The 1997 UCF Golden Knights football season was the nineteenth overall season for the team, and second season as an NCAA Division I-A Independent. It would be the thirteenth and final season for head coach Gene McDowell. McDowell's 1997 team finished with a 5–6 overall record, matching the record from the previous season. McDowell would resign at season's end in the wake of a cell phone fraud scandal. His tenure as head coach came to a close after compiling an 86–61 record. To-date, McDowell still has the most wins as head coach in program history.

UCF started to gain notoriety in 1997, building their program, and playing a higher-profile schedule, including several SEC teams. The Golden Knights lost in overtime to Ole Miss, then narrowly lost to South Carolina. In week three, UCF gained national attention by leading #6 Nebraska 17–14 at halftime. UCF, however, could not hold off the powerful Cornhuskers in the second half, and fell by a final score of 38–24. Lauded by media as the "best 0–3 team in the nation," the Golden Knights won five of their last eight games, including a perfect 4–0 record at home. The team set a then-record average home attendance of 29,585 at the Citrus Bowl, including a then single-game record crowd of 41,827 on September 20. With a 5–6 final record, they were not bowl eligible, but they did attract some attention from scouts for the Carquest Bowl, who saw them as a potential at-large team.

At the conclusion of the season, quarterback Daunte Culpepper set fifteen school records, and was named a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award. He was also named a semi-finalist for the Football News Offensive Player of the Year. The 1997 season was a break-out year for the junior quarterback, and towards the end of the season, speculation began to swirl if Culpepper would forgo his senior year and enter the 1998 NFL draft. Ultimately, Culpepper elected to return to UCF for one final season.

Hearing impaired tailback Dwight Collins received the Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award, and running backs coach Alan Gooch who worked with him, was named the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

After only two seasons in Division I-A, UCF was already beginning to earn a reputation as a "scary" team on the road. Their near-misses against high-profile teams was in contrast to their predicted status as a mid-major, non-conference school. It started prompting some reluctance among larger schools of scheduling the Knights in future seasons.

Cell phone fraud scandal

On October 28, 1997, Secret Service agents raided the UCF football team's locker room, as part of a federal cell phone fraud investigation. Former UCF player Patrick Brinson, a former AT&T employee, was arrested for rigging as many as 17 cell phones with non-billing numbers, and subsequently selling them to fellow players. It was later revealed that head coach Gene McDowell had been tipped off on the pending raid by David Smith of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. McDowell was accused of lying to federal agents and warning the players of the upcoming raid, as well as encouraging players to lie and further engaging in a cover-up. McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998.

McDowell would eventually be sentenced to house arrest, community service, and two years probation. Two players involved received probation, and three others were sentenced to community service. Brinson, and an accomplice were separately sentenced to probation, restitution, and community service. Smith received probation and a fine.

Schedule

Game summaries August 30 – at Ole Miss

In only their second season in Division I-A, the Golden Knights nearly pulled off a huge upset at Ole Miss. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw two touchdown passes in regulation, and the game went into overtime tied 17–17. Ole Miss got the ball first in the overtime period. Stewart Patridge threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Rufus French to take a 24–17 lead. UCF took over, and Culpepper completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Charles Lee. The Golden Knights took a timeout, and contemplated whether to kick the extra point or go for the win. The team elected to try a two-point conversion. Culpepper attempted a quarterback draw, but was stopped just inches short of the goal line. Reaching forward to break the plane of the goal line, the ball came loose and the attempt ultimately failed. UCF lost by the score of 24–23, the first of several near-misses against high-profile schools.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

September 6 – at South Carolina

For the second time in two weeks, the Golden Knights nearly pulled off an upset of an SEC team. South Carolina took a 14–10 lead into halftime, but UCF exploded into the lead early in the third quarter. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw touchdown passes of 71 and 41 yards to Siaha Burley to take a 24–14 lead. The Gamecocks rallied, however, and took a 33–24 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Penalties (17 for 122 yards) and seven sacks haunted the Knights. Darryl Latimore blocked a South Carolina punt - his second punt block of the game - to give UCF good field position, which led to a Mike Huff touchdown with 2:39 remaining. With the score 33–31, UCF attempted an onside kick, but failed, and South Carolina held on to win.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

September 13 – at Nebraska

UCF traveled to Nebraska for what would become one of the most memorable games in the program's history. The Golden Knights entered the game as 43 point underdogs, and were not expected to compete with the powerful Cornhuskers. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska had won two national championships (1994 & 1995) and were contenders once again (they would be voted co-national champions for 1997). Led by starting quarterback Scott Frost (the future UCF head coach), the Cornhuskers were ranked #6 in both polls.

Both teams punted on their first two possessions, with the Golden Knights defense seemingly holding the Cornhuskers at bay. Late in the first quarter, quarterback Daunte Culpepper completed a 44-yard pass to Mark Nonsant to the Nebraska 25 yard line. Four plays later, Culpepper scored on a 10-yard touchdown run for a surprising 7–0 Knights lead. Nebraska tied the score at 7–7 early in the second quarter. But Fred Waczewski kicked a career-best 51-yard field goal to give UCF the lead again at 10–7. At one point in the second quarter, Frost was benched in favor of backup quarterback Frankie London. London completed only one pass, but still drove Nebraska for a touchdown and a 14–10 lead. UCF went three-and-out on their next drive, and was forced to punt. The Nebraska punt returner was tackled and fumbled, and it was recovered by UCF at the Nebraska 45 yard line. Culpepper connected with Mark Nonsant for a 42-yard gain to the 2 yard line. Mike Grant punched it in on the next play for a touchdown and a shocking 17–14 lead. Frost returned to the game, and drove the Cornhuskers into UCF territory. But Kris Brown missed a 27-yard field goal attempt to close out the half.

After a stunning first half by the Golden Knights, Nebraska finally gained control of the game in the third quarter. The Cornhuskers scored 17 unanswered points to take a 31–17 lead into the fourth quarter. A Culpepper interception in the endzone also hurt UCF's chances for a rally. Later, Paul Miranda partially blocked a Nebraska punt, which set up the Golden Knights at the Nebraska 43 yard line. Culpepper drove the Knights for a touchdown, and trimmed the deficit to 31–24. Scott Frost's 5-yard touchdown run with 3:03 remaining sealed the game for the Cornhuskers, and they held on to win 38–24.

After the game, the Memorial Stadium crowd gave the UCF players a standing ovation for their efforts. UCF gained national attention for their performance, and received a single vote in the AP Poll, the first time the school had ever received a vote in either major poll. The team was lauded as the "best 0–3 team in the nation" and the game went down in UCF history as a defining moment for the program. Meanwhile, Nebraska slipped one spot in both polls, but would recover to finish undefeated and claim a share of the national championship.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

September 20 – Idaho

A then school record crowd of 41,827 arrived at the Citrus Bowl to watch UCF host Idaho in their home opener. The Golden Knights defense recovered four fumbles and made two interceptions, as UCF won handily by the score of 41–10. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, however, had a mixed day, throwing for 228 yards and one touchdown, and rushing for a touchdown, but also threw three interceptions. The two teams started off the game committing back-to-back turnovers, and Idaho then drove to the UCF 6 yard line. Vandals quarterback Brian Brennan fumbled on the 1 yard line and it was recovered by UCF, setting the tone for the game. Tailback Mike Grant was the offensive star of the game, rushing for three touchdowns, and had one receiving touchdown. Grant tied a school record with four touchdowns in a single game.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

September 27 – at Auburn

No. 8 Auburn defeated UCF by the score of 41–14 in the first meeting between the two teams. The Tigers went up 7–0 in the first quarter. Then Darryl Latimore intercepted Tigers quarterback Dameyune Craig, which led to a UCF touchdown and a 7–7 tie. The Golden Knights defense, however, could not contain Craig most of the day, who threw for 360 yards, and ran for 57 yards. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper managed a 47-yard connection to Todd Cleveland, followed by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Joey Hubbard to make the score 14–14. But Culpepper was unable to keep up with the high-powered Tigers offense. UCF totaled only 45 net yards of rushing. While the Golden Knights were able to keep the game close in the first half, the Tigers pulled away in the second half. The Knights fell to 1–4 on the season.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

October 4 – at Kent State

A total of 43 points were scored in the fourth quarter, as UCF outlasted Kent State 59–43 to win their first road game of the season. The Golden Knights and the Golden Flashes combined for 1,227 yards of offense, with Kent State quarterback Jose Davis throwing for a then MAC record of 551 yards and six touchdown passes. UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw for 322 yards, and a then career-high four touchdown passes. He also ran for a 75-yard touchdown. Hearing impaired freshman tailback Dwight Collins had his best game of the season, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns, the first 100-yard rusher for UCF since 1995.

Culpepper threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Moore in the first quarter, then Mike Grant scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, However, the Golden Knights found themselves trailing 21–14 with under two minutes left in the first half. Grant broke away for a 30-yard gain, which led to a 15-yard touchdown pass from Culpepper to Siaha Burley with 1:50 remaining. Then the Golden Knights got the ball back once more, and Fred Waczewski kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the score 24–21 as time expired in the half.

UCF began to pull away, with two touchdown passes in the third quarter. Culpepper connected to Joey Hubbard and Burley to stretch their lead to 38–21. But the fourth quarter was explosive for both teams. Kent State drove 75 yards in three plays, capped off by a 69-yard touchdown pass from Jose Davis to Jason Gavadza. Culpepper answered, however, with a 75-yard scramble for a touchdown and a 45–29. UCF pinned Kent State back at their own 2 yard line with just over 6 minutes remaining in regulation. Kent State scored on a shocking 98-yard touchdown reception by Eugene Baker, and cut the lead to 45–35. Not to be denied, Dwight Collins iced the game for the Golden Knights with two touchdown runs (40 yards and 14 yards, respectively) in the final minutes.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

October 11 – Samford