On Saturday, October 10th UCF fans and Orlando residents alike were shocked to see a public message Knights Pub, a local UCF bar, had for UCF Head Football Coach George O’Leary. On Saturday afternoon, just before the UCF vs. UConn football game, an airplane flew over Orlando with a banner that read “Time to step down O’Leary -Knights Pub”.
Knights Pub was not afraid to put their name to the statement that day, while many UCF fans agreed with the banner. The UCF Knights lost to the UConn Huskies 40-13 just hours after the plane flew throughout Orlando. The lose to the Huskies has put the Knights at an 0-6 record for the season, the lowest since their 2011 season when the Knights went 5-7 by the end of the season. Although the Knights are only halfway through their season, many UCF fans have openly shared their beliefs that the Knights could go 0-12 for the season, the first time in over 10 years. The Knights went 0-11 back in 2004, the same season George O’Leary became the Knights Head Coach and cleaned house to rebuild the program from the ground up. Could this record that reflects his first year as Head Coach possibly be his last?
Under Coach O’Leary, the Knights have won four conference championships; two in Conference-USA and back-to-back titles in The American Athletic Conference. The Knights have also appeared in seven bowl games, winning three of those match-ups including a 10-6 victory against Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl and a historic 52-42 win against the Baylor Bears at the 2012 Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl.
Although it’s clear the UCF Knights have had their most successful seasons under Coach O’Leary, many fans are waiting to see if he can bring the Knights to go at least 6-6 for the 2015 season. The Knights take on the Temple Owls on October 17th in Philadelphia to try for the first win of the season.