Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 9
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Note: We define the 21st Century as Jan. 1, 2001, to the time of this series' publication.
No. 9: The Knights are Conference Champions (2007 C-USA Championship Game vs. Tulsa)
The 2007 UCF Knights christened its first season in an on-campus stadium with another historic moment.
The Knights got a second chance against Tulsa after the Golden Hurricane triumphed in the 2005 C-USA Championship in the Citrus Bowl.
UCF got here off the back of future NFL running back Kevin Smith, who set the FBS record for most single-season rushing attempts this season with 450, which helped him gain the third-most single-season rushing yards in program history.
Smith put together one of his best single performances in this game, which earned him Game MVP honors. He ran 39 times for 288 yards, the second-most in a game in program history, accounting for 85.5 percent of the yards gained by the Knights that day. He also scored four rushing touchdowns, tied for the most in a single game in program history.
Three of Smith's scores came in the second, helping UCF take back the lead and open up an eight-point lead at the break.
While kicker Michael Torres helped open up the Knights' lead with a pair of field goals in the second half to provide a cushion, the UCF defense ended up closing the deal.
The Knights kept the Golden Hurricane offense off the board the entire half, with Tulsa's only points coming on a fourth-quarter safety. They also recorded three interceptions, two by Johnell Neal and one by Jason Venson, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks on the day. Even when Tulsa reached the UCF two-yard line, so close to a touchdown that would have made it a one-score game early in the fourth, the Knights stopped with a turnover on downs.
Smith put the exclamation mark on UCF's first-ever conference championship victory with a 74-yard touchdown run, giving the game its final score, 44-25.
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
Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games Of the 21st Century: No. 14
Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 13
Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 12
Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 11
Top 25 UCF Knights Football Games of the 21st Century: No. 10
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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