It’s time for the 2022 Black & Gold Banneret Awards!

Each year we pass out a bunch of awards honoring the best athletes, coaches, teams, and moments of the previous UCF Knights athletic year. Our staff votes, and so do you, the fans.

Here’s how it works: We, the staff, put together our nominees for each award. You can listen to our nominations podcast episode here. Over the next couple of weeks, we will open fan voting for each award. Each staff member gets one vote, and the winner of the fan vote will get one vote. If there is a tie, the fan vote will be the tiebreaker. We will announce the winners in two weeks.

Our 2022 Black & Gold Banneret Awards continue with the Men’s Game of the Year award. Here are your nominees:

2021 Gasparilla Bowl — Football

Resume:

• First win against the Florida Gators in football in school history.
• UF’s first loss to a Florida team other than Miami or Florida State since the 1920s
• Over 63,000 fans in attendance.
• It was UCF’s fifth appearance in the St Petersburg/Gasparilla Bowl — the most for any team.
• UCF outgained Florida 436-376 on offense and outscored the Gators 20-7 in the second half.
• Isaiah Bowser and Ryan O’Keefe each rushed for over 100 yards.
• O’Keefe finished with 251 all-purpose yards and was named Most Outstanding Player

Win over #2 Ole Miss — Baseball

• Ole Miss was ranked #2 in the country at the time. They went on to win the College World Series.
• Connor Staine (7 IP) and Chase Centala (5 IP) combined for a 3-hitter.
• Riley Wash wins it with an RBI single in the 12th.

Win over Michigan — Men's Basketball

Resume:

• Over 9,500 fans in attendance.
• UCF outscored Michigan 54-36 in the second half
• UCF shot 18/25 (72%) from the field and 8/8 (100%) from three-point range in the second half.
• Darrin Green Jr. and Brandon Mahan combined for 53 points.

Win over Boise State — Football

Resume:

• Despite kicking off at 9:45pm after a 2-hour, 45-minute lightning delay, the fan turnout was strong.
• UCF came back from down 24-7 down to score the next 23 points
• Isaiah Bowser made his UCF debut with 33 carries for 172 yards and the winning touchdown
• First game at UCF for head coach Gus Malzahn.