UCF Knights football LB Cole Kozlowski ready for 1st Space Game
Senior Colgate transfer Cole Kozlowski spoke with anticipation Monday about his first Space Game experience as a UCF Knights linebacker.
ORLANDO — For the first time ever, the UCF Knights lost a Space Game.
They were a perfect 8-0 in the annual Citronauts tradition before Houston arrived Friday, Nov. 7, at the Acrisure Bounce House. The Cougars won 30-27.
Houston broke a 27-27 tie on a field goal with two and a half minutes remaining. UCF inserted backup quarterback Davi Belfort for the final drive, and he moved the offense into striking distance with a few scrambles. But with 11 seconds left, Belfort threw a pick at the goal line, allowing the Cougars to take a knee and escape with a victory.
The Knights fell to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12. Houston is 8-2 (5-2 in Big 12).
The Daytona Beach News-Journal provided live updates, scores and highlights during the game. Scroll down for a play-by-play recap.
Watch UCF vs Houston game live on Fubo (free trial)
UCF vs Houston score updates
Houston takes a knee, and that’s the ballgame. For the first time ever, UCF loses its Space Game.
The Knights are now 8-1 when adopting the Citronauts moniker.
UCF QB Davi Belfort had Duane Thomas Jr. open over the middle but threw late. Houston’s Kentrell Webb intercepted it with 11 seconds left.
UCF quarterback Davi Belfort’s father is Vitor Belfort, who ranked among the world’s best mixed martial artists in his prime.
In 1997, Vitor became the youngest Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament winner at age 19. He held the light heavyweight title for 204 days in 2004. Nicknamed “The Phenom,” Vitor racked up a professional MMA record of 26-14 with one no contest.
Belfort’s mother is Joana Prado Belfort, a businesswoman and former model. She married Vitor in 2003.
UCF QB change — Davi Belfort in for Tayven Jackson
To start UCF’s drive with 2:23 left, Davi Belfort enters at quarterback. The Virginia Tech transfer is in for Tayven Jackson.
The Cougars end the longest drive of the game with points.
They took 7:51 off the clock, traveling 62 yards on 15 plays, and capped it with a 22-yard chip shot by kicker Ethan Sanchez. Houston now leads 30-27 with 2:31 left.
And it’s tied again.
Ethan Sanchez converts a kick from 30 yards away, giving Houston three points and knotting the contest at 27-27.
UCF will get the ball back with 11:18 left.
With 11:23 left in the fourth quarter, UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence went down with an injury. After remaining on the ground for a minute, he walked off the field under his own power.
UCF leads 27-24. Fifteen minutes remain in regulation of the 2025 Space Game.
Noe Ruelas matched a career-long with a 54-yard field goal, putting UCF in front of Houston 27-24 with 1:06 left in the third quarter.
Phillip Dunnam swung the momentum in UCF’s favor, becoming the first player in program history to snag three interceptions in a single game.
Following a pair of UCF three-and-outs, Houston quarterback Conner Weigman tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dean Connors to knot the score at 24.
Connors rushed for a 25-yard gain to set up a goal-to-go situation for the visiting Cougars.
Houston has twice erased double-digit deficits, holding UCF to 4.4 yards per play.
Ethan Sanchez kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, and UCF holds a 24-17 lead over Houston at the break.
Houston holds a 223-178 advantage in total offense, and both quarterbacks have thrown a pick-six.
UCF has forced three turnovers. Malachi Lawrence registered his seventh sack, his fifth in the last three games.
Jaden Nixon and Myles Montgomery each rushed for a touchdown, but Montgomery will miss the remainder of the game with a shoulder injury, per UCF’s radio broadcast.
UCF answered back with a pick-six of its own.
Cole Kozlowski forced an errant pass with a blitz, and Phillip Dunnam returned his second interception of the night for a 43-yard touchdown. The Citronauts re-established a two-possession lead, going up 24-14 with 1:36 left until halftime.
Jaden Nixon took a direct snap 15 yards around the left end for a touchdown, putting UCF back in front of Houston 17-14 with 2:05 left in the second quarter.
Tayven Jackson kept the drive alive with a bit of improvisation, finding Dylan Wade over the middle for 23 yards on third-and-five after Nixon fell down in the flat on a designed screen pass.
Edge rusher Latreveon McCutchin dropped into coverage, snagged a Tayven Jackson pass into the flat and returned it 50 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Houston leads UCF with 6:36 left in the first half.
This is the first time UCF has trailed in a Space Game since 2020.
Jackson is 7-of-14 passing for 58 yards.
Redshirt senior running back Myles Montgomery headed into the locker room with an upper-body injury, according to UCF’s radio broadcast.
UCF has just one scholarship running back available at the moment: Jaden Nixon. Stacy Gage and Taevion Swint have both undergone surgery.
Amare Thomas fought through an obvious hold by UCF defensive back Jyaire Brown and hauled in a 64-yard touchdown reception to pull Houston within a score. The Citronauts lead 10-7 with 7:52 left in the second quarter.
Houston had just 84 yards of total offense across its first four possessions. Weigman is up to 125 yards with one touchdown and one interception on 9-of-14 passing.
UCF turned a muffed punt into a two-score lead in the Space Game.
Mekhi Mews’ mistake resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run for Myles Montgomery, who followed Hawaiian true freshman Jacob Maiava into the end zone. Maiava, an interior offensive lineman, lined up at fullback and threw the lead block.
UCF leads Houston 10-0 with 9:39 left in the second quarter.
The Citronauts held Houston to 84 yards on its first four offensive drives, forcing two turnovers.
Just before the end of the first quarter, Phillip Dunnam picked off a Houston slant on fourth-and-2. He returned it to the Citronauts’ 46-yard line.
UCF leads 3-0.
Noe Ruelas kicked a 37-yard field goal to open the scoring, putting UCF ahead of Houston 3-0 with 4:17 left in the first quarter.
Dylan Wade set the Citronauts up in the red zone with a 24-yard reception off playaction, but was flagged for a costly holding penalty that wiped out a shot at a touchdown.
Jaden Nixon gained 15 yards on two touches, picking up a first down in space on a perimeter screen pass.
UCF junior nickelback Braeden Marshall walked off the field gingerly with an injury after the opening play of Houston’s second drive.
Jyaire Brown has temporarily filled in for Marshall’s spot in the slot.
Derrick LeBlanc batted Conner Weigman’s fourth-and-six pass from UCF’s 40-yard line into the air for a drive-halting incompletion.
Weigman completed 4 of 6 throws for 24 yards on Houston’s opening drive.
The Citronauts followed with a quick three-and-out, affected by a false start against center Carter Miller on third down.
UCF won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
The Space Game is underway. Houston will begin its opening drive at its 25-yard line after a Noe Ruelas touchback.
Due to an ongoing college basketball game between Georgetown and Maryland, the Space Game will begin on FS2. It will switch over to FS1 when the basketball game is complete.
According to Pegasus, the university’s magazine, the Citronaut graced the cover of Florida Technological University’s 1968-69 student handbook. It had the head of an astronaut, including a space helmet, and the body of an orange.
Norman Van Meter, the brother-in-law of then-UCF President Charles Millican, illustrated the mascot in an attempt to combine Central Florida’s major themes of the period: the growing space program and the citrus industry. Both remain integral to the region to this day.
The Citronaut, however, was met with initial disapproval from FTU students. Within one year, they petitioned student government to establish an official mascot, eventually choosing “the Knights of Pegasus” in 1970.
Nowadays, the Citronaut enjoys a large cult following and is a wildly popular secondary brand for the university’s athletic teams.
For the ninth iteration of the tradition, the theme will be “hyperspace.” The Knights opted for a black base to their alternate threads, with light blue numbers and sleeves and “Space U” written down the left pant leg.
After being limited against Baylor last week, left tackle Paul Rubelt will start vs. Houston today. He was announced with the first team at 7:30 p.m. on the Acrisure Bounce House video board.
Yes, UCF is a perfect 8-0 in Space Games.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Between the third and fourth quarters of Friday’s game, robotic dogs and a humanoid will hit the field for an engineered dance routine at the Acrisure Bounce House, according to a press release.
The robots were developed by UCF graduate students in robotics and autonomous systems, a new degree at the university. Students will also debut a robotic version of the Citronaut, UCF’s original mascot that gets adopted for each Space Game, before the contest.
Yes.
The carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Disney, which includes ESPN and its family of channels, continues. But that doesn’t matter for this particular Knights game. It is airing on FS1, which remains available on YouTube TV.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Marcus Burke was removed from the final Big 12 availability report, and he is active for UCF’s home game against Houston.
Burke, a Florida transfer, has tallied 11 receptions on the season for 168 yards.
Redshirt senior quarterback Cam Fancher will miss his third straight game as he recovers from broken ribs. He’s one of six Knights officially ruled out, joined by tight end Caden Piening, running back Stacy Gage, safety Jayden Williams, wide receiver Jordyn Bridgewater and tight end Thomas Wadsworth.
Since 2017, UCF commemorates its roots as a school founded with the goal of providing personnel for the United States space program at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
UCF designs special uniforms inspired by various aspects of space exploration. For 2025, its theme is “hyperspace,” a nod to its October 2024 partnership with the U.S. Air Force to launch the Center of Excellence in Hypersonic and Space Propulsion — otherwise known as the HyperSpace Center.
What time does UCF vs Houston start?
- Date: Friday, Nov. 7
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Acrisure Bounce House (Orlando, Florida)
What TV channel is UCF vs Houston on today?
- TV: FS1
- Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
UCF vs Houston predictions
- Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF
- Chris Vinel, Daytona Beach News-Journal: Houston
- Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal: Houston
UCF vs Houston injury updates
Quarterback Cam Fancher will miss his third straight game due to broken ribs. He is one of five players listed as out for Friday, along with tight end Caden Piening, running back Stacy Gage, safety Jayden Williams and wide receiver Jordyn Bridgewater.
Tight end Thomas Wadsworth is doubtful, and receiver Marcus Burke is questionable.
Left tackle Paul Rubelt should be clear to play after logging 23 snaps at Baylor. Frost described him as “ready to play, but not 100%” in the postgame press conference.
Allen is the major question mark for Houston in the short week. Cougars coach Willie Fritz declared six players out Tuesday including a trio of receivers — Devan Williams, Marquis Shoulders and JayShon Ridgle.
UCF schedule 2025
Here is UCF’s schedule and results. All times Eastern.
*- Big 12 game