ORLANDO, Fla. — When we last saw UCF, the Knights whooped and hollered and celebrated a victory over Florida that was years in the making, one they will probably lord over the Gators forevermore.
Case in point: The highlights from said game, a 29-17 win in the Gasparilla Bowl in December, were playing inside the Bounce House before the UCF spring game last month. Without question that victory gave UCF a boost in numerous ways — on the recruiting trail, with its fan base and maybe most importantly for the program as a whole as it prepares to head into the Big 12.
Year 1 under coach Gus Malzahn was not exactly seamless. In fact, it was among the most challenging Malzahn had ever faced. On the field, starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel was lost for the season in Week 3, one of many key injuries across the roster, including one to Malzahn himself.
Malzahn coached the final three games of the regular season from an elevated platform above the sideline after he broke his leg in early November when a player ran into him while celebrating a big play against Tulane. Malzahn finished coaching the game, not knowing he had a broken leg.
Mixed in among the injuries, wins and losses, UCF announced it was leaving the American Athletic Conference to join the Big 12, then watched as fellow conference member Cincinnati became the first Group of 5 program to make the College Football Playoff, something UCF lobbied hard for following its own undefeated seasons in 2017 and 2018.
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UCF finished the 2021 regular season 8-4, and it felt the ground the program had gained as the preeminent Group of 5 team had been ceded to the Bearcats, who will be joining the Knights in the Big 12. UCF has not appeared in the American conference championship game since 2018.
So it makes sense why the bowl win, and finishing with nine wins in a season filled with so many ups and downs, was especially meaningful as a springboard not only into 2022 but into its long-term future.
“It was big in a lot of…
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