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

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 9, 2004; Orlando, FL, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies receiver #84 Sam Hurd can't bring in the pass against #6 safety Brandon Marshall of the University of Central Florida Golden Knights in first half action against University of Central Florida Golden Knights at the Citrus Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Paul Chapman-Imagn Images (©) Copyright 2004 by Paul Chapman | Paul Chapman-Imagn Images

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

No. 17: It's Finally Over (Marshall, 2005)

It was a rough time being a UCF fan. Entering their home opener of the 2005 season, the Knights had not won a game since Oct. 25, 2003, a 17-game winless streak.

Their game against Marshall, which featured future NFL running back Ahmad Bradshaw, also marked their first conference game in Conference USA.

The Knights took advantage of an early sack-fumble by defensive end Paul Carrington to turn around a short touchdown drive, capped by a five-yard catch by wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

The UCF defense continued to hold firm, forcing three three-and-outs in the first half and getting an interception from safety Sha'reff Rsshad near the end of it. By game's end, with help from four sacks, it will have limited the Thundering Herd to just 11 rushing yards. Bradshaw ended up a better weapon through the air, getting the most receptions on the day, 10, for 76 yards.

Offensively, the Knights scored two more times in the first half with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Kevin Smith and a 49-yard field goal from Matt Prater to go up 17-0 at the break. Smith went on to total 60 yards in this game while Prater nailed two more field goals from 33 and 43 yards out in the second half.

Marshall had better luck with touchdowns in the second half, scoring a couple through the air to make it a two-score game at two separate instances, but the UCF defense turned the ball over four more times (one fumble, one interception and two on downs) to stifle any rally attempts.

UCF fans celebrated the end of the 17-game losing streak by charging the field. They tore down one of the Citrus Bowl's goalposts, something rendered near impossible today with the Acrisure Bounce House's high walls, and transported it 17 miles to toss it into the UCF campus' Reflecting Pond.

The win marked the first win of an eight-win season that saw the Knights play in their first conference championship game and bowl game, but, for now, the losing streak was over, and that was enough.

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