1984 UCF Knights football team
The 1984 UCF Knights football season was the sixth season for the team. It was Lou Saban's second and final season as the head coach of the Knights. After a disappointing 1–6 start to the season, Saban stepped away from the program, and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry "Red" Anderson. The Knights finished the year with a 2–9 overall record,[1] facing a schedule entirely made up of Division I-AA opponents. The program had actually petitioned the NCAA to move the football program up to I-AA for 1984, but the move was delayed, in part due to costs and incurred debt. The move would not happen until 1990.
| 1984 UCF Knights football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 5–6 |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Florida Citrus Bowl |
| 1984 NCAA Division II independents football records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–3 Central State (OH) ^ | – | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Towson State ^ | – | 9 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Michigan | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven | – | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American International | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Springfield (MA) | – | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | – | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Knights competed as an NCAA Division II Independent. The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando.
In their October 20 game against Illinois State, the Knights fell behind 21–0 in the first quarter. UCF rallied for a 28–24 victory, their largest comeback win in school history. As of 2021, it is still tied for the program's best comeback win.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | Bethune–Cookman (I-AA) | L 22–43 | 7,421 | ||
| September 8 | at Northeast Louisiana (I-AA) | L 21–49 | 19,329 | [3] | |
| September 15 | Georgia Southern (I-AA) |
| L 28–42 | 7,124 | |
| September 22 | at Western Kentucky (I-AA) | W 35–34 | 8,500 | ||
| September 29 | at Southwest Texas State (I-AA) | L 13–39 | 10,337 | [4] | |
| October 6 | Akron (I-AA) |
| L 21–26 | 6,814 | |
| October 13 | at Eastern Kentucky (I-AA) | L 14–37 | 18,300 | ||
| October 20 | Illinois State (I-AA) |
| W 28–24 | 11,648 | |
| October 27 | Austin Peay State (I-AA) |
| L 21–24 | 12,225 | |
| November 3 | at Indiana State (I-AA) | L 0–38 | 8,367 | ||
| November 10 | at Furman (I-AA) | L 6–42 | 10,162 | [5] |
References
- "The Knights Move Up to D-II: Part 3 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. 2007-06-29. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
- "Knights 28, Redbirds 24". The Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 1984. p. 39. Retrieved September 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Northeast rockets past Floridians". The Shreveport Times. September 9, 1984. p. 2D. Retrieved January 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Knights overwhelmed by Southwest Texas' option game, 39–13". The Orlando Sentinel. September 30, 1984. Retrieved March 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Furman dominates outmanned UCF, 42–6". The Orlando Sentinel. November 11, 1984. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.