ORLANDO — Armed with a new starting quarterback, a revamped roster and a pair of new coordinators, UCF offered a first look Friday ahead of its second Big 12 football season.
UCF held its second annual Knights-versus-‘Nauts spring exhibition at FBC Mortgage Stadium, a two-quarter intrasquad scrimmage followed by a short skills competition. The Knights were the lone Big 12 newcomer to achieve bowl eligibility in 2023, finishing with a 6-7 record and a loss to Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl.
“Overall, you look at it from a head coach’s standpoint, we had a really good spring,” Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. “There were a few explosive plays. We were trying to throw it, though it was pretty windy out there. … You saw the defense be a lot more aggressive and do some really good things.”
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The Big 12 is wide open entering the fall, with league champion Texas and Oklahoma set to complete their move to the SEC. Meanwhile, four new programs — Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah — will join the conference and increase its total membership to 16.
Here are five takeaways as UCF wrapped up spring ball.
KJ Jefferson tosses 2 TDs, 2 picks in UCF introduction
Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson completed 12 of 22 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns during UCF’s spring football game at FBC Mortgage Stadium, Friday, April 12, 2024.
Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson, the Knights’ marquee addition out of the transfer portal, completed 12 of 22 attempts for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He ran six times for minus-7 yards, factoring in sacks, with a long gain of 13.
Jefferson made 38 starts for the Razorbacks over parts of five seasons, totaling 7,911 passing yards, 2,107 rushing yards and 86 touchdowns. He inherits the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kj-jefferson-throws-2-tds-022842558.html
Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal
Publish date : 2024-04-13 02:28:42
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