After months of hype, the Knightmode jerseys are finally here. UCF is set to don them in a blackout as the team takes on Cincinnati on Saturday, pairing them with a new take on the chrome gold stack decal as well.
This becomes the eighth unique blackout that the Knights have worn in the modern uniform era, and they’ve all brought something unique to the table. But none of them have emphasized UCF’s black and gold color scheme like this combo.
The chrome gold decals pair up with the gold numbers of the jerseys and the gold Polaris stars down the pants. There’s even a hint of gold in the eyes of the Knighthead on the sleeves. Flashes of gold on a completely black background make this probably the most “on-brand” blackout that we’ve ever seen from UCF and I’m so excited to see it on the field.
I know fans were hoping for a night game against Cincinnati, but this combo really does benefit from the 3:30 kick time. Chrome gold decals can get lost easily on darker helmets, but they should pop more than ever in the sun against the darkest black helmet UCF has ever worn.
This combo is also a big departure from what the Knights have typically worn against the Bearcats. UCF went with gold helmets in five straight meetings against Cincinnati, with that streak only being broken in 2021 when the Knights did not wear gold lids the whole year.
It seems like the fanbase is more than ready for the change. UCF is 7-6 in gold helmets in the last five seasons and are 2-3 versions of Gold/Black/Black, which has historically been worn against Cincinnati at home.
The Knights have had much better luck in the black helmets, going 13-2 while wearing them in the last five seasons. UCF is also 8-2 in blackouts in the modern era.
Hopefully that luck pays off as the team looks for its first win over Cincinnati in four years.
Other UCF blackouts over the years
It will be interesting once the Knightmode blackout has taken the field to see where it stacks up against UCF’s other blackouts. It will be the first time since 2017 that the Knights have used a jersey with gold numbers for a blackout.
The Knightmode look feels a lot stronger. The old Knighthead jerseys weren’t exactly fan favorites, and the new 2022 uniform set just feels a lot more set up for clean blackout and whiteout looks. The simpler design and less distraction makes the overall look a lot more powerful.
But there are still some other contenders for best ever UCF blackout, including the 2019 and 2021 versions.
It’ll be fun to see if the Knightmode combo tops these looks on Saturday. The potential is certainly there.
Combo Notes
- This is the 8th unique blackout UCF has worn in the modern uniform era
- This will be the first time the Knights have ever worn black helmets against Cincinnati
- UCF has now worn four different jerseys in its last four games
- Since 2017, the Knights have used five different jerseys for blackout combos
