​ORLANDO, Fla. — The last time UCF fans were this excited about a transfer quarterback, KJ Jefferson came riding into Orlando with the reputation of a conquering hero.We all know how that worked out.Jefferson, the celebrated transfer from Arkansas, was supposed to be the quarterback who would elevate Gus Malzahn’s offense and establish UCF as a legitimate Big 12 contender. Instead, his UCF career essentially began with warning lights flashing everywhere.Even in a 57-3 opening-night demolition of hopelessly overmatched New Hampshire in 2024, Jefferson looked uncomfortable. He missed his first three passes, didn’t complete one until late in the first quarter, fumbled on the second possession and later threw an interception directly to a defender.UCF won by 54 points, and somehow its quarterback still gave Knights fans reason to worry.In retrospect, maybe that was the beginning of the end for Malzahn.Which brings us to Thursday night at the Bounce House, where another highly decorated transfer quarterback made his UCF debut in another season opener against another badly overmatched opponent.This time, UCF desperately needs the story to have a different ending.Alonza Barnett III took his first meaningful steps toward becoming the quarterback UCF has been searching for seemingly forever as the Knights annihilated Bethune-Cookman 73-6.Barnett finished 11-of-18 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score before calling it a night following the first series of the third quarter. Of course, this game wasn’t so much about Barnett’s numbers; it was more about Barnett looking like he was in complete control of coach Scott Frost’s offense.“Alonza is such a plus intellectually and understanding the game, and that actually allows us to do a lot of different things on offense,” Frost said. “We now have a more detailed offense and a quarterback who can run it. We give him the opportunity to change more protections and change more plays and get us in the right thing. Man, it gives you a lot of confidence as a head coach when you start calling a play and he already knows what you’re calling.”UCF went up 14-0 before the Bounce House crowd even had time to bounce. Duke Watson ran for a 64-yard touchdown on UCF’s second play from scrimmage, followed by a 47-yard Jayden Williams pick 6 for a 14-0 lead. From there, Barnett took over and ran the offense with precision.UCF made it 21-0 on its second drive with Barnett doing a little bit of everything. Unlike some UCF quarterbacks of the recent past, Barnett got the ball out quickly and accurately. He ran a naked bootleg for 9 yards and first down. He threaded a pass between defenders for 11 yards to Caden Piening to put UCF in scoring position. And then he deftly ran an option play for a 5-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.On the very next possession, he threaded a pass over the middle and hit Jonathan Bibbs in stride for a 23-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead. And from there, UCF went