Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl champion coach Jon Gruden has been conducting his annual quarterback camp over the last week. One of the quarterbacks in attendance was none other than UCF’s Blake Bortles, who is garnering much buzz about his potential to be the #1  pick in this year’s NFL draft. Gruden called Bortles a “Golden Knight in shining armor for the Houston Texans.” See highlights from Bortles’ participation in the camp along with Gruden’s comments about his draft stock and incredible talent as a quarterback below:

Despite being 17-point underdogs, the UCF Knights (12-1; 8-0 AAC) defeated the Bears of Baylor (11-2; 8-1 B12) 52-42 in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl in Glendale Arizona on January 1st. The Knights used a balanced attack on offense. And the Knights’ defense stifled the #1 offense in the history of college football. UCF’s offense put up 556 yards and its most-ever points against a ranked team, and showed they could pound the rock or beat the Bears through the air. Bortles threw two interceptions in the first half, but was efficient after halftime and completed 20 of 31 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns, adding 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Storm Johnson rushed for 124 yards and added three scores. The defense, meanwhile, held its own against an offense that was averaging 53.3 points and 624.4 yards, keeping Baylor to one of its lowest point outputs of the season. Its secondary limited the big plays and the pass rush did enough to bother Bears’ quarterback Bryce Petty.The win was definitely the biggest in UCF history. The Knights ended the season ranked #10 in the Associated Press poll and will also add two new players to the NFL rosters next year as both star quarterback Blake Bortles and key running back Storm Johnson announced they were leaving for the pros.

That leaves two of UCF’s very decent backup quarterbacks (Pete DiNovo and Justin Holman) vying for the top spot while Will Stanback will most likely continue to develop into UCF’s top running back. On Wednesday January 8th, the Fiesta Bowl win was celebrated big time! Close to 10,000 Knights’ fans were in-attendance at a pep rally held in CFE Arena that evening and cheered and chanted as UCF’s head coach George O’Leary talked about the historic nature of the win and the future of the program. Highlights of broken records among the Knights win against Baylor include:

• UCF set a school record for most wins with 12.

• The senior class earned the most wins of any in school history during a four-year stretch, going 38-15 for a .717 winning percentage.

• The Knights finished 7-0 on the road for the first time in school history.

• UCF earned its first wins over Big Ten (Penn State) and Big 12 (Baylor) teams.

• The Knights played in and won their first Bowl Championship Series game.

• UCF was the youngest school (1963) and football program (1979) to ever play in a BCS game.

• The Knights scored more points (52) than any other team facing Baylor this season.

• UCF entered the season with one win over a team ranked in top 25 polls. The Knights ended it with two more, topping No. 8 Louisville and No.
6 Baylor.

• The Knights were ranked No. 15 in the final BCS standings, the highest position in UCF history.

• UCF will likely record the school’s highest ranking ever when the final top 25 polls are released later this week.

• Kicker Shawn Moffitt finished with 21 made field goals and had a 91.3 percent accuracy rate (21-of-23), which are both school records.
Moffitt also tied the school mark by going 49-of-49 on extra points.

• Blake Bortles had one of the stronger season ever by a UCF quarterback, finishing with 25 touchdowns (tied 5th), 259 completions (4th), 382
attempts (7th), 67.8% completion percentage (5th), 3581 yards (3rd) and 163.3 efficiency (2nd).

*- Note: Excerpts from this BLOGBOARD Post courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

Below, check out highlights of UCF’s win over Baylor in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, courtesy of ESPN:

The UCF Knights (11-1; 8-0 AAC) took care of their final piece of business of the regular season on Saturday, defeating the Mustangs of SMU (5-7; 4-4 AAC) 17-13 on an 18-degree frigidly cold day in Dallas, TX. Due to the freezing temperatures, only about 1,000 fans attended the game, many of whom were Knights. UCF struggled offensively during the first half; and an early turnover by receiver Jeff Godfrey one the first drive of the second half made the Knights look sloppy and unprepared. But, as they’ve shown all season, UCF would not back down. In all, the Knights held the Mustangs on three 4th down attempts; and they scored a late interception that would seal their win. Knights’ quarterback Blake Bortles, who moved up to a first round draft pick on ESPN’s Brian Griese’s NFL quarterback prospect list, threw for a total of 242 yards and ran for two touchdowns. With the win, UCF sealed their fate as the sole Champions of the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference. UCF landed the #15 spot in the final BCS, Associated Press, and Coaches’ Poll rankings of the regular season. The Knights also learned Sunday that they would be celebrating New Year’s day fighting the Bears of Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ, marking their first ever BCS bowl appearance. #6 Baylor (11-1; 8-1 Big 12) was named the Big 12 Champion on Saturday after their 30-10 victory over the Texas Longhorns. UCF vs. Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is set for 8:30pm on Wednesday January 1st. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Below, watch video highlights of UCF’s victory over SMU:

The UCF Knights (10-1; 7-0 AAC) needed a miracle to conquer their rival USF (2-9; 2-5 AAC) on Friday night in-front of a nationwide audience on ESPN and a sold-out 46,000 black-out crowd at Bright House Networks Stadium. And a miracle is what they got. After turning the ball over 5 times, the Knights executed a near-perfect drive in the last 4:50 of the game as Knights’ quarterback Blake Bortles hit wide receive Breshad Perriman on a 52-yard bomb. And just when the gassed out UCF defense seemed to be letting the Bulls inch closer to a victory, Jordan Ozerities clinched an interception that sealed the Knights’ 23-20 victory and gave them their first ever win over USF. The series is now 4-1. The win also gave UCF a boost in the rankings. The Associated Press poll placed UCF at #15 while UCF rose to #16 in the BCS. Both mark the highest ranking UCF football has ever achieved in its history. The Knights can secure the American Athletic Conference Championship and their first-ever BCS bowl appearance with a win against SMU (5-6; 4-3 AAC) on Saturday or if Louisville defeats Cincinnati on Thursday night. Kickoff for the UCF at SMU game is set for Noon in Dallas. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Below, check-out Jordan Ozerities’ interception that gave UCF its victory over USF courtesy of ESPN:

The UCF Knights (9-1; 6-0 AAC) took care of business 41-17 against the Scarlett Knights of Rutgers (5-5; 2-4 AAC) in-front of a nationwide audience on ESPN Thursday night. UCF’s special teams fell with a blocked punt attempt at the end of the second quarter; but UCF entered the second half of the game and showed dominance over Rutgers that would never let up. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles even broke records, outpacing former Knights’ quarterback Steven Moffett’s record for passing yards. Blake now sits at #4 behind #1 Daunte Culpepper, #2 Ryan Schneider, and #3 Darin Hinshaw. With 3 more games to go, Bortles could even surpass those star quarterbacks. UCF made some small moves in the rankings, falling to #19 in the BCS while rising to #17 in the Coaches’ Poll and #19 in the AP Poll. UCF will host their rival USF (2-8; 2-4 AAC) on Black Friday. Kickoff is set for 8pm and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Take a look at highlights from UCF’s victory over the Scarlett Knights of Rutgers (courtesy of ESPN) below:

The UCF Knights (8-1; 5-0 AAC) narrowly defeated the Owls of Temple (1-9; 0-6 AAC) on Saturday in Philadelphia. The Knights defense struggled to contain the Temple run; and the Owls took full advantage. UCF literally pulled off the win in the final 1:06, reeling in an incredible catch. The Knights would stop the Owls on their final drive and would get the ball back to set-up a 23-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt. UCF QB Blake Bortles completed 27-of-38 passes, amassing 404 yards of passing and 4 touchdowns. The Knights were very lucky to come off with the win; and they need to play more consistently in their final 3 games. Even if the Knights drop one of their remaining contests, they’re likely to earn a spot in a BCS bowl for the first-time ever in school history. They’ll have the opportunity to make a national statement on Thursday night when they take on the Scarlett Knights of Rutgers (5-4; 2-3 AAC). Kickoff is set for 6:30pm and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Catch the highlights of UCF at Temple courtesy of ESPN below:

The UCF Knights (7-1; 4-0 AAC) defeated the Cougars of the University of Houston (8-2; 4-1 AAC) for Homecoming on Saturday night in-front of a near-capacity 45,000 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium on the beautiful UCF campus. The game was nationally-televised on ESPN2. Houston came into the game with a known high-powered and high-scoring offense and a defense that lead the nation in forced turnovers. And the Cougars lived up to that reputation, at least partially, in forcing UCF to commit 2 turnovers in the red zone that would’ve placed the game at an uphill battle for the Cougars. But instead they allowed Houston to stay in the game all the way up to the heart-pounding induced finale! Houston’s defense was able to stifle UCF’s offense throughout most of the game. A blocked field goal in the fourth quarter kept Houston within striking distance. The Cougars got the ball back with just over 4 minutes remaining and marched all the way down to the Knights’ seven yard line. But the Knights’ defensive unit rose to the occasion. They put heavy pressure on John O’Korn, Houston’s Freshman QB, and forced him to miss his pass attempts on all 4 downs. UCF fans erupted into cheers with the victory; and the win continues the Knights on their clear path to a BCS bowl game. On Sunday, the Knights found themselves ranked #15 by the Associated Press, the highest in school history. Later that evening, the Knights learned they had moved up to #17 in the BCS standings. UCF travels to Philadelphia to take on the Owls of Temple (1-6; 0-4 AAC) on Saturday. Kickoff is at Noon and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN3 and regionally broadcasted as ESPN’s Regional Game of the Week. Below, watch highlights of UCF’s victory against Houston, courtesy of ESPN:

The UCF Knights (6-1; 3-0 AAC) defeated the Huskies of UCONN (0-7; 0-3 AAC) in a resounding 62-17 rout on Saturday in UCF’s Bright House Networks Stadium in-front of close to 40,000 fans and a nationwide audience on ESPN3. The win further solidified UCF in the rankings. Their highest ranking came in at #19 in the AP Poll while the Coach’s Poll placed UCF at #21. The Knights stayed at #23 in the BCS standings. Blake Bortles continued to show his absolutely studly skill at quarterback, pulling in 286 yards and scoring 4 TDs before being benched at the middle of the third quarter. Jeff Godfrey was also a shining star for the Knights, amassing 6 receptions for 54 yards and 3 touchdowns. UCF now takes a week off to prepare for the Cougars of Houston (6-1; 3-0 AAC), who they will host on Homecoming on November 9th. Kickoff time and television broadcasting availability are yet to be announced. Below, watch highlights of UCF’s slaughter of the UCONN Huskies, courtesy of ESPN:

The #21-ranked UCF Knights (5-1; 2-0 AAC) went into #8 Louisville (6-1; 2-1 AAC) on Friday in-front of a national audience on ESPN and defeated the team most sports analysts believed would dominate the new American Athletic Conference and take the league’s slot in what will be the final BCS Bowl Championship Series bowl game. The Knights’ win was the program’s first-ever against a top 10 opponent. And many are calling it UCF’s biggest win in program history. But the win was not easy. The Knights struggled during the first half, only putting up 7 points against the Cardinals. Blake Bortles shot down an aggressive initial drive with an INT in the end zone and UCF would go on to struggle offensively throughout the half. Down by a 21-point deficit, the Knights didn’t give up and fought back with 28 unanswered points, punctuating the game with an incredible finale, sealing their win with just :28 left on the clock. The win dismantled Louisville’s run for a national championship, fight for the AAC Championship, and any Heisman Trophy hopes for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles made-up for his starting drive INT and continued to show his amazing skills at the helm, completing 21 of 32 pass attempts for 250 total yards. UCF edged out Louisville by just 1 yard, amassing 446 total yards to Louisville’s 445. UCF now holds the reins on their destiny in the AAC. Winning out would secure them AAC Champions and would land them in a BCS bowl for the first-time ever. UCF now returns home for the next two games, starting on Saturday with an AAC game against the Huskies of UCONN (0-6; 0-2 AAC). Kickoff is set for Noon at Bright House Networks Stadium on the beautiful UCF campus. The game will be nationally televised through ESPN3. Watch the highlights of UCF’s victory of Louisville courtesy of ESPN below:

The UCF Knights (4-1; 1-0 AAC) pulled off what ended-up being a miracle in their 24-17 win over the Tigers of Memphis (1-3; 0-1 AAC) in the opening of American Athletic Conference play for the 2013 season. The game was nationally televised on ESPN3. UCF came out of the gate flat and appeared grossly unprepared to play a Memphis team that was coming off their first win of the season against Arkansas State last week. Quarterback Blake Bortles struggled in his completions, falling way below his season average completion rate of 70% to completing just 8-19 passes. The Knights Defense unit didn’t perform much better. Multiple missed tackles and numerous penalties seemed to stifle the Knights’ progress, with a defensive penalty towards the end of the first half giving the Tigers an automatic first down, simultaneously dooming the Knights scoreless for the remainder of the half. Thanks to scoring two touchdowns within nine seconds in the last few minutes of the game, the Knights stole the Tigers’ victory and came away with the win. Take a look at highlights from the UCF vs. Memphis game courtesy of ESPN below:

Photo Courtesy The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)