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1998 UCF Golden Knights football team

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{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]]
1998 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
UCF   –     9 – 2  
No. 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 to that point[5] until Blake Bortles would break it in 2014 as the 3rd pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Schedule

The Citrus Bowl, the Knights home field.
September 57:00 PMat Louisiana Tech*
SUNW 64–3023,677 September 126:00 PMEastern Illinois*
W 48–035,219 September 1912:00 PMat Purdue*
ESPNL 7–3553,469 September 2612:00 PMat Bowling Green*
SUNW 38–3115,824 October 37:00 PMat Toledo*
SUNW 31–2420,008 October 106:00 PMNorthern Illinois*
  • Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 38–730,415 October 248:00 PMat Southwestern Louisiana*
SUNW 42–1010,124 October 316:00 PMYoungstown State*
  • Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 44–3221,251 November 72:00 PMat Auburn*
SUNL 6–1080,743 November 144:00 PMBall State*
  • Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 37–1431,412 November 211:00 PMNew Mexico*
  • Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 38–619,025

Template:CFB Schedule End

See also

Footnotes

References

  1. ^ 2006 UCF Media Guide
  2. ^ UCF Blows It_ Big-time
  3. ^ Greene, Jerry (November 8, 1998). "Big Time Eludes UCF On Auburn's Big Play". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "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.
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