It was a special night as UCF Homecoming week came to a close. The Homecoming King and Queen of 2012 were finally crowned (Congratulations to Michael Irene and Ashley Jaramillo) and thousands of fans got the chance to enjoy some college football on a cool Saturday evening. The football team had a chance to end the week with a bang and the Knights did not disappoint Saturday night as they improved to a (7-2) record with a convincing 42-17 victory over the Southern Methodist Mustangs (4-5). They played at a high level all night which was expected since it was UCF’s Homecoming game. Fans were encouraged to wear all black to Saturday’s game for a blackout, but some, as expected, obviously did not get the memo. It did not seem to bother the Knights on the field, as they became owners of a dominate performance.

The defense of the Knights was dominant all night. They put pressure on SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert, forcing him to make arrant throws all game long. He finished the game 16-29 for 133 yards. The Knights held a SMU team that averages 30 points per a game to only 17 and had complete control of the game. They were very aggressive in the first half which played a role in SMU’s limited success on offense during that half. The Knights really settled down in the second half and focused on getting off the field on third down by forcing two 3 and outs and only allowing a touchdown which was scored in the final minute of the game.

The Knights did what they needed to do on offense. They were efficient and explosive. Saturday marked the fifth straight game the Knights had scored at least 35 points in a game. Blake Bortles was accurate in the passing game (10-15, 110 yards), but the Knights saw their real success on the ground as they rushed for over 240 yards as a team. Latavius Murray was a beast on the ground Saturday as had 23 rushes for a team high 155 yards. He also had a 28 yard touchdown reception from WR Jeff Godfrey, when the Knights called a trick play in the 3rd quarter.

It was an overall great performance by the Knights who are now winners of five straight, all against conference opponents. They are now (5-0) in conference play. The Knights look to make it six straight next Saturday as they travel to Texas to take on UTEP (2-7) in another Conference-USA game.

As the countdown began, numerous students waited with anticipation on Friday to get their feet wet in the Reflection Pond. It wasn’t long until everyone was having the time of their lives, drenched in water as ‘Splish Splash’ by Bobby Darin played in the background. Students’ phones were in the air catching all of the exciting footage. In addition, it was a beautiful day since the University of Central of Florida was celebrating their 50th anniversary. Students were crowd surfing in front of Milican Hall, as well as Knightro, who came prepared in his swimming trunks. Faculty stood on top of buildings, such as the library to witness the excitement over rubber ducks and free T-Shirts for the 17th Annual Spirit Splash, too. In attendance, UCF’s Spirit Squad, Marching Knights, and the 2012 Homecoming Court showed their support, as well as last years Mr. and Miss UCF. The thousands of students who chose to participate, the day was full of tradition and fun whether or not they skipped a class or wanting to be apart of history. 

Mother nature was kind to UCF Friday afternoon as thousands of students gathered around the Reflection Pond to be a part of the Nation’s Best Campus Tradition, Spirit Splash. It is UCF’s ultimate pep rally before their homecoming game the following night and the only day of the year where students are allowed to enter the pond. Students really started to show up in numbers as the clock approached 2pm. This was the time they would be allowed to enter the pond.

This year’s Spirit Splash was hosted by AJ and Ashley from K92.3 FM. They played some old and current jams making for a live atmosphere. The UCF Dance Team, Marching Knights, and Cheerleaders all performed routines exciting the large crowd. Then the moment we’d all been waiting for came, the countdown to enter the pond. As soon as the host reached zero, large waves of students rushed the pond with reckless abandon. It was quite the site to see. Students even got the chance to see UCF Mascot, Knightro, crowd surf. There were beach balls, frisbees, and ducks flying everywhere. This year’s duck was a fireman. It is something they truly treasure as every year, there is a different duck with that specific year on it. The UCF Homecoming Committee was also giving out free shirts and wristbands.

UCF Students obviously felt a certain way about their most exciting homecoming event. Sophomore Kortni Perkins and Freshman Lori Cabot both had similar feelings regarding what they enjoyed most about Spirit Splash. They loved watching all the students rush in the pond. They also enjoyed seeing how diverse UCF really is as many different students came out. When asked whether he would come back next year, sophomore, Christian Moore, who is also a rapper on swolenation.net under the moniker Shirtoff Madoff, he replied, “Heck yeah!” But he also told me that UCF needs to make some minor changes to make this event even bigger than it already is. He wants UCF to cancel classes not for the whole day, but just during the Spirit Splash event, which lasts about two hours. It would bring in more participants to add more school spirit to an event already regarded as the best in the nation. I can agree with him on this. The school might as well cancel classes for Spirit Splash because half of the students there are probably already skipping class. So do us all a favor UCF and take Spirit Splash over the top.

Comedy Central’s own Jim Gaffigan graced the UCF stage as the featured comedian for Homecoming 2012: Comedy Knight. When the clock struck 11, within moments the arena was packed, making it the most attended Comedy Knight the University has ever seen! This could be in relation to the sudden yet disappointing rescheduling of the original show due to Hurricane Sandy, which delayed his flight on Tuesday night. Nevertheless fans came out to witness “Mr. Universe”, who is best known for his stand up routines on Comedy Central, his many movie appearances, and cameo television roles. 
 
UCF students welcomed Gaffigan with a standing ovation which proved the excitement and anticipation for the event. Undoubtedly, many had high expectations. For UCF freshman Amy Marzec, John Gaffigan was her first experience of a comedy show. “He’s definitely my favorite comedian and I would go to another one of his shows. His entire routine was hilarious!” From beginning to end the arena was filled with joyous and uncontrollable laughter that left everyone with a smile on their face or an aching stomach! Indeed, Jim Gaffigan was the highlight of everyone’s Thursday night who attended. Kudos to the homecoming committee for yet another successful show.