One of the most exciting games of the early college football season so far was the one between Baylor and UCF on Saturday. That it featured one of the wackiest plays to date seems appropriate.
With slightly more than a minute remaining in the game, the Knights, trailing 36-35, faced a 4th-and-5 at their own 30-yard line. Timmy McClain was under pressure from two Baylor defenders who had almost instantly gotten past their blockers after taking the snap.
Recognizing that a sack would essentially terminate the game, McClain initiated an unprecedented scramble. The UCF quarterback somehow managed to avoid a safety while sprinting back to the Knights’ end zone.
THE INSANE UCF 4TH DOWN CONVERSION https://t.co/0qXYmhPXSQ
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 30, 2023
To keep his team alive, he found running back R.J. Harvey with a pass from the 2-yard line for an absurd first down. Even with McClain’s valiant efforts, UCF was unable to score the game-winning point during the drive. Placekicker Colton Boomer missed a field goal from 59 yards out that would have won the game.
For a UCF team playing at home for the first time since joining the Big 12, the outcome was mostly disappointing. Halfway through the third quarter, the Knights had a commanding 35-7 lead. But in the last fifteen minutes, UCF allowed the Bears to outscore them 26-0, blowing the game for UCF.