Baylor Routs UCF 41-9 as Lagway Throws Four Touchdowns in Klanderman Debut

DJ Lagway threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns as Baylor beat UCF 41-9 on Friday night in Orlando, a first win for interim head coach Joe Klanderman in his first game in charge of the Bears.

Baylor (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) never trailed at the Acrisure Bounce House. The Bears led 20-6 at halftime and outscored the Knights 21-3 in the second half to close out the 10th playing of UCF's annual Space Game, the home game in which the Knights wear special uniforms and play as the Citronauts.

Lagway runs the night

Lagway, a transfer from Florida playing back in his home state, completed 16 of 25 passes with no interceptions. Baylor's first score came after defensive back Devon Jordan intercepted UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins, and Lagway finished the short field with a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Livingston late in the first quarter.

Running back Caden Knighten added a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Lagway then took the game away in the third. He found Livingston again for a 21-yard score early in the half, and less than two minutes later hit Gavin Freeman over the middle for a 77-yard touchdown that made it 34-6. Freeman finished with five catches for 114 yards. Lagway's last touchdown was a 5-yard pass to tight end Matthew Klopfenstein in the fourth quarter. Running back Ryelan Morris added 82 yards on 11 carries, and Baylor passed 450 yards of offense before the third quarter ended.

UCF never finds the end zone

UCF (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) did not pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter and never scored a touchdown. Its only points came on three field goals, the longest a 57-yarder just before halftime that the Associated Press reported as the longest field goal in school history. Baylor's defense sacked Jenkins seven times and made 12 tackles for loss. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III took his first snaps since Week 2 for UCF, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

The loss ended UCF's four-game home winning streak, one week after the Knights beat No. 2 BYU 39-31 in double overtime on the same field for the highest ranked win in program history.

A lift after a hard week

Klanderman, Baylor's defensive coordinator, took over on Sunday after the school fired Dave Aranda. Aranda coached the Bears for more than six seasons and lost his job one day after a 25-24 loss at Kansas, a game Baylor led by 11 points in the fourth quarter before a late field goal try was blocked. Friday's win ended a two-game losing streak for Baylor.

Baylor hosts Iowa State next Saturday. UCF's loss leaves the Knights at .500 with four regular season games still to play.