Ex-USF AD looks forward to playing at UCF on Black Friday

The chaos surrounding the day after Thanksgiving is typically associated with the millions of dedicated shoppers who camp outside stores for holiday gifts.

However, Black Friday has long been linked with the UCF–USF football rivalry.

The War on I-4 series had seen its fair share of spectacular games, particularly during its time in the American Athletic Conference.

Mark Harlan witnessed many of those games during his brief time as South Florida’s athletic director, a position he held from 2013-18 before becoming AD at Utah.

When the Big 12 schedule was released and he saw his Utes traveling to Orlando for a Black Friday matchup with UCF on Nov. 29 (Fox, 8 p.m.), it brought back some memories.

“Competitive games,” Harlan recently told the Sentinel.

One game stood out, perhaps the greatest in the rivalry series: the 2017 showdown.

“It was [USF coach] Charlie Strong’s first year and [UCF coach] Scott Frost’s second season and [USF quarterback] Quinton Flowers was just slinging the ball around,” he recalled. “We fell behind 21-7 and came storming back and scoring a touchdown with what we thought was enough time and then UCF had that kickoff return. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ball go 100 yards that fast.”

The game had five lead changes, including two in the final three minutes. UCF took a 42-34 lead with 2:21 left before Flowers connected with Darnell Salomon for an 83-yard score 40 seconds later.

A two-point conversion tied the score at 42 with 1:41 left, but on the kickoff Mike Hughes returned the ball 95 yards for the winning touchdown for the Knights, sending the sellout crowd at the Bounce House into pandemonium.

“It was voted the best football game of the year in college football,” said Harlan. “A tough outcome and just an incredible game, but I remember it bouncing.”

UCF defeated Memphis…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-usf-ad-looks-forward-173100002.html

Author : Orlando Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-07-20 17:31:00

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