On Saturday (Dec. 1) Nebraska football fans may not have had a Huskers' game to watch, but another game may give serious hope for a successful 2019 season. A team that Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost had a hand in developing, showed just how good they are. They aren't quite done yet either, but Frost and the fans have to be smiling at the results. Not only that, with Frost's busy recruiting schedule underway, they have to be giddy about the future.
UCF battles Memphis for AAC Championship
The AAC Championship Game took place on Saturday with the impressive UCF Golden Knights battling the Memphis Tigers.
The Knights came into this one having won 24-straight games, an impressive feat by any means. They also came into it without their starting quarterback who was injured with a knee problem.
They soon found themselves staring at a 17-point deficit. The Tigers led 24-7 after a great start in the first quarter. The second quarter saw each team score 14 points and the Memphis Tigers headed into halftime up 38-21 on the Knights.
LET’S GOOOOOO 🧟♂️ NATION‼️#ChargeOn #KnightLights 🔛 pic.twitter.com/tnUB0YqZmt
— UCF Knights (@UCFKnights) December 1, 2018
Out of the locker room for the second half, the Golden Knights found a spark to ignite them to a comeback. They would go on a 14-3 scoring spree in the third quarter with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Darriel Mack Jr.
to Otis Anderson and then Mack Jr. rushing in a four-yard TD a bit over five minutes later.
In the fourth quarter, it was all UCF and all Darriel Mack Jr. He had two touchdown runs of two yards each and then a five-yard run. As the clock ran down to 0:00, the Knights had come away with a 56-41 comeback win to take the AAC Championship.
Frost getting praise for UCF's success
Cornhuskers fans know about Scott Frost's great personality and ability to get his players to perform. It's not surprising that Nebraska's coach is receiving praise after this latest UCF championship season. Frost was at the helm for the Golden Knights since 2015. He got the job as the team was in the midst of a dismal 0-8 season.
Unfortunately, there were no wins on the horizon that season as a 0-12 season was on the menu for Frost's first campaign. However, his next season showed his coaching abilities. The Golden Knights were 6-6 in the 2016 season and qualified for the 2016 Cure Bowl. In 2017, the team was even better, going 11-0. They'd go on to take the AAC Championship in a double-overtime win against Memphis.
Nebraska football fans are aware how the rest of the story goes. The Cornhuskers hired Scott Frost in December 2017. He remained UCF head coach to help them with the 2018 Peach Bowl. They'd go on to take down No. 7 Auburn. Now he's at the helm for the Huskers' team, a squad that finished 4-8 in his first season.
The most impressive stat is the second half record of 4-2, which gives fans hope for a winning record in the 2019 season.
Who wouldn’t wanna play in this offense?#PlayMak6rs 💨💨#GBR pic.twitter.com/whldE6D0JS
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) November 30, 2018
As SB Nation's Harry Lyles Jr. indicated in the UCF-Memphis post-game report, Frost's offensive creation is the key for the Knights. He put in a spread offense which allows many of the players to get involved, and that has shown as they've won 25 in a row.
With that in mind, don't overlook UCF's head coach Josh Heupel who took over and guided the team this season. However, don't doubt that Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost has winning ways in store for the future of the Big Red program. Evidence has been shown. Adrian Martinez and the Huskers offense is just getting started. Stay tuned.