Fiesta Bowl: Alumnus Shares 2014 Experience and Why He’ll Be Back

From left to right: Robert Muramatsu, Todd VanHoozier ’94, Matt Assenmacher ’93 and Jeff Downing in Arizona for the 2014 Fiesta Bowl

For those of you new to the exciting world of UCF Football, this year is actually the second time we’ve been invited to head out to Arizona for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (only back then we called it the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl). We sat down with alumnus and UCF Alumni Board member, Matt Assenmacher ’93, to ask him a little about his experience for the 2014 game, what he’s looking forward to this year and what he’d tell people on the fence about attending.

What led you to the Fiesta Bowl in 2014?

It was the last year of the BCS era and we had joined the Big East, which was restructured to the American Athletic Conference. So this was the last year that our conference had an automatic tie-in to a BCS (now New Year’s Six) bowl. When it got to the point that at the end of the season, we realized UCF was going to go, I talked to some of my friends and we just said — we’re not going to miss this opportunity because we didn’t know if it would happen again. Obviously not knowing at the time that three years later the Peach Bowl would happen and then we’d be going back to Arizona again, but at the time we thought this opportunity may not present itself again.

And what was it like?

We had a great time. We didn’t get there that much earlier than the game, so we didn’t get to do a lot of sight-seeing. We just really focused on the game and went to the alumni tailgate, which we had a blast at. The game was amazing. UCF never trailed in the game. Everyone was saying we were going to lose and we were going to get destroyed, and it was just a great feeling afterwards because — at that point, it was the biggest win we’d ever had. It’s funny too because some of the Baylor fans, when we were walking into the stadium with them, they were real nice to us because they figured we didn’t have a chance. And they were really quiet on the way out.

Did you think twice about making the trip? Because of the Arizona of it all?

No not at all. And not this time either. I’m taking my son and we’re spending a little extra time there. We’re going to see the Grand Canyon, Sedona, if we get time we’re going to go down to Tombstone and just see some of the sights around Arizona.

What were some of your favorite experiences in 2014?

Besides the game, definitely the alumni tailgate. We actually spent a good chunk of that day at the alumni tailgate and just had a great time.

What has been most exciting to you the past few years as a UCF Knight?

It’s amazing just to see them go undefeated in one season. That doesn’t happen very often. And to do it back-to-back seasons is amazing, especially with the coaching changes. It’s been really exciting to see the student support growing and the fan support from the community. I had season tickets both times when we were win-less, and through good and bad, it’s important to support the team. It’s great to see the success they’ve had. And I think a lot of it too has to do with the things that Danny White has put in place to try to make all of our athletic programs successful. It all brings a lot of really good exposure to the university.

What are you looking forward to the most?

Well, the game. Number one. Getting a chance to get back out there again and seeing some sights and taking advantage of the location.

What advice would you give people considering to head out to this year’s game?

Figure out a way to make it happen. At that 2014 game, that was kind of a first-time thing, so we never knew if it was going to happen again. Last year we had the Peach Bowl and we can get kind of spoiled with success too, where people may be thinking “well I’ll just wait until it comes back to the Peach Bowl or somewhere close.” But there are no guarantees. You never know what’s going to happen. I hope UCF continues to have great success and we continue to have these great opportunities, but don’t take it for granted. Take advantage of the opportunity and find a way to make it happen. I’ve seen some postings online where students are planning to drive. I understand that it’s not cheap to get out there, but you can find ways to make it work. The work that the coaches and the players have put into the season and how much support they’ve had at home all year, let’s help continue that support for the last game of the season at the Fiesta Bowl.