I have finally graduated from UCF after four and a half years. Switching my major halfway through college and staying an extra semester for a minor allowed me to witness five seasons of UCF football as a student.
It wasn’t always easy being a Knight fan. 2014 saw UCF share a conference title with two other teams. 2015 the Knights didn’t win a game, their only real chance was against FIU when the Panthers blocked UCF’s game winning field goal attempt. 2016 was a turbulent year but still saw the Knights become bowl eligible but lose to Arkansas State in the Cure Bowl. That bowl game took place roughly 20 minutes from the campus of UCF. 25 consecutive wins, two conference championships, and a New Year’s Six bowl victory later, UCF is a powerhouse in college football and shifting the sport as we know it.
I am so glad that I got to see all of this as a student at UCF. With that said, I want to take you through my five favorite games that I attended through the 25 game winning streak. Not only were these games my favorite, but they were among the most important victories during the streak. Each game was a stepping stone to where the brand is today. We’ll start from number five and work our way up to the best one.
5. American Athletic Conference Championship, December 1, 2018
Memphis, 41, #7 UCF, 56
My final game as a student in the bounce house was a bumpy ride throughout. The Knights were down big after the first half thanks to Memphis running back Darrell Henderson who ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 carries. Down 17 at halftime, things were looking pretty dim for the Knights. However, if there was one theme all season long it was how UCF adjusted on defense at halftime. That theme came to play once again. With backup QB Darriel Mack leading the way on offense, the Knights would go on to outscore Memphis in the second half 35-3 to win their second consecutive AAC Championship.
UCF’s 2018 crown made it their fourth title in the six years of the AAC’s existence. Orlando’s hometown team has made a home for the AAC trophy quite often; not only on the football field, but in other sports as well. I think this statement is one that can help the Knights in any future discussions about joining an expanding “power five” conference.
Overcoming Adversity
The 2018 UCF Knights faced different challenges than the 2017 team did. This year’s Knights struggled at times while it seemed the 2017 squad wrecked everyone in their path. However, the fight in this team was just as strong as last season. It takes a lot to win any conference championship on the shoulders of a backup quarterback. UCF made a statement that nobody can come into Spectrum Stadium and push Orlando’s hometown team around.
The comeback was great, but as a fan in the stands I was more relieved than happy at the end of the game. A loss would’ve sent us to the Birmingham Bowl, a relatively unimportant one compared to a New Year’s Six. Not only that, this was a Memphis team that struggled mightily at times over the season. A loss would bring out the UCF haters in full force and be a terrible way to snap the winning streak.
The victory made it back-to-back perfect regular seasons, both of which were capped off by a conference championship at the hands of Memphis. After a snub last season, the Knights hoped their resume was even more impressive this time around after a 2018 campaign. Unfortunately, the AAC was much weaker in 2018, leaving many unimpressed. The seamless transition of head coaches from Frost to Josh Heupel didn’t impress anyone apparently either, but showed that the players on the field could still get the job done.
4. American Athletic Conference Championship, December 2, 2017
#16 Memphis, 55, #12 UCF, 62. Final in 2 OT
After a thrilling season finale against USF in Spectrum Stadium, the Knights got the chance to play on their home turf against a dangerous Memphis team for the conference championship. The game kicked off at noon, something the Knights didn’t experience often during the regular season. That didn’t keep the crowd away as the bounce house sold out and saw a double-overtime thriller end on a game sealing interception. Even though it was a close game, that was the second time that UCF had beaten Memphis that year.
The game locked up UCF’s third AAC championship in the five years the conference had been around. Not only that, it made the Knights perfect in conference play and gave the College Football Playoff committee an unblemished resume to look at. Unfortunately, they were not impressed.
This was also a game that had some drama attached to it. A lot of people had a feeling that this would be Scott Frost’s final game as head coach of the Knights. It surfaced after that he would be leaving UCF for his home university, but later agreed to coach the team in the Peach Bowl.
Despite the lack of respect from the committee and “experts” in the college football world, the Knights had just begun to get the ball rolling on their historic run.
3. College Gameday comes to UCF, November 17, 2018
#19 Cincinnati, 13, #11 UCF, 38
A day that could be remembered as a turning point in UCF’s history. College Gameday came to town and the Knights gave them a show. The defense for UCF looked as good as it did all season and the offense showed out for the doubting Kirk Herbstreit. The events of the entire day turned many from haters to believers.
The day began with College Gameday on memory mall, a nice grassy field in the middle of most academic buildings on campus. Many (including myself) camped out around midnight in order to get a spot in the pit, the area right behind the set of College Gameday. A record number of people showed up and brought plenty of signs with them. Knight Nation was out in full force in their attempt to show America that UCF was here to stay.
Silencing the Haters
After a season of essentially spitting on the Knights, Kirk got to be in the booth to witness first hand the type of atmosphere UCF can produce. Spectrum Stadium was so loud it caused Cincinnati to commit two penalties right out of the gates.
The Knights didn’t choke away their chance on the national stage and kept the perfect season rolling. They made it look easy, as the only touchdown for Cincinnati early on was on a strip sack fumble with a missed PAT. The defense had been the biggest question mark for UCF, and on national television they cleaned it up nicely. The Bearcats grabbed a touchdown in garbage time, but the ranked Cincinnati squad lost only their second game of the season to fall to 9-2 in the bounce house.
2. The War on I-4, November 24, 2017
#22 USF, 42, #13 UCF, 49
This was arguably the best game the bounce house has ever seen. The atmosphere for the Cincinnati game was definitely more electric at the beginning, but for this game the intensity was constant all the way until the end. It was a back and forth battle coming down to the wire with two minutes left. A walk-off kickoff return for a touchdown sealed the deal and the celebration was on.
The way the game unfolded wasn’t the only thing that made this game so intense, it was what was at stake. Whoever won that game would be playing in the AAC championship game and would represent the east division. Both teams had perfect conference records entering the evening. Not only that, but the win over the rival Bulls secured the first ever perfect regular season for UCF.
At the time, USF was a threat with their quarterback Quinton Flowers. He had a monster game and tore up the UCF defense. At one point, he ran for a touchdown and made an inappropriate sexual gesture to the student section. Let’s just say that got Knight Nation pretty fired up. From that point on UCF rolled the Bulls and the rivalry has favored UCF ever since.
1. The Peach Bowl, January 1, 2018
#10 UCF, 34, #7 Auburn, 27
The Knights defeating Auburn may have been the biggest game in the history of UCF football. This was the one that proved UCF can “hang with the big boys.” Say all you want about Auburn not being motivated, but we have seen after this bowl season people aren’t taking that as an excuse. The Knights manhandled both the defensive and offensive lines of Auburn as well as stopped an elite running back. Not only did the Knights win, but when you break everything down from a revenue and recruiting standpoint, UCF did more with significantly less. This adds an explanation point to the statement victory.
Despite having three loses, Auburn defeated Alabama and Georgia during the regular season, two teams that played in the national championship game. Some fully expected this Auburn team to roll over a “puny G5” team, especially after triumphing over the two teams that made it all the way to college football’s biggest game. Boy did all those “experts” look silly after the fact.
The Journey
My friends and I rented a minivan and drove up for a great weekend in Atlanta. Going into the trip, we didn’t know what result would unfold on the field. Regardless of the result, we wanted to be there in person to see if the Cinderella story could be completed. Luckily for us it was the perfect way to end off a National Championship campaign and to start 2018.
The way Knight Nation took over Atlanta made victory taste even sweeter. On New Year’s Eve, my friends and I went to bar for the ball drop and met a bunch of UCF and Auburn fans. Of course there was friendly smack talk, but it was interesting to interact with everyone. The day after the bowl game, we hiked up Stone Mountain in freezing temperatures and played zombie nation on the top of the mountain. This trip, not just the game, gave me memories to last a lifetime.
Bonus! October 9, 2014
BYU, 24, UCF, 31, Final in OT
Although not included in the 25-game winning streak, this game gave me a taste of what UCF could become. This was the season just after Blake Bortles had left for the NFL, so the Knights weren’t really sure what they were getting. The black and gold had just won their first New Year’s Six bowl against a tough Baylor team and looked to keep the momentum rolling. UCF ended up taking an independent BYU team to overtime in a showdown under the lights.
The stadium wasn’t sold out, but it was close. About 35,000 people showed up and saw a great football game. I still have the video on my phone and re-watched it and saw that the student section was filled almost to capacity. Hearing the roar of the crowd as UCF stopped BYU on fourth down in overtime to win wasn’t as loud as Spectrum Stadium is used to now, but it was close.
The team, the atmosphere, and everything that went along with the game left a great taste in my mouth. At that moment I had a feeling that something special lay here in Orlando. This was the first football game that made me proud and excited to be a UCF Knight.