Quarter Frenzy
After Nixon’s fireworks, quarterback Tayven Jackson wasted no time adding his name to the highlight reel. He engineered back-to-back touchdown drives, each under three minutes, capping both with rushing scores—his first career multi-rushing touchdown game.
The defense joined the party before the first quarter was done. Edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly forced a strip-sack, and redshirt sophomore Rodney Lora pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for his first career score.
That trifecta—special teams, offense, and defense all finding pay dirt—was a rare feat. UCF last pulled it off in a full game back in 2017, but to do it all in one quarter? You’d have to rewind to Frost’s very first UCF squad in 2016.
Nixon’s Night for the Ages
What followed was a blur in black and gold. Nixon wasn’t done after his opening return. He ripped off an 87-yard sprint from scrimmage, tying for the third-longest run in program history. Then, just to make it unfair, he added another rushing score to complete his three-touchdown masterpiece.
With only five touches, Nixon piled up 252 yards—156 on the ground and 96 on the return. That stat line made him the first player in UCF’s FBS era to log both a kickoff return touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game.
Asked what fueled his breakout, Nixon kept it simple:
“Coach Frost pushed me all week, and I feel like that’s what really motivated me to go out here and play the game I did.”
All Gas, No Brakes
The Knights’ offense churned out 560 total yards, averaging a jaw-dropping 10 yards per snap. Freshman Jacurri Brown added two touchdowns of his own, and Stacy Gage sealed the night with his first career score, a smooth 23-yard dash.
Defensively, UCF forced three turnovers—Lora’s scoop-and-score, a Jayden McDonald interception, and a fumble recovery from Antione Jackson—holding A&T scoreless until the closing minutes.
When the Aggies finally broke through with just three minutes left, the scoreboard already read like a track meet: 68-0.
What’s Next
UCF heads into the bye week with momentum cranked to full throttle before finishing their non-conference slate against North Carolina on Sept. 20. Details on kickoff time and broadcast are still to come, but one thing’s for sure: if Nixon and company keep running like this, fans better not blink.
Because #UCFast is officially back.
