November 23, 2018. The Knights charged into Raymond James Stadium ready to take on the Bulls. Everyone knows the rivalry that runs deep, and if you didn’t think it ran deep enough, think again after yesterday’s game.
I was sitting in my living room watching the game, UCF in the lead 7-0 during the first quarter. The game was playing out how most fans anticipated it to, but then…McKenzie Milton was down on the field during the second quarter. Knight Nation was at a complete standstill. I remembered reaching for my phone and instantly calling my friends who were all at the game. ESPN had gone to a commercial break and the last thing I saw was Milton on the ground. Behind my friends’ voices, I could hear the crowd shouting “MILTON” and “U-C-F” nonstop. I couldn’t even hear USF fans when watching the game or through the phone call. It’s safe to say that the Knights invaded Raymond James and made it our house for the evening. Every fan stood in solidarity and you felt the unity among all of Knight Nation. What does this prove about UCF fans?
Knight Nation is one of the most spirited and unified fan bases! Don’t believe it? Well, here’s why:
1. UCF vs Cincinnati
Throwback to College GameDay and our win over the Cincinnati Bearcats! This game was completely sold out and Spectrum Stadium was filled with approximately 47,795 people! The bounce house came alive and being there felt like jumping on a trampoline, especially during Zombie Nation! I’ve never been so overwhelmed with emotion during a football game until that one. You could feel the unity among everyone as we made history with having our first College GameDay. We showed up, we showed love and we cheered our team on during one of the most important games of the season.
2. UCF fans infiltrated Raymond James Stadium, overpowering Bulls fans
When they said the Knights were taking over Tampa, they meant it! There have been jokes surfacing about UCF not only being Orlando’s hometown team but also Tampa’s hometown team. The main reasoning behind this probably has to do with the fact that the Knights raided Raymond James and made up a good portion of the crowd. I can tell you that listening from my living room, I could hear the UCF fans cheering so loudly (and I could even hear our band)! This shows that Knights will travel and fill up other stadiums for their team and to show others why we are one of the best teams!
3. When McKenzie was down, we all rose up
All of our hearts stopped as we saw our QB down on the field. We knew it did not look good and from what my friends told me, “That leg did not look straight.” Both teams out on the field rushed to his side and took a knee for him. The stadium was filled with absolutely shocked Knights fans, some with tears in their eyes. Milton was carted off the field and would later be in the hospital. While all of this was taking place, Knight Nation rose up. We got even louder to make sure our team could hear us. We ended the game 38-10 and finished with back-to-back undefeated regular seasons!
Now we’re moving into our championship game December 1 against Memphis. It’s clear that the support Knight Nation has projected continues to reach new heights. This upcoming game, Knights fans are spreading the word to wear leis in honor of McKenzie. I guarantee you that the stadium will be packed with fans wearing leis for him! There’s a lot of dedication within our fan base…from making the bounce house really come alive to taking over Tampa and now sending positivity and support to KZ.
It’s time to come out and cheer on our team against Memphis!
Wear your leis and show your support because…
We are uknighted.