Team mantras are fun, catchy ways to get everyone on the same page. And when we get lucky, they get out to the media.  Last fall, there was one phrase that you knew was going to come out of UCF head football coach Josh Heupel’s mouth, every time he spoke.  

Spectrum Sports 360 reporter Despina Barton explores the meaning behind “Going 1 and 0” and whether or not it has staying power for year number two for the Knights:

  • Josh Heupel led UCF Knights to Fiesta Bowl appearance and 12-1 record in 2018
  • Team has bought in to "Going 1 and 0" mantra
  • UCF Football opens 2019 season Augus 29th against FAMU

By the sound of it so far through fall camp, this “going 1 & 0” catch phrase is not going anywhere --as they aim to string together another perfect regular season.

“My general thoughts are to go ‘1 and 0 every week,” sophomore defensive lineman Randy Charlton said. “And get us to the conference championship and get to a bowl game.”

The motto is engrained into the team’s DNA.  

“When you wake up in the morning you got to conquer breakfast, go into film conquer that – there’s always something to go ‘1 and 0’ at,” redshirt senior defensive lineman Brendon Hayes explained.

You can ask nearly any player what their goal is this season and you’ll get this.  

“Just going ‘1 and 0’ every single day,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux said of his goal “Just attacking every day and just be the best we can be as possibly.”

So why steer away from something that has served such a purpose the last 13 games?? 

After all it got them through a transition year; after a Peach Bowl Championship under then head coach Scott Frost and seeing four guys go off to the NFL and still had to learn a brand new system.

“You know at this time last year, you guys weren’t hearing a lot of ‘1 and 0’ speech but that is absolutely part of who and what we are,” Heupel added.

The saying captivated a fan base, centered a talented team and helped steady the narrative around the team, as they just kept winning.  

“We just play with so much love for one another and I just want to keep that going,” senior middle linebacker Nate Evans explained.

And that includes the famous slogan. After all, it’s a piece of the team’s foundation and everyone has already bought in.  

“Every game, game by game, to the next game and the next game we gotta win and we gotta focus on the game at hand,” Charlton added.

When asked Coach Josh Heupel if the saying is going anywhere?

“It’s not going anywhere, no it’s still here I don’t know if it will be as strong in the media as it was a year ago but that is our mind set of how we approach today and you can’t do anything about yesterday, we always judge our players for who they are today --- not where they were.”

“And I think it’s important that our players approach today is ‘what I can control, I’m going to maximize it and attack it the right way—and if they do that, they are giving themselves a chance for the following day to go out and have success too! That’s during the course of training camp, got to go out and win each day, gives us a chance during the season.”