1989 UCF Knights football team

The 1989 UCF Knights football season was the eleventh for the team. It was Gene McDowell's fifth season as the head coach of the Knights. The season marked UCF's last in Division II, as the Knight would move to Division I-AA in 1990. The team posted an overall record of 7–3 in 1989 but failed to make the Division II Playoffs.^[1]

1989 UCF Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–3
Head coach	Gene McDowell (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Kruczek (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Rusty Russell (1st season)
Home stadium	Florida Citrus Bowl
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–12 New Haven			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 19 American International			–					7	–	3	–	0
UCF			–					7	–	3	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					6	–	4	–	0
Wofford			–					6	–	5	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					5	–	5	–	0
Springfield			–					4	–	6	–	0
Southern Connecticut State			–					3	–	7	–	0
Michigan Tech			–					2	–	7	–	0
Kentucky State			–					2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

As a Division II team in 1989, UCF defeated multiple Division I-AA teams, including two nationally ranked schools. On October 28, UCF upset No. 9 Liberty (I-AA), and two weeks later on November 11,^[2] defeated No. 4 Eastern Kentucky (I-AA).^[3] Against Eastern Kentucky, quarterback Rudy Jones led a fourth quarter comeback, throwing two touchdown passes to lift the Knights to a 20–19 victory.

The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in Downtown Orlando. During the decade of the 1980s, the Knights compiled an overall record of 47–59–1 (.443)^[4]

Schedule

The Florida Citrus Bowl, the Knights' home field

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	Bethune–Cookman	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 15–23	23,620
September 9	Valdosta State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 35–14	18,046
September 16	at Troy State	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	L 6–20	8,000	[5]
September 23	Newberry	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 30–3	8,316
September 30	at North Alabama	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	W 17–16	5,500
October 7	East Tennessee State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 34–0	12,072
October 21	at No. 2 Georgia Southern	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	L 17–31	19,640
October 28	No. T–9 Liberty	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 33–30	15,095	[6]
November 11	No. 4 Eastern Kentucky	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 20–19	17,506	[7]
November 18	Texas Southern	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 49–12	14,082	[8]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[9]

References

1. "UCF Develops Winning Ways: Part 4 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 10, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
2. Eastern Kentucky (8-1) At Ucf (5-3)
3. 2006 UCF Knights Football Media Guide
4. "2011 UCF Football Yearbook". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
5. "Troy marches by error-prone UCF". The Orlando Sentinel. September 17, 1989. Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "UCF celebrates 33–30 upset of Liberty". Florida Today. October 29, 1989. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Central Florida edges Eastern Kentucky". The Miami Herald. November 12, 1989. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "It's curtains for Tigers as Knights bow out of NCAA II". The Orlando Sentinel. November 19, 1989. Retrieved June 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Final 1989 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 12, 2023.