| 1996 UCF Golden Knights football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 5–6 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Mike Kruczek (12th season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Willie Martinez (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Florida Citrus Bowl |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Army | – | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | – | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Notre Dame | – | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | – | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | – | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB | – | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | – | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | – | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northeast Louisiana | – | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | – | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | – | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1996 UCF Golden Knights football season was the eighteenth season for the team and Gene McDowell's twelfth as the head coach of the Golden Knights. McDowell's 1996 team compiled a 5–6 overall record. The season marked UCF's first as a member of Division I-A, officially joining on September 1, 1996. At that time, the Knights became the first football program to play in four different NCAA divisions (III, II, I-AA and I-A).[1]
Sophomore Quarterback Daunte Culpepper led the team to rank 16th in the nation in passing offense. This despite suffering first a sprained ankle[2][3] and later a separated shoulder (non-throwing arm).[4][5] The Golden Knights won their first game as a member of Division I-A, defeating William & Mary. UCF dropped six of their next seven games, however, and finished with a record of 5–6. On October 26, UCF nearly upset Georgia Tech on the road.[6] It was the first of several near-misses against high-profile opponents over the next three seasons.[7][8]
- ^ "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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sent09-08-1996pg37was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sent09-08-1996pg46was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sent11-03-1996pg37was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sent11-03-1996pg46was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Guest, Larry (October 27, 1996). "Knights almost golden against Tech". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 47. Retrieved September 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Solano, Javier (November 6, 1999). "Knights try again to bag "the big one" (Part 1)". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 21. Retrieved October 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Solano, Javier (November 6, 1999). "Knights try again to bag "the big one" (Part 2)". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 23. Retrieved October 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
