ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 12/13 UCF football team finished the 2017 season undefeated after defeating No. 19/22 USF 49-42 in front of a sellout crowd at Spectrum Stadium Friday afternoon. The Knights will play No. 16/17 Memphis next Saturday in The American Championship.
Here's Why We Won
Magic Mike's kick return to the house
It was tied 42-42 with 1:28 left to play in the game. A million different things could have happened at that point. We were ready for a two-minute drill. They were hoping for a stop and a score. None of that mattered.
In a game that saw USF kick off seven times, UCF return man Mike Hughes was only able to return two. His first was following the Bulls first score of the game. He took it back 30 yards to give us a solid start on our first drive of the game, which ended up in the end zone.
His second was the game-winner. Hughes, who also returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Austin Peay, brought this one back from the five-yard line. After finding a seem and running 95 yards for the score, Hughes put us up 49-42 with just a minute and a half to play.
"He's been a difference maker on our football team all year, he's been a good teammate, and we're happy he's here." – Scott Frost
The Defense came up with nine tackles-for-loss and three sacks
Against the explosive USF offense, our defensive pressure stepped up to the task when needed. We finished with nine tackles-for-loss and three sacks, both of which were the second most on the season.
Chequan Burkett and Jamiyus Pittman each recorded solo sacks, while Shaquem Griffin and Chequan Burkett teamed up for one sack of quarterback Quinton Flowers.
We had eight different guys involved in tackles-for-loss on the afternoon.
We also had timely turnovers
In the final minute of the first half, it was again Hughes who stepped up. He recorded his fourth interception of the season when he picked off Flowers with just 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
After Hughes returned his kick to put us out in front, USF had one last chance to tie the game. On 3rd-and-9, Flowers completed a pass to Mitch Wilcox, who turned down field looking for yardage. That's when Richie Grant found his way to the ball and knocked it loose. Burkett jumped on it and the rest was history.
Time and time again, we responded
- After they scored the first touchdown of the game, we responded with 21 straight points.
- When they took the lead late in the third quarter, we responded with back-to-back touchdowns to regain the advantage.
- And following a two-point conversion to tie the game in the final few minutes, we responded with a kick return for a touchdown to win the game.
And most importantly, YOU. We won because Knight Nation was behind us every step of the way.
"Man the crowd was unbelievable. The crowd when we showed up to the stadium was unbelievable. The leadership at this university is unbelievable. The students have been supportive. This community is unbelievable. This place is really special, and I saw a glimpse tonight of what it can be." – Scott Frost
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