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UCF WR Duane Thomas Jr. Questionable Against Pittsburgh
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- UCF WR Duane Thomas Jr. Questionable Against Pittsburgh
(IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters Connect)
UCF's offense looked comfortable during the Knights' 73-6 romp over Bethune-Cookman , dominating on the ground and converting through the passing game.
Impressively, the team did so without one of their top targets on the outside, Duane Thomas Jr.
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Thomas suffered an undisclosed injury towards the end of UCF 's camp, missing Game 1.
Last season, the speedy Thomas was the team leader in receptions (53) and receiving yards (528), showing the ability to make people miss in space.
But, somehow Thomas did not find the endzone, which is surprising given his big-play ability.
Against BYU, in UCF's final game of the season last year, Thomas led the Knights in receiving, hauling in four catches for 74 yards.
UCF got off to a hot start with bowl contention on the line, jumping out to a two-score lead.
But, the Knights failed to carry this momentum throughout the game, dropping their season finale and feeling to break the program's current postseason drought.
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In early May, Thomas was hailed as a top-10 lead receiver in the Big 12 according to CFBudge, coming in at the No. 9 spot.
He is one of the few veteran receivers in the room, with talented newcomers like Tyren Hornes and Josh Derry being added this offseason.
Against Bethune-Cookman, starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III spread the wealth between the many receivers who saw action, with nine different Knights catching a pass.
Following the win, head coach Scott Frost assessed what he saw from his new QB.
"I thought he did a great job," Frost said. "Your typical first game…I thought he handled it really well, minus sailing one one ball for an interception, but he's a competitor."
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Barnett's interception was not pretty, but he was decisive with his throws and found multiple ways to attack Bethune-Cookman's defensive backfield.
Outside of this mistake, Barnett looked good in his half of playtime, navigating the pocket well and controlling the game.
Despite the blowout victory , Barnett was very humble following the win, where he talked focused on his teammates and his journey to this point.
"On September 2, 2023, I made my first start and got benched after a half of football. So to come back—and not even talking about all the stuff in between—to start as a Big 12 quarterback on September 3, 2026, is pretty cool," Barnett said.
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Heading into a key game against Pittsburgh, having Thomas available would be a big boost for UCF's offense, and give Barnett another speedy target on the outside.
With the offensive firepower Pittsburgh displayed in Week 1, the Knights could be in for a shoot out.
