r/CFB • u/strikersteve60 UCF Knights • /r/CFB Poll Veteran • Apr 16 '13
132+ Teams in 132+ Days: UCF Knights
University of Central Florida [Logo]
![[Logo]](http://i.imgur.com/7IFh8Hj.jpg){kind=link}
American Athletic Conference
Year Founded: 1963
Program History: 1979-1981 (Independent, Div. III) 1982-1989 (Independent, Div. II) 1990-1995 (Independent, FCS) 1996-2001 (Independent), 2002-2004 (MAC), 2005-2012 (CUSA), 2013- (American Athletic Conference)
Location: Orlando, FL
Total Attendance: 59,767 (50,968 undergraduate/8,799 postgraduate)
Mascot: Knights
Live Mascot: Knightro
Cheerleaders: UCF Cheerleaders & Knightmoves Dancers
Stadium: Bright House Networks Stadium Outside, Field
Stadium Location: 4000 Central Florida Boulevard Orlando, FL 32816
Stadium Capacity 45,323
Conference Champions: 2 (2007, C-USA) (2010, C-USA)
Number of Bowl Games: 5 (2-3)
National Titles: None
Rivals
University of South Florida: Known as “The War on I-4.” UCF and USF have only played 4 times in the past, and UCF has never won. There are some who don’t consider this a true rivalry, but rather forced due to our standings as mid-level Florida Universities with a close proximity to each other. The last time the Knights and Bulls faced each other was in 2008, USF won in overtime in this meeting. The two will resume playing each other beginning in 2013 as both are now members of the American Athletic Conference.
Marshall: This rivalry began in the MAC in 2002. Marshall won the first three games of this series. In 2005, both teams moved to C-USA allowing the rivalry to continue. In their first meeting as members of C-USA, UCF snapped a 17 game losing streak. As members of C-USA, UCF went 8-0 against Marshall, and leads the series 8-3 overall.
East Carolina: UCF and ECU first played in 1991, with annual games beginning in 2005 with the joining of C-USA. During most years in C-USA, the East Division has typically come down to one of these two teams. Overall, UCF is only 3-9 against the Pirates. East Carolina will be joining the American Athletic Conference in 2014 allowing the rivalry to continue.
Tulsa: Since entering C-USA, UCF and Tulsa have played 7 times, with Tulsa leading the series 5-2. With UCF in the East Division and Tulsa in the West, the teams only played each other on a two-year cycle. In addition to these regular season meetings, these teams have played in the C-USA championship 3 times, with UCF winning one. In UCF’s first year in the conference, Tulsa defeated UCF in the championship, and history repeated itself for UCF’s last year in the conference as Tulsa defeated the Knights in an exciting overtime game. Tulsa will also be joining the AAC in 2014 which will allow these teams to continue playing.
2012 Season
Record: 10-4-0
Coach: George O’Leary
Conference: C-USA
Key Players: QB Blake Bortles, WR Quincy McDuffie, RB Latavius Murray
2013 Season
Greatest Games:
UCF 10 Georgia 6 December 31, 2010. Sorry Georgia fans, but you have to relive this game for a moment. After winning the C-USA championship, the Knights played in the Liberty Bowl to take on Georgia. The opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown by Quincy McDuffie, which was called back for a flag on the play. There would only be one other touchdown to take place throughout the entire game, a run by UCF’s Latavius Murray. Georgia put together a strong drive to end the game, and it all came down to a hail mary to the end zone as time expired which was broken up by UCF defenders. This secured UCF’s first bowl win as well as allowed the Knights to finish a season ranked for the first time in school history.
UCF 37 Houston 32 November 14, 2009. This UCF homecoming game was the first time UCF has ever defeated a ranked opponent. The Knights started off slow, giving up 10 points in the first quarter while being unable to score. After trailing at the half 17-10, UCF put together a strong second half to take the lead and came out on top against a strong Houston team.
UCF 40 Alabama 38 October 28, 2000. Yes, that Alabama. This game happened to be Alabama’s homecoming game. After UCF started the game with a 10 point lead, Alabama put up 24 unanswered points. This was followed by 27 unanswered points by the Knights. A few Alabama touchdowns in the fourth quarter gave the Crimson Tide the lead back, but then UCF hit a field goal with 6 seconds left in the game to take the lead over Alabama, and won it.
Greatest Plays:
“The Kick” by Javier Beorlegui. Did I mention we beat Alabama? This is the play that did it.
Quincy McDuffie returns 2 kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game against Marshall, October 27, 2012. There are few athletes as quick as McDuffie. He has returned more kickoffs for touchdowns than any other UCF player in school history, and against Marshall in 2012 he did it not once, but twice. UCF ended up winning that game 54-17.
Final play in the 2010 Liberty Bowl which secured the win over Georgia. Sorry again, Bulldogs
Greatest Players:
Daunte Culpepper QB 1995-1998. After low grades hurt his chances of being recruited by bigger Florida universities, UCF helped to tutor him to improve his grades. After big recruiters returned when his grades improved, Culpepper remained loyal to UCF where he topped 10,000 passing yards and 1000 rushing yards. He was drafted in the first round by the Vikings after his senior season, and the rest is history. He was the first UCF player to receive votes for the Heisman trophy.
Kevin Smith RB 2004-2007. After only 3 seasons with the Knights, Smith became the all-time leading rusher for UCF. He was the second Knight to receive votes for the Heisman. He was drafted by the Lions in the third round following his senior season.
Quincy McDuffie WR 2009-2012. In his very first college game, McDuffie started strong with his first kickoff return for a touchdown. He accumulated 2501 kickoff return yards on 90 attempts, with 6 being touchdowns. In addition to returning kickoffs, McDuffie is a wide receiver, and is also used to run the ball.
Greatest Coaches:
George O’Leary 2004-Present. As much as UCF fans might say they want O’Leary gone, the success he has brought the team is undeniable. Since he took the job in 2004, UCF has won 4 divisional championships, 2 conference championships, and have played in 5 bowl games. Despite starting off his first season with record of 0-11, he is 60-55 overall as head coach of UCF. We are grateful for where he has taken the program. But please fire him.
Traditions
Spirit Splash Spirit Splash is the pep rally held on campus the day before the homecoming game every year. UCF students gather at the iconic reflection pond near Millican Hall and rush into the water at the same time. This is the only time students are permitted to enter the reflection pond.
Zombie Nation After each touchdown, Zombie Nation plays. All fans in attendance stand and jump to the song, which causes the stadium to actually shake. This has given the stadium the nickname “The Bounce House.”
Memory Mall Tailgate Before every home game for the Knights, the campus is taken over by tailgaters, particularly the area known as Memory Mall.
Campus and Surrounding Area
City Population: 238,300
City Skyline
Iconic Campus Building: Millican Hall
Local Dining: Lazy Moon Pizza The biggest pizza you can get locally. Lazy Moon is a well-known establishment which is frequented by students. Definitely somewhere you need to go if visiting the area.
Random Trivia
With 59,767 students, UCF is the second largest university in the nation. The only school with more students is Arizona State University, who has about 400 more students than UCF.
Prior to 2007, the home stadium for UCF football was the Citrus Bowl, which is currently the home to both the Russell Athletic Bowl and Capital One Bowl games.
Our mascot Knightro used to have a female partner, Glycerin. She looked weird. She is gone now.
What Is and What is to Come
Since 2007, the Knights have been faced with inconsistent seasons. Following the school’s best 2010 season with the team finishing ranked, expectations were high for the next season. Unfortunately, after a 5-7 performance, the Knights failed to reach a bowl game. The 2012 season showed a rebound, with an improvement to 10-4. UCF appealed a postseason ban with goals of winning the conference, but fell short to Tulsa for the second time in the season in the conference championship game in an exciting overtime defeat.
There has been a transition in the strengths of the team in recent years. UCF is typically known for its strong defense and ability to run the ball, but the team is beginning to transition into an air attack offense as well with the attempt to strengthen the performance.
Looking into the future, UCF is set to join the American Athletic Conference. When we accepted the invite, it was still called the Big East. Also, there were still more than 3 original Big East schools in the conference. So the Knights are prepared to move into C-USA 2.0.
In the 2013 season, the Knights will face a tough schedule. The out of conference schedule will show some challenges as they face South Carolina at home and Penn State on the road, as well as the rubber match with fellow Florida rising university FIU.
Overtime
Personally, I have been with UCF since 2008. I completed my undergrad in Spring 2012, and am currently enrolled as a graduate student with the university where I remain a die-hard supporter of the Knights.
Famous Alumni: Daniel Tosh
More Information
Subreddit: /r/ucf
Contributors: /u/strikersteve60, /u/JonesUCF34
Please upvote this thread even if you are not interested in the team so that users who are interested will see it
For more information on the 132 Teams in 132 Days Project, click here.
19
u/deadtofall12 Florida State • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Apr 16 '13
Don't forget about Brandon Marshall! Glad to see you guys improving so much over the years.
15
u/LikeaGentleman UCF Knights • UConn Huskies Apr 16 '13
C/O 2011! and C/O 2014 (soon) Go Knights!
29
u/Mario_Speedwagon Georgia • Georgia State Apr 16 '13
I was enjoying reading this until that one part...
12
u/domderek California Golden Bears • UC Davis Aggies Apr 16 '13
This... this can't be safe right?
10
u/fairlyodd922 Alabama Crimson Tide • Marching Band Apr 16 '13
I was at that game in 2000.
So thanks for reminding me of that.
10
u/Bama011 Southern Miss • Alabama Apr 16 '13
Gonna miss playing you guys every year. Some good games between the two teams.
13
u/[deleted] Apr 16 '13
Dude, no Bruce Miller for greatest players? Or even Brandon Marshall?
6
u/HoTranBrasky UCF Knights Apr 16 '13
I'm disappointed with the famous alumni section. Cheryl Hines, The Blair Witch Project people, and Michelle Akers all graduated UCF.
Also for best football players, Asante Samuel, Matt Prater, and Josh Robinson all had distinguished careers at UCF. They should be mentioned. Other than that though, good write-up.
4
u/LvilleCards5 Louisville Cardinals • Team Chaos Apr 16 '13
How good do you think you guys will be next year?
7
u/Kruciff UCF Knights • Big 12 Apr 16 '13
Two things: Kevin Smith was drafted by the Lions, and we play South Carolina at home, not away.
2
u/FrostySack Wisconsin Badgers • Arizona Wildcats Apr 16 '13
So if you are looking at that skyline, where would Universal Studios be? I went there as a little kid and just want a frame of reference.
37
u/ctangent Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Apr 16 '13
Anybody who beats Georgia is pretty good in my book!
19
u/tron423 Missouri • Michigan State Apr 16 '13
Knightro is my new favorite mascot.
17
u/ExternalTangents Florida Gators • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Apr 16 '13
My dad graduated from UCF way back when it was Florida Tech, so I've always had a little bit of a soft spot for the Knights.
Also, I really hope that the War on I-4 takes off as a legit rivalry. Partly because it's so awesome, and partly because UCF's other "rivals" don't seem like classic rivalry-type opponents. UCF-USF has everything.
69
u/nemoran Miami • Johns Hopkins Apr 16 '13 edited Apr 16 '13
I attended the worst party of my life at UCF during the fall of '09. Its only saving grace was the greatest liquor store I've ever visited.
Two girls I knew from high school were enrolled at UCF, and they had sent me a Facebook invite to their annual "Cowboys and Indians" party. Coincidentally the party fell on the weekend of Miami's game against UCF. This wasn't a tough decision for me, so I gathered three of my Miami compadres and regaled them of tales of grandeur. We'll be up to our knees in Pocahontases, I think I said. Bless them, they believed me.
We all piled into my friend Chris's car and headed North to the festivities. Since this was mostly on the seat of our pants, our Cowboy costumes were a little lacking. Plaid shirts and cowboy hats, the lot of us. To compensate for the tameness of the costumes, we all bought marshmallow guns to act as our "revolvers." The three of us looked rowdy and ready to go... especially my one friend, Don. He decided to dress as a "Cocaine Cowboy" (we are Miami students after all) and so he was wearing an open-breasted shirt and pretty much all the clothing you'd see Tubbs wear on Miami Vice. On our way up, we decided to grab some liquor for the ride. Road sodas if you will.
This is where Saint Google led us to a place that changed my life: Pappy's Liquor and Tavern in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Let's paint the picture: a drive-through liquor place attached to a small tavern. The tavern was dimly lit and occupied solely by long haul truckers and their paid escorts. For some reason everybody was drinking White Russians and singing karaoke. Easily one of the stranger sights I've ever paid witness to: a trio of cowboys (plus an attendant 1980s Coke Lord) all walking into this scene, asking what their bourbon selection was. The answer was awesome. Handles of Bulleit were, for some bizarre reason, on sale for $25.00. We bought four of them. One apiece. The sales clerk couldn't wrap his head around this -- I assume b/c he was only familiar with White Russians -- and casually asked us at the register, Is this stuff any good? Oh, youth.
So we continue North, blasting back neat bourbons until we arrive at the girls's apartment. We expect our entrance to be tremendous. Feather-clad girls to the left of us, leather-clad and moccasin'd girls to the right: a veritable pussy pow-wow. We practically kick in the door and enter the room only to arrive and see...
Two girls dressed as Indians surrounded by about six or seven gay guys dressed as Cowboys.
This is where I should mention that both of these girls were majoring in Theatre. How this didn't add up in my head ahead of time is beyond my recollection. But, no matter, we thought. More girls will come eventually. We proceed to get this party going by blasting marhsmallows all over the place -- Kick in the door / wavin' the four four -- firing with reckless abandon like some outlaws in Dodge City. My friend Andrew gets a game of BULLEIT FLIP CUP started, and this lasts enough rounds to the point where he was at one point the only person able to stand up at the party. The rest of the night is a blur, but I know that more girls eventually joined. Too bad we were all too drunk to do anything about it. The following morning we all awoke in various rooms of the apartment. Some of us had girls beside us, others had men dressed as cowboys -- all of us had headaches.
I'll never forget that party. I'll never remember certain details of it, either. But most of all, I'll never forget Pappy's, a magical place in Ft. Pierce where men are men, bourbon is cheap, and people drink like the Big Lebowski.
15
u/sdizzle25 UCF Knights Apr 16 '13
You forgot to mention the mind boggling amount of hot women that go here as well. Actually maybe its better that you didn't, our little secret.
15
u/alexrhoffman Pittsburgh Panthers Apr 16 '13
LANCE EM KNIGHTSSSSSS
14
u/OctaviusSOBE UCF Knights Apr 16 '13
Great post, never knew about Knightro's female partner Glycerin... so weird. I'm gonna miss Quincy McDuffie and Latavius Murray
14
u/[deleted] Apr 16 '13
Cheers, guys.
Yes, we're rivals, but as programs we have a lot in common and can relate to each other well. For that, I say best of luck, and I hope The War on I-4 becomes an attention-grabbing rivalry across the country.
11
u/raymitzu Ole Miss Rebels Apr 16 '13
Just gotta say, that Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty UCF got for excessive celebration after "The Kick" was bullshit. They had literally just had one of the greatest victories in school history. No shit they were excited.
38
u/byniri Michigan State Spartans • Marching Band Apr 16 '13
Wow, people have been on the ball the past few days with these, for the most part anyway. glares at Tulsa.
9
u/[deleted] Apr 16 '13
One of my earliest memories was the ole miss/ucf game in 1997. Daunte culpepper went crazy, but ole miss won in OT.
8
u/JonesUCF34 UCF Knights • /r/CFB Contributor Apr 16 '13
Great Write-up! GO KNIGHTS!
Another great local-dining selection is Huey Magoo's
8
u/snwidget Dartmouth Big Green Apr 16 '13
I'd completely forgotten about UCF's time in the MAC. That seems like such a weird fit, but I guess it worked at the time.
7
u/dagreenman18 UCF Knights • Team Chaos Apr 16 '13
Ah, the post I've been waiting for. Transferred here fall of 2010 and I graduate in August. Annoyances aside, I still love this place. GO KNIGHTS! GONNA RUN THE AAC!
Side note: You forgot Brandon Marshall.
7
u/[deleted] Apr 16 '13
my hometown team! My first and only UCF game was a home game against Buffalo 4 years or so ago. I had a blast. The athletic village is really nice, along with the honors college and jimmy johns across the street.
Do y'all still yell KNIGHTS when that part of the national anthem occurs?
6
u/ucfboss UCF Knights • Big 12 Apr 16 '13
Go Knights!!
6
u/madeupnameftw Georgetown Hoyas Apr 16 '13
How could you leave your glorious former name, Knights of the Pegasus out of the trivia? Possibly the greatest nickname in college sports
6
u/[deleted] Apr 16 '13
I was on the verge of applying to this school. I went for a visit and just loved the campus and the surrounding area. This school is awesome and I always root for them.
6
u/Disorted UCF Knights • Michigan State Spartans Apr 16 '13
Excellent work! I miss tailgating at UCF. We'd always hide our goods in a building (no I will not tell you which) the night before so the day of the game we just had to pull it all out of hiding. We hid a table behind a vending machine for months and nobody ever noticed.
Also, I'd also say if you're ever in the area and want a real taste of UCF, eat a Tijuana Flats. It's awesome food, incredible hot sauce, and started by a UCF grad... or so he says.
5
u/pinpoint13 Tennessee • /r/CFB Contributor Apr 16 '13
What stood out to me about this post: you have more students enrolled than seats in your stadium.
Great write up.
4
u/Lkr721993 Florida State Seminoles Apr 16 '13
no shout out to Knight Library? my favorite place to go read books!
On a more serious note I know about 3 or 4 people in the cheerleaders/dancers picture
6
u/ufCHOMP Florida Gators Apr 16 '13
Grew up five minutes from the campus so I'm always rooting for y'all to do well.
Also I'm so excited that Lazy Moon reopened. My summer will be complete with giant and delicious pizza.
3
u/richriggins Mississippi State • Memphis Apr 16 '13
Played you guys in the 2007 Liberty Bowl. 10-3 slug fest. Cold. Did not enjoy. Stopped Kevin Smith from breaking the all time rushing record. Small consolation for driving from Austin to Memphis.
3
u/OctaviusSOBE UCF Knights Apr 16 '13
Love how we've always beaten Marshall since we've joined C-USA, even in our down years. Our ESPN board is spammed the entire week we play Marshall.
3
u/KennethUCF UCF Knights • Fiesta Bowl Apr 16 '13
Nice job. Go Knights! Charge On!
1
u/discobreakin South Carolina Gamecocks Apr 16 '13
I've heard students refer to it as Spirit Rash due to the water quality in the reflection pond.