A year of high hopes and expectations came to a crashing end Saturday night against East Carolina in yet another close loss that has defined the UCF Football team’s season.
The Knights knotted up the score at 31 a piece with 3:49 left in the game and seem poised to make a comeback, however a 56-yard touchdown dash by ECU’s Torrance Hunt gave the Pirates the game-winning score and ultimately knocked UCF out of bowl contention.
That’s been the type of season UCF has had.
After a historic year for the football team last season, the Knights were the unquestioned favorite to repeat as Conference-USA champions and be a potential BCS buster. However, a season full of costly mistakes finally took its toll Saturday night, leaving UCF without the chance to defend their conference crown and even more shockingly, no postseason appearance.
While the Knights being an undefeated BCS-buster team might have been a stretch, no one expected the team to miss a bowl game and finish with a losing record.
“I never thought I’d be in this position,” sophomore quarterback Jeff Godfrey said a few weeks ago after UCF’s loss to Tulsa. “We came out strong, and when we lost that first game on the road, I feel like we just thought our season was down the drain.”
While the Knights failed season is a surprise, there are plenty of explanations for it.
First of all, UCF made numerous errors throughout the season at critical parts of games that hurt them. From Godfrey’s fumble in the UCF red zone against FIU to JJ Worton’s muffed punt at BYU to a game-winning field goal by UAB, the Knights have suffered tons of heartbreak this year.
Even more frustrating is the fact that the Knights were in every ball game this season besides the blowout loss to SMU. Discounting the 38-17 loss to the Mustangs, UCF has lost by an average margin of 5.2 points per game meaning that the Knights have lost by a touchdown score or less in every defeat.
If it weren’t for ridiculous mistakes, the Knights could very easily be 10-1 right now.
UCF has dominated time of possession all year long and has had second half leads in four of its seven losses. It’s really come down to late-game mistakes and a lack of execution in crunch time that has doomed the Knights season.
In addition, UCF couldn’t crack the code away from Bright House Networks Stadium, finishing 0-6 on the road after going 5-1 in away games last season.
Finally, a lack of making plays also really hurt UCF this season. There were countless times when the Knights had the ball in their opponents red zone, and either failed to score or settled for a field goal. On the defensive side of the ball, UCF would prevent teams from generating any yards on first and second down, and then would miss a tackle or give up a huge play on third down that would kill the momentum and keep the defense on the field.
Now, the Knights will end their season with a home contest against UTEP Friday night and have the opportunity to finish at a 5-7 mark.
Needless to say, UCF’s 2011 campaign will be characterized by disappointment and missed opportunities. No one expected a season that would finish without a bowl game, not to mention a season that could finish with a mere four victories.
The good news is the Knights have a lot of returning talent next year and can hopefully return to their 2010 form and prove this season was just a fluke.
UCF hosts UTEP at 7 p.m. Friday in the season finale.
