Tayven Jackson shines as UCF stays unbeaten with rout of UNC

Tayven Jackson threw for one score and ran for another while the defense dominated as the UCF Knights controlled from start to finish in a 34-9 victory over North Carolina Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

Jackson was 25-of-32 for 223 yards and Nyjalik Kelly and Braeden Marshall each came up with a first-half interception for UCF (3-0).

The Knights rolled up 368 yards as Scott Frost won his 16th consecutive game as the head coach.

UNC (2-2) had allowed only nine points in its last two contests but didn't have the same kind of success against UCF as its two-game winning streak ended.

The Tar Heels also lost starting quarterback Gio Lopez in the third quarter. He was injured while running to convert on fourth-and-1 with 6:45 to go and did not return.

Max Johnson took his place and threw a touchdown pass to Kobe Paysour with 1:06 remaining in the quarter for UNC's lone touchdown. UNC tallied 217 yards and is 0-2 against the Big 12 this season.

The first ever meeting between the schools marked a reunion of Frost and UNC's Bill Belichick. Frost played for the New York Jets in the late 1990s when Belichick was their defensive coordinator.

Jackson capped a successful opening drive with a 13-yard keeper to his right at the 8:23 mark of the first quarter. The Knights consumed nearly seven minutes and converted a fourth-and-1.

They nearly stretched their lead after Antoine Jackson ran back an interception 40 yards to the end zone, but a penalty negated it.

Moments later, with 6:17 on the clock, a Lopez pass was batted away and Kelly came up with it at the 27-yard line. The bonus possession led to Noe Ruelas' 36-yard field goal and a 10-0 advantage with 4:51 remaining.

Ruelas added a 41-yard kick, his longest of the year, with 10:03 to go in the half, extending the UCF lead to 13-0.

Marshall's interception off a ball tipped in the air inside the UCF 10 killed a potential UNC scoring drive with 5:39 to play in the half.

After Rece Verhoff nailed a 40-yard field goal for the Tar Heels' first points, UCF made the most of the final 1:23, capping a six-play, 83-yard drive on Jackson's touchdown toss to an open Kylan Fox with 13 seconds showing on the clock.

UCF led 20-3 at halftime and Myles Montgomery pushed his way into the end zone at the 9:51 mark of the third as the Knights extended their cushion to 27-3.

The Knights were never seriously threatened and ate up more than 10 minutes of clock in the fourth with an 18-play drive, closing it thanks to Jaden Nixon's 5-yard touchdown run for a 34-9 lead with 1:57 to go.