NEWPORT, R.I. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF senior right tackle Aaron Evans called his shot before ever leaving Orlando.
Monday's events at American Athletic Conference Media Days are highlighted by the evening's traditional New England clambake, which includes as many lobsters as one can consume. Evans, at roughly 6 a.m. back on the campus of UCF, was informed that the record for lobsters eaten at the AAC Clambake was eight.
Lobster Fest 2017!
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It's going down tonight! ?? pic.twitter.com/dvcW2wxbqp
He immediately made his intentions clear. He was going to break the record. Of course, he had competition from a teammate. Senior defensive lineman Jamiyus Pittman, who often engages in friendly competition, rivalry and one-upsmanship with Evans, also declared his intention to break the record.
When all the claws were broken and tails ripped off, Pittman would have put his name in the record book. If it wasn't for Evans. Pittman put down eight lobsters, which would have tied the record.
But Evans was the clear victor in his battle with Pittman and also the new clambake lobster-eating champion. He became the first in the history of the event, which dates back to the Big East, to reach double digits. Evans stopped at 10 lobsters. He claimed he could have had 11, but he wanted to punctuate his victory with a heaping helping of celebratory peach and blueberry cobbler.
?? drop. pic.twitter.com/ti0JzTeZEY
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"I'm about to finish lobster 10," Evans said in between bites. "I'm going to go for lobster 11 just to prove a point. And then I'm going to have some peach cobbler…just for fun."
Evans wasn't alone in his lobster-eating domination. As a group the UCF contingent -- Evans, Pittman, Jordan Akins, Shaquem Griffin and head coach Scott Frost -- put away 35 lobsters. That's more than 10 percent of the 340 lobsters ordered for the entire event.
Even American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco was impressed. "We had about 350 lobsters. You guys ate 10 percent of them," Aresco said with a laugh. "That's great!"
Evans, who says he is trying to maintain his current weight of 319 pounds as he heads into fall camp, estimates he eats about "five or six thousand calories a day."
By no means did Evans starve himself all day in preparation for his record-breaking crustacean consumption. Evans ate two breakfasts, the first consisting of two fast food breakfast sandwiches and hash browns. After laying out his lofty lobster goals, he added an order of French toast and more hash browns at the airport before leaving Orlando. Upon arrival in Rhode Island, he downed a burger made famous by Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives along with a solid side of fries. For an afternoon snack, he managed to ingest a pair of cookies from the players' lounge at the resort.
If you're scoring at home, that's roughly 6,500 calories Monday.
American Athletic Conference Media Days wraps up Tuesday. Evans and his teammates open the day with breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
The American Digital Network will have live coverage of Tuesday morning's events, featuring interviews with both Frost and Griffin. Tuesday's live shows will be available via The American's Facebook and YouTube pages.
Knights fans can keep up with all the action by following UCF Football on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
RISE AND CONQUER
The second season of UCF Football under head coach Scott Frost is just around the corner. Fans can explore all of the new ticket options at Spectrum Stadium by visiting WeRiseandConquer.com or calling (407) 823-1000.
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