1995 UCF Golden Knights football team

The 1995 UCF Golden Knights football season was the seventeenth season for the team and eleventh for Gene McDowell as the head coach of the Golden Knights. The team finished with a 6–5 overall record. The season marked UCF's last in Division I-AA, as the Golden Knights moved to Division I-A in 1996. The 1995 season also featured the debut of UCF's new freshman quarterback, Daunte Culpepper.[1]

1995 UCF Golden Knights football
ConferenceIndependent
Record6–5
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Kruczek (11th season)
Defensive coordinatorWillie Martinez (1st season)
Home stadiumFlorida Citrus Bowl
Seasons
← 1994
1996 →
1995 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Troy State ^     11 1 0
No. 9 Hofstra ^     10 1 0
Saint Mary's     8 2 0
Wagner     8 2 0
Hampton     8 3 0
Liberty     8 3 0
Monmouth     7 3 0
Samford     7 4 0
Robert Morris     6 4 0
Towson     6 4 0
UCF     6 5 0
UAB     5 6 0
Wofford     4 7 0
Buffalo     3 8 0
Youngstown State     3 8 0
Central Connecticut State     2 8 0
Western Kentucky     2 8 0
Davidson     1 8 1
Charleston Southern     1 10 0
Saint Francis     0 10 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The season started out on a high note, as the Golden Knights defeated Div. I-AA #5 Eastern Kentucky behind 254 yards passing by Culpepper in his first career game. After the season, Marquette Smith was drafted by the Carolina Panthers.

Marc Daniels debuted as the new radio voice of the Knights on the UCF Radio Network.[2][3]

Schedule

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The Florida Citrus Bowl, the Knights' home field
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 31No. 5 Eastern KentuckyW 40–3213,442
September 9No. 8 (D-II) Carson–NewmanNo. 21
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 35–2113,413
September 23at No. 1 (I-A) Florida StateNo. 12L 14–4676,600[4]
September 30at No. 1 McNeese StateNo. 12L 7–4916,921
October 7SamfordNo. 20
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 41–1411,333
October 14LibertyNo. 19
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
L 6–712,210[5]
October 21at HawaiiL 14–4524,383
October 28at Northeast LouisianaW 34–1416,808
November 4Bethune–Cookman
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 38–716,002
November 11Troy State
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
L 17–2812,312
November 18Maine
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 37–1711,119

References

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  1. ^ "Daunte's World... Orlando's Biggest Attraction: Part 6 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 26, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  2. ^ 2014 Fiesta Bowl radio broadcast; January 1, 2014
  3. ^ Bianchi, Mike (October 18, 2019). "Milestone not withstanding, Marc Daniels always bowls a '300' as UCF's iconic radio voice". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  4. ^ "'Noles roll past Knights". St. Lucie News Tribune. September 24, 1995. Retrieved February 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Offense starts flat, stays flat as UCF falls flat to Liberty". The Orlando Sentinel. October 15, 1995. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.