Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 14

The UCF Knights began the 21st Century as a young FBS team with no conference to call home. Now, a quarter of the way through it, they sit as a member of one of college football's Power 4 conferences. To mark the occasion, we are counting down the Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century.

Oct 13, 2018; Memphis, TN, USA; UCF Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton (10) hands the ball off to UCF Knights running back Taj McGowan (4) during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-Imagn Images | Justin Ford-Imagn Images

Note: We define the 21st Century as Jan. 1, 2001, to the time of this series' publication.

No. 14: Escaping the Liberty Bowl (Memphis, 2018)

As the 2018 UCF Knights tried to keep their winning streak going, they had a close call on the road against Memphis.

Thanks to a trio of field goals from kicker Riley Patterson and a potent rushing attack led by All-AAC First-Team running back Darrell Henderson and featuring a future NFL back in Tony Pollard, the Tigers got out to a 30-14 lead two minutes before the half.

It was a tale of two halves for the UCF defense. After allowing points on every single drive of the first half, it shut out the Tigers in the second half, with highlights coming from a forced fumble at the UCF 26-yard line early in the fourth and holding steady as the Tigers reached UCF territory with less than a minute to play.

The 16-point UCF comeback that became the third-largest in program history began with momentum heading into the break thanks to a last-second 44-yard field goal from future NFL kicker Matthew Wright. With the defense keeping the Tigers at bay, that gave time for the offense to find their big play, a 71-yard touchdown run from running back Taj McGowan. The back finished with 81 total yards on the day with two touchdowns.

Quarterback McKenzie Milton had the honor of scoring the game-winning touchdown off a seven-yard run early in the fourth. He also totalled 296 passing yards and one score on a 75-yard pass to future NFL receiver Gabriel Davis.

It wouldn't be the first time the Knights would have to deal with Memphis that season, but big plays and halftime adjustments let them go 1-0 for another week.

Catch up on the rest of the list below:

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 25

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of The 21st Century: No. 24

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 23

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 22

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 21

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of The 21st Century: No. 20

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 19

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of The 21st Century: No. 18

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of the 21st Century: No. 17

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of the 21st Century: No. 16

Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of the 21st Century: No. 15