1998 UCF Golden Knights football team
| 1998 UCF Golden Knights football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Independent |
| 1998 record | 9–2 |
| Head coach | Mike Kruczek (1st year) |
| Home stadium |
Citrus Bowl (Capacity: 65,438) |
| 1998 Division I-A independents football records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | – | 9 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #22 Notre Dame | – | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | – | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northeast Louisiana | – | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB | – | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | – | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | – | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | – | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1998 UCF Golden Knights football season was Mike Kruczek's first as the head coach of the Golden Knights. Kruczek led UCF to its best season ever with a 9–2 record in 1998. Daunte Culpepper finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting and set the NCAA record for completion percentage that year (73.4%).
UCF started out with a bang, routing Louisiana Tech and Eastern Illinois. Daunte Culpepper accounted for seven touchdowns against Eastern Illinois, earning him the USA Today Player of the Week honors.[1] At 2-0, the Golden Knights faced Purdue On September 19. It was UCF's first game nationally-televised on ESPN. The Golden Knights faltered, however, and lost 35-7.[2] Twice the Golden Knights were deep inside the red zone, but a pick-six interception and a turnover on downs were the results.
On November 7 at Auburn, the team experienced one of the most heartbreaking losses in school history.[3] UCF entered with a record of 7-1, and hoped for a huge upset, working towards a possible at-large bowl bid. The Knights led 6-3 late in the game when inside the red zone, quarterback Daunte Culpepper fumbled away a bad shotgun snap. Auburn recovered, and quickly drove down the field. With one minute left, Auburn scored a go-ahead 58-yard touchdown pass. Karsten Bailey eluded a tackle at midfield, and managed a tightrope run down the sidelines for the game-winning score.
Following the disappointment at Auburn, UCF returned home to rout Ball State and New Mexico and finished with an impressive 9–2 record. UCF received a tentative verbal agreement to play in the Oahu Bowl. However, the arrangement fell through in the final week of the season, when Miami upset undefeated UCLA, dashing UCF's hopes for its first bowl appearance.[4]
Following the season, Culpepper was drafted with the 11th pick in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, marking the highest ever draft pick of a UCF player.[5]
Schedule and results
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 7:00 PM | at Louisiana Tech* | Joe Aillet Stadium • Rustin, LA | SUN | W 64–30 | 23,677 | ||
| September 12 | 6:00 PM | Eastern Illinois* | Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL | W 48–0 | 35,219 | |||
| September 19 | 12:00 PM | at Purdue* | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPN | L 7–35 | 53,469 | ||
| September 26 | 12:00 PM | at Bowling Green* | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | SUN | W 38–31 | 15,824 | ||
| October 3 | 7:00 PM | at Toledo* | Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH | SUN | W 31–24 | 20,008 | ||
| October 10 | 6:00 PM | Northern Illinois* | Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL | W 38–7 | 30,415 | |||
| October 24 | 8:00 PM | at Southwestern Louisiana* | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | SUN | W 42–10 | 10,124 | ||
| October 31 | 6:00 PM | Youngstown State* | Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL | W 44–32 | 21,251 | |||
| November 7 | 2:00 PM | at Auburn* | Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL | SUN | L 6–10 | 80,743 | ||
| November 14 | 4:00 PM | Ball State* | Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL | W 37–14 | 31,412 | |||
| November 21 | 1:00 PM | New Mexico* | Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL | W 38–6 | 19,025 | |||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
See also
- UCF Knights
- UCF Knights football
- List of UCF Knights football seasons
- List of University of Central Florida alumni
- List of UCF Knights head football coaches
Footnotes
References
- ↑ 2006 UCF Media Guide
- ↑ UCF Blows It_ Big-time
- ↑ Greene, Jerry (November 8, 1998). "Big Time Eludes UCF On Auburn's Big Play". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ↑ "UCF Football Flashback - Going on Krucz Control: Part 7 of 8 - The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. August 8, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Daunte's World... Orlando's Biggest Attraction: Part 6 of 8 - The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 26, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
External links
- College Football Data Warehouse, UCF Yearly Results: 1995–1999. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
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