UCF couldn’t capitalize on a fast start or three interceptions by Phillip Dunnam as Houston rallied in the fourth quarter on Friday night, handing the Knights their first loss in the annual space game, 30-27.

It was a missed opportunity for UCF (4-5, 1-5 Big 12), which needs two wins over the remaining three games to be bowl eligible. That includes road contests at No. 8 Texas Tech (Nov. 14) and No. 7 BYU (Nov. 29) as well as a home game against Oklahoma State (Nov. 22).

Houston sealed the deal Friday with a nearly 8-minute drive, capped off by a 22-yard game-winning field goal by Ethan Sanchez.

Backup Davi Belfort drove the Knights to the UH 24, but his pass to Duane Thomas Jr. was intercepted in the end zone.

“We need to do more tough things on the football field,” said Frost. “I’m not saying we don’t have tough guys. We had a lot of guys out there that battled today, but we got to get open against press coverage better and we’ve got to finish blocks and push piles better and we’ve got to take off and get tough yards from our quarterback spot better.”

UCF suffered its first loss (8-1) during a space game since its inception in 2017.

Almost a week after surrendering back-to-back touchdowns to Baylor at the start of its game against the Bears, UCF showed improvement in its defense against Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12).

The Cougars kicked off their first drive, making it all the way to the UCF 39-yard line. However, on a crucial fourth-and-5, defensive end Derrick LeBlanc swatted down a pass from Conner Weigman, stopping the drive in its tracks. On their next possession, UH managed to reach their own 43-yard line, but their attempt to convert on a third-and-11 fell short.

While the defense was locked in, UCF’s offense couldn’t get out of its own way.

The Knights found themselves facing a third-and-5 on their own 44-yard line to start the game, but a false start penalty on center Carter Miller pushed them back to the 39. Unable to convert, they were forced to punt the ball away.

On their next drive, UCF managed to move the ball down to the Houston 12-yard line, but a holding penalty set them back to the 22. They struggled to convert on a third-and-17, which led to Noe Ruelas kicking a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Penalties continued to haunt the Knights, who were flagged nine times, including five pre-snap penalties.

“It’s got to get cleaned up,” Frost said. “We didn’t get many calls. However, we can address those issues if we just play better and this is going to be a growth process.”

The defense stepped up again when Dunnam picked off a Weigman pass intended for tight end Tanner Koziol on a fourth-and-2 at the UCF 28. Dunnam returned the ball 21 yards to the 46.

It was the first interception by the Knights since the Kansas State game on Sept. 27.

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UCF got a lucky break in the second quarter when Houston’s Mekhi Mews bobbled the ball during a punt and linebacker Jayden McDonald recovered it at the UH 25.

Following a couple of strong runs by Myles Montgomery, quarterback Tayven Jackson connected with tight end Dylan Wade on a screen pass. The 6-foot-4 Wade made a diving effort, reaching the football as he crossed the end zone, but it was ruled short.

Montgomery followed it up with a 1-yard touchdown run to give UCF a 10-0 lead. It was his fourth of the season and his first rushing touchdown since Kansas on Oct. 4.

Houston broke through on its next possession as Weigman found receiver Amare Thomas open for a 64-yard touchdown.

To make matters worse, Montgomery left the game with a shoulder injury midway through the second quarter.

He was one of several starters to leave the game with injuries, along with safety Braeden Marshall, edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and McDonald.

It was Houston’s turn to take advantage of a miscue as linebacker Latreveon McCutchin intercepted Jackson and returned it 45 yards for a pick-6 as the Cougars took the lead 14-10.

UCF answered on its next offensive possession, driving 60 yards before running back Jaden Nixon took the direct snap and sprinted 15 yards for a touchdown as the Knights retook the lead, 17-14.

“I really don’t have many other words other than it’s hard,” Nixon said of the loss. “We’ve just got to move on. There is nothing else we can do. We have to show up, watch the film, and review what we can do better.”

Nixon finished with a team-high 62 yards on 11 carries.

It didn’t take long for the Knights to find the end zone again as Dunnam intercepted Weigman again, returning it 43 yards for a pick-6 and a 24-14 lead.

Houston’s Sanchez added a 40-yard field goal to cut the lead to 24-17 at the half.

The Cougars tied the game at 24 after Weigman found running back Dean Connors open for a 9-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter.

But as the UCF offense struggled, Dunnam stepped up again, picking off another Weigman pass late in the third quarter. The Knights were able to convert the takeaway into a 54-yard field goal by Noe Ruelas, tying a career-high.

Sanchez added a 30-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter to tie the game for the second time in the evening and the game-winning 22-yarder with 2:31 left in the game.

Belfort entered the game for Jackson, who was struggling with a hamstring injury, according to Frost.

Jackson was 15 of 29 for 136 yards. He’s thrown at least one interception in each of the last three games.

Houston outgained UCF, 433 to 282 in total offense, as Weigman finished 20 of 32 for 223 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 82 yards on 22 carries.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.