In the parlance of first-year UCF football coach Gus Malzahn, describing anything as "real" qualifies as a supreme compliment.
So, in that vein, the Knights' epic 36-31 comebacker versus Boise State late Thursday night (and early Friday) at the Bounce House qualified on multiple fronts:
--Malzahn's group faced a real opponent in the Broncos, who looked every bit the part in building leads of 21-0 and 24-7.
--UCF required all sorts of real performances by the likes of gritty Dillon Gabriel, upstart running back Isaiah Bowser and others—capped by a game-saving interception by reserve safety Dyllon Lester as Boise State threatened to regain the lead one more time a minute before the bell tolled.
--All that came after a real set of weather events that pushed kickoff almost three hours later than listed.
As the clock edged toward 2:30 a.m., the end result left Malzahn exhausted, sitting on a chair in the anteroom of the Knights' locker area, rehashing the events of the day with his wife Kristi.
There was plenty to rehash.
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"Play your guts out," Malzahn told his team before it started as he stood on a stool with a hint of a grin on his face.
"I'll tell you this, I know we're prepared. So you should be confident. Let's get after these guys.
"Remember when the adversity comes, go ahead and buck up. We're gonna handle it like champions all night.
"Let's get ready to roll."
"It's gonna be one to watch, Dog," offered UCF safety Divaad Wilson to no one in particular.
If the emotional and physical highs and lows of the real weather delay (multiple lightning episodes and plenty of rain) hadn't thrown his team off-kilter, the Knights' opponent did.
Naturally, it began in bizarre fashion.
UCF's first possession looked mostly familiar to Knight fans, mainly because it involved Gabriel taking his team 62 yards to first and goal at the Boise State eight. Gabriel's next throw to an open Brandon Johnson in the end zone slipped out of his hand, Tyric LeBeauf intercepted (his first of two) just inside the end zone and ran it back 100 yards via a convoy of Boise blockers.
That temporarily quieted the jazzed-up Bounce House crowd that had been waiting for a full-blown (real) football experience since 2019.
The visitors weren't done. With Bronco quarterback Hank Bachmeier executing the short passing game with precision, Boise State marched 78 yards in 10 plays and then 73 more in 12. Bachmeier's first nine completions went to nine different teammates.
UCF trailed 21-0 barely two minutes into the second period after Bachmeier connected on 11 of his first 15 throws.
Cue Bowser who bulled his way for 30 yards, followed by a Gabriel scramble for 22 more and then a first career completion to backup tight end Alec Holler for 23 yards and a UCF score. In a 1:27 drive, the home team showed some (real) spunk.
Boise State rebounded with a field goal to make it 24-7—before Gabriel played architect of one of his patented late drives. This one in that last minute and a half featured consecutive completions of 31 yards to Ryan O'Keefe and 28 to Jaylon Robinson. On third and two, Gabriel found true freshman and fellow Hawaiian Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for the final eight yards.
All the sudden a 10-point halftime margin seemed a real manageable deficit. And the atmosphere in the stadium after the Knights' second touchdown might have suggested the home team actually led by 10.
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"We've got to get all 11 to the ball," Wilson challenged his defensive teammates to start the break. "We gotta tighten up. We got two more quarters. What are we gonna do?"
Defensive coordinator Travis Williams exhorted his team to tackle better: "Let's just make the tackles we're supposed to make. We've got to continue stopping the run (47 Boise State running yards in the first two periods). Keep clawing away and just make the plays we're supposed to make."
Malzahn liked the momentum his team seized to end the first half.
"We overcame the storm," he pronounced.
Added Gabriel, "We're gonna win this game, but you gotta believe."
The second half began exactly the way Malzahn had hoped—with the Knights driving 84 yards for a Brandon Johnson touchdown reception that made it a three-point game. With Bowser pounding away at the line of scrimmage and Gabriel finding his form, UCF finished the third period with a 78-yard drive that put the home team ahead for the first time with less than a minute remaining in period three. That capped off a third quarter in which UCF outgained Boise State 181 to minus-seven (as the Knights held the ball for more than 11 minutes that period, running 24 plays to eight for the Broncos).
A safety (the Broncos snapped the ball over their punter's head and out of the end zone) pushed the lead to six points. But Boise State wasn't done. Gabriel threw a second interception deep in his own end, and the Broncos needed two plays to grab the lead back at 31-30 with eight minutes to go.
With Bowser banging away on his way to a career-best 172 rushing yards on 33 attempts (49 yards in the final period alone) and Gabriel converting a big third-and-seven call with a 13-yard pass to Robinson, the 75-yard game-winning drive ended appropriately on a Bowser rush from eight yards out on third and goal.
Two minutes later Lester effectively ended it with his first career interception in the shadow of his own goal line after Bachmeier had led his team to the UCF 35.
Williams' defense allowed 64 net yards and four first downs after halftime.
UCF finished with an amazing 255-20 advantage in rushing yards—as the Knights more than doubled Boise State's total offense figure.
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Malzahn was as worn out as anyone once it ended. But it didn't stop him from smiling in the locker room when athletics director Terry Mohajir joined him on top of one of the trainers' coolers to present him the game ball.
"I've coached football for 31 years," Malzahn told his players.
"I don't think I've ever had a team that dealt with adversity like you did.
"The champion came out in you. We could not be more proud of you—we're so blessed to be coaching you guys.
"Enjoy this thing."
And with that, Malzahn ordered the music turned up louder.
That's the way you roll when your team matches the largest comeback in UCF history—when you surpass any comeback from your eight seasons at Auburn.
It had been a real football game in Malzahn's much-ballyhooed debut in Orlando.
And, finally, Waffle House here we come. For at least this one night, this one merited a real celebration.
