ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Less than one week ago, the announcement was made – College GameDay was coming to UCF.
Despite chilly temperatures Friday night into Saturday morning, Memory Mall was decked out in Black and Gold. Setting up camp as early as 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, fans of all ages, from across the country, showed up to show just how deep the pride of Knight Nation runs.
As soon as the ESPN alert came in that UCF was hosting, 10-year-old Fin Armendariz immediately asked his dad Nicholas if they could go. Around 4 a.m. on Saturday, the two made the short trip in from Oviedo to stake out their spot in the crowd.
“I was super excited,” Fin said. “UCF is super good, and we’ve been waiting for this a long time.”
Jim McConaughy was checking his phone profusely last Sunday as he and Ashley Huebner were walking around Arlington, Va. The UCF alums quickly made plans with their fellow former Marching Knights to earn their spot on Memory Mall.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience, so we had to come,” Huebner said.
Between Blake Blahut, Ali Holliday, McConaughy and Huebner, the group had solidified their position in line by 9 p.m. on Friday night. Pretty soon, they adopted a “line buddy,” in UCF senior Patrick Healy.
All five remembered the 2015 campaign that saw the Knights go 0-12. Less than three seasons later, UCF is riding a 22-game win streak and College GameDay is on campus.
“This is huge for our university. Being an alum, still being in the Orlando area, being a season ticket holder – I’m very thankful I don’t work this weekend,” Holliday said.
A College GameDay staple, the crowd was littered with signs – even a “life-size” Tacko Fall was present.
For Tyler Quidort and Ethan Graham, attending College GameDay wasn’t a question. And they were definitely going to have a sign in the throng.
Between shopping for supplies, assembling the frame and painting, the duo estimates it took between five and six hours to finish their 4-foot by 8-foot sign.
“We knew everyone else was going to have 3x5 signs, pretty much, so we decided if we were going to do it, we’d do it a little bigger,” Quidort said.
At 9 a.m., flags were waving and cheers were deafening. For the first time – and hopefully not the last – College GameDay was live on the campus of UCF.
“It’s honestly something I’ve been waiting for ever since I started attending here,” McConaughy said. “I would like nothing more than to see Lee Corso put a knighthead on today.”
Not only did Corso put on the knighthead, he went all-out in his pick of the Knights - coming out on stage in the full Knightro outfit.