As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock at the Bounce House Saturday, the final score of UCF’s annual spring football game was irrelevant. Players and coaches mingled among themselves afterward, exchanging smiles and hugs while congratulating each other.
There was plenty to celebrate as the Knights put the finishing touches on a grueling four-week spring camp that was both physically and mentally demanding.
It had been 108 days since most of these same players left the field at FAU Stadium following a disappointing 49-23 loss to BYU in the Boca Raton Bowl. A little more than a month later, these same players found themselves without a coach after Josh Heupel’s abrupt departure for the Tennessee job.