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UCF QB Alonza Barnett III Could See the Field Against No. 2 BYU
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- UCF QB Alonza Barnett III Could See the Field Against No. 2 BYU
(IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters Connect)
While Keyone Jenkins has filled in admirably at the quarterback position during Alonza Barnett III's injury, UCF fans have to be wondering if the Knights could have pulled off one of the ranked upsets over the past two weeks if they were whole.
Barnett suffered a rib injury in Week 2 against Pittsburgh and has been sidelined since, working towards a return after the current bye week.
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On Tuesday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Barnett will not start UCF's huge matchup against No. 2 BYU , but that doesn't mean he won't play.
Offensive coordinator Steve Cooper spoke to the media on Tuesday, saying that he thinks there is a fair chance Barnett could see action.
Head coach Scott Frost gave promising remarks as well, adding that Barnett is making "really good progress" in his recovery.
In Week 1, Barnett and UCF's offense burst onto the scene against Bethune-Cookman, scoring 73 points and clicking in the run game.
Barnett had a quiet game considering the high amount of points scored, but still found the endzone twice - once through the air and once with his legs.
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In the following game, Barnett and UCF's offense struggled in the torrent weather against Pittsburgh, falling 12-7 in a defensive slugfest.
Of course, Barnett has not seen action since then, but remains UCF's best chance of competing against the Big 12's top teams.
Entering the bye week, Barnett will be pushing himself to be ready for BYU, as the Cougars have separated themselves as the cream of the crop in the conference this season.
"I think BYU is the best of the bunch, [in the Big 12]," Frost said on Tuesday. "It's an awesome opportunity for us on Homecoming to go shoot our shot."
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The Cougars are coming off one of their biggest wins in program history last weekend, knocking off then-ranked No. 2 Notre Dame and jumping to their highest AP Ranking in over 40 years.
Their offense is very balanced, and sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier leads the dual-threat attack.
Against the Irish, Bachmeier ran for two touchdowns, throwing one, and far-outplaying projected first rounder CJ Carr.
The Cougars' rushing attack has been very strong as well, averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground.
Getting Barnett back and able to play would give the Knights' offense a big boost of downfield pressure, something that has lacked during the past few weeks.
With UCF opening on most books as just 6.5-point underdogs, the door is open for UCF to pull off it's biggest home upset in program history.
