Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
AN EMOTIONAL END TO STREAK
UCF rally falls short, LSU snaps Knights’ 25-game win streak
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Mac Loudermilk didn’t want it to end. Neither did Joey Connors or Pat Jasinski.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock at State Farm Stadium, many of the seniors on the UCF football team didn’t want this magical ride they’ve enjoyed during the past two seasons to end.
Even as LSU players spilled onto the field to celebrate their 40-32 win over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday afternoon, many of the Knights chose to remain on the field and soak it all in until the very end — perhaps hoping to stop time even for a brief few moments.
“There are a lot of emotions going on,” senior defensive lineman Connors said following the loss, which snapped UCF’s 25-game win streak. “My heart is broken for all these seniors and underclassmen, but at the same time, we’ve been through a lot. Twenty-five games is a lot, two New Year’s Six, three in the past six years. That’s unheard of and this is a
great university.”
It had been 746 days, two coaching staffs and two starting quarterbacks since UCF last felt the sting of a loss.
After falling to Arkansas State in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 17, 2016, UCF started winning.
The streak stretched through two seasons, with the Knights claiming two American Athletic Conference titles and a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn along the way.
Everyone tried to beat the Knights, who irked opponents when the school declared itself national champions last season.
Despite former coach Scott Frost’s departure, player departures and star quarterback McKenzie Milton’s leg injury, UCF survived everyone’s best shot — until Tuesday.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow shook off a bonecrushing hit from Connors and a pick-6 in the first quarter to pass for 394 yards and four touchdowns during the Tigers’ win. The junior transfer from Ohio State had an answer for UCF at every turn, completing nine of his last 11 attempts to help his team hold off a furious rally from the Knights.
The Tigers dominated time of possession in the second half and had all the
momentum. The Knights have been in similar positions during the win streak and tried to engineer one more epic comeback.
UCF found itself trailing LSU 40-24 in the fourth quarter before senior Taj McGowan rushed for a twoyard score and the Knights pulled off a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 40-32 with 1:48 left in the game.
The Knights couldn’t recover the football during a textbook onside kick, but the defense managed to quickly force an LSU punt.
UCF quarterback Darriel Mack Jr., who was making his third career start in place of Milton, tossed an interception in the final minute that sealed the Tigers’ win.
“Today we weren’t good enough to find a way to win the ball game,” UCF coach
Josh Heupel said of his team’s performance.
The Knights scored at least 30 points for the 26th consecutive game, but Mack struggled against the Tigers.
Mack went 11-of-32 passing for 97 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The redshirt freshman spent much of the time avoiding relentless pressure applied by LSU. He was sacked a season-high five times.
LSU held UCF to just 250 yards, the lowest amount the team has produced since losing the 2016 Cure Bowl.
Throughout their win streak, the Knights have demonstrated the ability to handle their emotions.
They struggled in that area Tuesday, with the team committing 12 penalties for a loss of 104 yards. The flags included a handful of costly personal fouls during the first half.
“We didn’t handle the emotional part of the game as well as we needed to early in the football game and combine that with an early turnover when we got things going,” Heupel said. “We stubbed our toe enough early that we weren’t able to change the way the game was played.”
LSU had its own issues during the spirited contest. Three players were ejected in the first half, including UCF safety Kyle Gibson (targeting). Even coaches were fired up, with LSU’s Ed Orgeron breaking his headset after UCF scored a touchdown late in the second quarter.
The loss ends one of the most impressive stretches of football, with UCF falling one win short of matching Nebraska (1994-95) as the most recent programs with back-to-back undefeated seasons.
“We didn’t handle the emotional part of the game as well as we needed to early in the football game.” —UCF coach Josh Heupel