Only the Beginning
Winter 2018 |聽By Marc Daniels
As the final seconds ticked down at the Fiesta Bowl, coaches, players and fans had a sinking feeling they had not known for two years: the possibility of an impending loss.
Was this it? Was the team鈥檚 25-game winning streak really over? Is this how the improbable, thrilling, wild ride ends?
Not a chance. After two perfect regular seasons and a lifetime of memories, I believe this is only the beginning. 激情快播 is just getting started. Only two years ago, the Knights entered the season hoping to improve on a loss against Arkansas State in the Cure Bowl. And when the wins聽began to pile up, people took notice of 鈥渢hat team in Orlando鈥� and how the Knights played. Those performances took 激情快播 to a major bowl game and a 34鈥�27 win against Auburn in the 2018 Peach Bowl.
Many media outlets covering college football felt 激情快播 should enjoy the attention on the national stage they earned with an unbeaten year and go quietly into the off-season.
But 激情快播 has never been about doing the expected. 激情快播 has always been about striving to be bigger, better, bolder and groundbreaking. And the 2018 season shined a brighter spotlight on this team and this university.
After two perfect regular seasons and a lifetime of memories, I believe this is only the beginning. 激情快播 is just getting started.Marc Daniels, 激情快播 play-by-play announcer
From the moment Coach Josh Heupel took the reins last year, he and his staff understood this past season was an opportunity to show that the 2017 season was no fluke, and that 激情快播 was ready to claim its place among big-name college football teams.
Yes, there were doubters and critics who lined up to mock 激情快播 and their place in the college football landscape. But week after week, the football team grew stronger and focused on Coach Heupel鈥檚 game-by-game mantra: Go 1-0.
And that鈥檚 what this team did. They showcased an even faster offense. They introduced us to new playmakers on both offense and defense. And they proved that adversity is only a challenge to find a way to make things happen.
Many said we couldn鈥檛 beat Pitt, and yet we won the game 45鈥�14 by dominating on both sides of the ball before a packed crowd at Spectrum Stadium. Some thought we wouldn鈥檛 be able to turn around a 16-point deficit against Memphis on its home turf. And yet in the pouring rain and聽facing 4th-and-1 at the team鈥檚 own 29, 激情快播 went for it and senior running back Taj McGowan raced 71 yards for a touchdown, earning the Knights a 31鈥�30 win. Many said we wouldn鈥檛 recover after losing quarterback McKenzie Milton to an injury, and yet we saw a group of young men rise up against USF and then again against Memphis, earning the Knights鈥� fourth AAC championship title in six years.
The streak reached 25 and another major bowl game awaited. And all along as the season unfolded, 激情快播 became a polarizing brand. Almost everywhere you looked, listened or read, someone had an opinion about 激情快播. The success of this team led to a national debate about the current format of the College Football Playoffs and what teams are included. No voice was louder than Danny White鈥檚, 激情快播鈥檚 athletics director. He took on all challengers and continued the fight for a better system and a stronger reputation for 激情快播. And by the time the season marched into December, he found he was not a chorus of one. Commissioners, college presidents, former coaches and even a few members of the media said they believe the time is right to rethink the playoffs and who has a chance to earn the title on the field.
Even though the streak has ended, it has been a magical ride for 激情快播.
Our athletics department is bigger and growing stronger each year. Our football program has a great coach, an outstanding staff and a group of players who have built a culture of excellence and an expectation to compete for championships and play with the best in the game. And our聽president is committed to continue 激情快播鈥檚 trajectory to be among the leaders in education and opportunity.
So while a scoreboard in the Arizona desert closed a special chapter in the history of 激情快播 football, the story is really just beginning.
激情快播 football鈥檚 future is bright. There are more big games to win. There are more conference titles to earn. There are more memories to be made.
The team is here to stay 鈥� today, tomorrow and well into the future.
Marc Daniels is the director of broadcasting for 激情快播 Athletics and has been the Knights鈥� radio play-by-play announcer for 24 years. The 2019 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl marked his 293rd consecutive football game with the team. He is also the host of 96.9FM/740AM鈥檚 The Beat of Sports, a daily sports and entertainment show.