BIGGEST MOMENTS IN UCF ATHLETICS HISTORY 2

KNIGHTS CAPTURE PERFECTION IN THE PEACH BOWL

Where: Atlanta

When: Jan. 1, 2018

The Moment: UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton threw for 242 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns and added a score on the ground as he earned offensive MVP. In the best game of his career, linebacker Shaquem Griffin totaled a career-high 12 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss while adding 1.5 sacks as he earned the bowl’s defensive MVP. The Knights trailed by a touchdown in the third quarter but scored 21 unanswered points to lead down the stretch. Auburn scored late to make it a one-possession game but the Knights were too much on both sides in the fourth quarter to win 34-27. Despite his impending departure for Nebraska, Scott Frost guided UCF to its second New Year’s Six bowl win and the program’s first undefeated season.

WhyIt’sOnThisList: IfUCFprovedthatitbelongedinamajor conference when it beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl four years earlier, the Knights showed that they could be a legitimate national championship contender when they went undefeated in 2017. Only four college football teams have gone undefeated since then: Clemson (’18), LSU (’19), Alabama (’20) and Georgia (’22). While UCF’s claim to a national championship still remains a controversial topic among college football fans on social media, the Knights’ undefeated season only strengthened the argument for expanding the College Football Playoff. Five years later, the CFP announced it would grow to 12 teams starting in the 2024-25 season. Regardless of what the future holds for UCF, the 2017 season will never be forgotten and it’s a big reason the Knights are a Big 12 member.