2002 UCF Golden Knights football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 2002 UCF Golden Knights football UCF Golden Knights logo.png 150 Mid-American Conference East Division MAC 7–5 6–2 Mike Kruczek 5th Robert McFarland 2nd Bill D'Ottavio 1st Florida Citrus Bowl The 2002 UCF Golden Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Their head coach was Mike Kruczek, who was in his fifth season with the team. 2002 marked the Golden Knights first season in the Mid-American Conference, in the East Division. This was the first time UCF had joined a conference since ascending to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996. On opening day, UCF once again played up to a ranked opponent on the road, but failed to pull off the upset. Trailing 10–9 at halftime against Penn State, a near-disastrous third quarter saw the Golden Knights fall behind 20–9. In the fourth quarter UCF rallied. Quarterback Ryan Schneider capped off an 80–yard drive with a 6–yard touchdown pass to Tavaris Capers with 24 seconds to go. With the score 27–24, a failed onside kick attempt sealed the victory for the Nittany Lions.Penn State wins first opener since 1999 UCF's first conference game came on September 20 against eventual MAC champion Marshall. With Thundering Herd quarterback Byron Leftwich faltering throughout the night, UCF largely failed to capitalize. Trailing 21–26 in the final three minutes, UCF intercepted Leftwich, and subsequently drove to the Marshall 26–yard line. Facing 4th & 3 at the Marshall 26, Ryan Schneider was picked off by Terence Tarpley. Marshall ran out the clock, and held on for the victory. The Knights first conference victory in the MAC came at Western Michigan on October 12. Finishing the season with a winning record (7–5 overall, 6–2 conference), UCF did not receive a bowl berth. Schedule thumb|The Citrus Bowl, the Knights home field 2002 AP Eastern August 31 12:10 pm l y y Penn State 24 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA ESPN 24–27 103,029 September 7 10:00 pm l y y Arizona State Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ 13–46 43,401 September 20 7:00 pm l y Marshall Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV ESPN2 21–26 32,900 September 28 6:00 pm w y Liberty Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 48–17 20,416 October 12 3:30 pm w y Western Michigan Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI 31–27 21,505 October 19 6:00 pm l Toledo Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL SUN 24–27 17,119 October 26 4:00 pm w y Akron Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 28–17 18,278 November 2 7:00 pm l y Syracuse Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL ESPN 35–38 24,043 November 9 1:00 pm w y Buffalo University at Buffalo Stadium Buffalo, NY 45–21 6,923 November 16 6:00 pm w Kent State Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 32–6 7,354 November 23 1:30 pm w y Miami (OH) Yager Stadium Oxford, OH 48–31 7,962 November 30 1:00 pm w Ohio Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 42–32 12,462 References UCF Category:UCF Knights football seasons UCF Golden Knights football