Packed in black and gold
Chasing perfection, Knights hope fans rule stands at USF
UCF is hoping to turn USF’s home stadium Black and Gold on Black Friday.
UCF players and coaches hope Knights fans take over Tampa during the annual War on I-4 rivalry showdown with South Florida, filling the majority of seats in Raymond James Stadium.
“We want to see that place packed in black and gold,” UCF coach Josh Heupel said.
USF athletics director Michael Kelly told the Tampa Bay Times more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the game, giving the school its best home crowd since 2016. More tickets were up for grab earlier this week, with the school and a local Dunkin’ Donuts giving away free tickets to fans who flash the Bulls’ horns-up sign.
“Our fans always travel well,” UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton said. “They’re just going right down the road in Tampa, so I definitely expect there to be a big crowd.”
When asked what it would mean to see UCF well represented in the crowd, Milton added, “That’d be awesome. I think during my freshman year, the crowd was like 50-50. Like I said, they always travel well no matter where we’re going, and you know I expect nothing less this game.”
No. 9 UCF (10-0, 7-0 AAC) took home the East Division crown this past Saturday with its win over Cincinnati, and the Knights are set to host the American Athletic Conference championship game next Saturday at Spectrum Stadium.
The Knights can clinch back-to-back perfect regular-season records with a win over the rival Bulls, extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 24 games.
USF (7-4, 3-4 AAC) is wrapping up a somewhat disappointing season after being projected to finish second in the AAC East. The Bulls enter the game riding a four-game losing streak.
But despite the USF skid that has coincided with UCF’s surge, the Knights aren’t taking this game lightly.
“We’re going to get their best — obviously that’s what we expect every week,” UCF senior offensive lineman Wyatt Miller said. “… We have that target on our back, but like I said last week, they’re going to get our best, too.
“It doesn’t matter what they bring out on the field, every team we play is going to get our best. There’s going to be a lot of energy out there, obviously, because it’s a rivalry game and I think guys are going to be fired up to play.”
Milton agreed
USF rivalry game
“It definitely means a lot more,” he said. “It’s kind of a clean slate and the rest of the year doesn’t matter.”
USF players and coaches don’t have to look very far for motivation.
Just throw in the tape from last year’s game, during which the Bulls were up 34-28 after three quarters before falling behind 42-34 with less than two minutes left to play. Quarterback Quinton Flowers found receiver Darnell Salomon for an 83-yard touchdown and then USF added a pass for the two-point conversion.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Mike Hughes returned the ball 95 yards for the game-winning score with 1:28 left in the contest.
While a conference championship is out of the question, USF players still have a lot of the line when they face UCF.
“This game means everything. For our whole team, our seniors, we want to go out with a bang and just leave a legacy behind,” USF cornerback Mazzi Wilkins told the Tampa Bay Times. that the is different.