UCF Football: 3 takeaways from OT victory over Memphis

UCF football survived Memphis to remain undefeated and book its ticket to a New Year’s Six bowl. Here are three things we learned from the AAC title game.

When Memphis took a 31-24 lead into the locker room at halftime, it looked like the perfect season might be in jeopardy. UCF appeared to be distracted by the rumors of head coach Scott Frost’s impending move to Nebraska. The Knights rebounded after the break in resounding fashion, then sought to cough up the lead yet again.

Offense ruled the day, as the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference squared off for a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl game. The No. 14 Knights rebuilt a two-score lead in the fourth quarter. But the No. 20 Tigers kept punching back, keeping themselves in the game with huge rushing performances and a big passing day from Riley Ferguson.

Ultimately, though, UCF remained perfect in 2017. They cut things close, but prevailed 62-55 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon in Orlando. The win moved the Knights to 12-0 just two seasons after they finished a perfectly imperfect 0-12. Four years after their trip to the Fiesta Bowl as the last Big East champion, UCF is heading back to a major bowl game.

What did we learn from the fireworks at Spectrum Stadium on Saturday? Here are three takeaways from the American Athletic Conference title game rematch between the Knights and the Tigers.