1984 UCF Knights football team

The 1984 UCF Knights football season was the sixth season for the team. It was Lou Saban's second and final season as the head coach of the Knights. After a disappointing 1–6 start to the season, Saban stepped away from the program, and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry "Red" Anderson. The Knights finished the year with a 2–9 overall record,^[1] facing a schedule entirely made up of Division I-AA opponents. The program had actually petitioned the NCAA to move the football program up to I-AA for 1984, but the move was delayed, in part due to costs and incurred debt. The move would not happen until 1990.

1984 UCF Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Lou Saban (2nd season; first 7 games) Jerry Anderson (interim, final 4 games)
Home stadium	Florida Citrus Bowl
Seasons ← 1983 1985 →

1984 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–3 Central State (OH) ^			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Towson State ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
Southern Connecticut State			–					7	–	3	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					6	–	4	–	0
Northern Michigan			–					6	–	4	–	0
New Haven			–					5	–	5	–	0
Liberty			–					5	–	6	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					5	–	6	–	0
American International			–					4	–	6	–	0
Springfield			–					3	–	7	–	0
Kentucky State			–					2	–	9	–	0
UCF			–					2	–	9	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

The Knights competed as an NCAA Division II Independent. The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando.

In their October 20 game against Illinois State, the Knights fell behind 21–0 in the first quarter. UCF rallied for a 28–24 victory, their largest comeback win in school history. As of 2021, it is still tied for the program's best comeback win.^[2]

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 22–43	7,421	[3]
September 8	at Northeast Louisiana	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	L 21–49	19,329	[4]
September 15	Georgia Southern	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 28–42	7,124
September 22	at Western Kentucky	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 35–34	8,500
September 29	at Southwest Texas State	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	L 13–39	10,337	[5]
October 6	Akron	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 21–26	6,814
October 13	at Eastern Kentucky	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	L 14–37	18,100	[6]
October 20	Illinois State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 28–24	11,648
October 27	Austin Peay State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 21–24	12,225
November 3	at Indiana State	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	L 0–38	8,367
November 10	at Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	L 6–42	10,162	[7]

^[8]

References

1. "The Knights Move Up to D-II: Part 3 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. June 29, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
2. "Knights 28, Redbirds 24". The Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 1984. p. 39. Retrieved September 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Wildcats roll 43–22 after UCF loses quarterback Thyhsen". St. Petersburg Times. September 2, 1984. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Northeast rockets past Floridians". The Shreveport Times. September 9, 1984. p. 2D. Retrieved January 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Knights overwhelmed by Southwest Texas' option game, 39–13". The Orlando Sentinel. September 30, 1984. Retrieved March 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Eastern Kentucky adds to UCF's miseries". The Orlando Sentinel. October 14, 1984. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Furman dominates outmanned UCF, 42–6". The Orlando Sentinel. November 11, 1984. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Final 1984 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 12, 2023.