Started from the bottom now we’re here.
UCF pulled a major Drake move with its football program these last three years, and it made me pretty emotional. Before I even got into UCF I was obsessed with everything about this school especially the spirit we have and I remember sitting watching a UCF game on my TV dreaming of when I would be able to watch us win in the “bounce house.” Well flash forward to my Freshman year in Fall of 2015 and we did not win one. single. game. I was in shock! The longer this went on it became a huge joke where the local bar was giving out free beer until we won a game, and everyone kept calling us the “defeated team.” Personally I did not take this very well and didn’t like everyone seeing our school and football program as a joke, so I carried on and went to every single game that I could.
(Me at my first game with my freshman roommate, us not even understanding where the student section is)
The following year and my second year of college, it started to look like it would be the same deal as last year and everyone (including myself) lost interest in staying for the entire game or heck, even going at all. I just decided to accept that my school is perfect in every single way except for football. We only won one game that year, and I could not even tell you if I was there or who it was against.
(My second year roommate and I doing what everyone else seemed to do: tailgating and then skipping the game. #shame)
Over the summer of 2017 I started to get pretty hyped about football again. Everyone was talking about how great this season is going to be, and how amazing Scott Frost is. Because I knew I was going into my final year here, I made a promise to myself that I would go to every single game I could, and that this year we would pull through (and maybe win more than one game). I had no idea what was coming. This year, the UCF Knights football team is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Going to every game, it looked like it would never stop and it didn’t. We were winning every single game!
Up next was the War on I-4, we were playing USF, and everyone knew this would be a pretty good game and somewhat of a fight compared to our previous blowouts. That morning I got up and headed to tailgate like normal, and then went to the game. If I had any way to describe my emotional state during that game, it would only be “a mess.” There was moments of cheer, moments of doubt, and I remember after USF’s 2-pt conversion I decided “nope I don’t want to order a class ring, I am throwing away my shirts, we can’t end like this.” I was prepared to cry the whole car ride back. And the next thing I see is a kick return, putting our win in the bag. All I remember is sitting up so fast, I screamed so loud my voice stopped making noises, and then I just burst into tears. I hugged my Mom, Dad and everyone around us because this meant we had won, and the UCF Knights are UNDEFEATED.
(photo above is my extremely excited/I have been crying don’t take my picture face at the War on I-4)
I couldn’t be more proud of my school, and more proud to be a Knight. From my Freshman year being completely defeated, to going undefeated my Senior year. What a way to go out with a bang. Now to see just how much further our Knights can go. #ChargeOn