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The UCF Knights (10-4; 6-2 C-USA) most likely played their last game as members of Conference USA in their 38-17 victory over Ball State (9-4; 6-2 MAC) in the 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl. The win was the Knights second ever bowl game victory (the other was 2010’s Liberty Bowl win over Georgia). UCF will now move on as members of the Big East Conference and are scheduled to become full-members in the league in June 2013. However, the Big East Conference UCF thought it was joining has been severely depleted in the shifting alignments in the NCAA IA conferences, with West Virginia, TCU, Syracuse, Rutgers, Louisville, Notre Dame, and the 7 Catholic universities that were basketball-only members committing to join other conferences. All UCF can do now is wait to see where the final chips in the alignment process fall. But with the additions of East Carolina and Tulane (along with other several C-USA teams), it’s looking more and more like the Big East is not nearly as an attractive conference as originally perceived.

Another issue lingering for the Knights is an NCAA appeal that is scheduled to be heard in January. UCF received strict sanctions as a result of serious recruiting violations; and a several penalty believed to be harshly unfair was a 2012 post-season ban that would’ve prevented UCF from playing for a Conference Championship and bowl matchup. The University hired college sports attorneys and other legal experts to help in their appeal process. If UCF loses the appeal, then it will face a post-season ban in the last remaining season that the Big East qualifies for an automatic BCS bowl slot, which could be quite costly as it would allow seniors to transfer and result in a loss of millions of potential revenue. While the Knight Nation is proud of UCF’s successes in 2012, the uncertainty of the future for UCF’s athletics programs and the fate of its 2013 football post-season leave some serious concerns that only time will answer.

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (9-4; 6-2 C-USA) lost to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-3; 7-1 C-USA) 33-27 Saturday in the Conference USA Championship Game broadcasted nationally on ESPN2. The Knights’ loss came after a very controversial third quarter punt return that was marked as dead by game officials; review of the film of the game showed that the field referee called the play dead, waved his hands to signify that, and then a player from Tulsa came off of the sideline and blocked a defender, setting up the touchdown. While the score probably gave Tulsa the win, there was struggling by UCF both offensively and defensively throughout the game. And penalties were costly for the Knights. The loss cost the Knights a berth in the Liberty Bowl, where Tulsa will now go on to face Iowa State. UCF instead will play the Ball State Cardinals (9-3; 6-2 Mid American Conference) in the St. Pete Bowl (sponsored by Beef O’Brady’s) on Friday December 21st. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm and the game will be nationally broadcast in the primetime spot on ESPN. Below, take a look at the highlights of UCF’s loss in the Championship Game to Tulsa from Conference USA’s Point After:
Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (9-3; 7-1 C-USA) soundly defeated the UAB Blazers (3-9; 2-6 C-USA) 49-24 Saturday at UCF’s Bright House Networks Stadium. The win earned the Knights the 2012 C-USA East Division Crown and will place them in a rematch against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-3; 7-1 C-USA) for the Conference USA Championship this Saturday. The Knights lost to Tulsa just two weeks ago 23-21. A win at that game would’ve secured UCF’s home field as the site for the game. But the loss meant UCF will face Tulsa in their home. Kickoff is set for Noon and the game will be nationally televised on either ESPN or ESPN2. Below, take a look at highlights from UCF’s win over UAB from Conference USA’s Point After:

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (8-3; 6-1 C-USA) fell 23-21 to the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa (9-2; 7-0 C-USA) Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The loss cost the Knights big-time. With its win against UCF, Tulsa now all but guarantees their home stadium will serve as the site for the 2012 Conference USA Championship Game on December 1st. As long as UCF beats UAB on Saturday, they will travel back to Tulsa to take on the Golden Hurricane in the Championship game, giving them the opportunity for revenge. The Knights struggled offensively to counter the endless onslaught of blitzes the Golden Hurricane threw their way. The Knights anemic offense scored only once in the second half; and they had only one drive of more than 40 yards and had five three-and-out scenarios. The lack of ability to score in the game ultimately proved fatal. The Knights now take on the Blazers of UAB (3-8; 2-5 C-USA) Saturday. Kickoff is set for Noon at Bright House Networks Stadium on the UCF campus.Check our Conference USA’s Point After below for highlights of the UCF vs. Tulsa game:

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

UCF’s new home in 2013 will be in the East Division of the Big East Conference. UCF will join the ranks of the Cincinnati, UCONN, Louisville, Rutgers and rival USF. The Knights football team will play 8 conference games during the season with teams from both the West Division (Boise State, Memphis, Houston, San Diego State, SMU, and Temple) and East Division. The Big East Championship will then be played at the home of the top team. UCF officially joins the Big East in June of 2013.

The UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 C-USA) went into Tampa last night to take on their rival the USF Bulls (0-1; 0-0 Big East). The Knights handed the Bulls a bloody bashing that ended with an 18-point UCF victory! The Knights also brought about 2,000 fans into Tampa for the game. Here’s the recap of the game from UCF Athletics:

Sykes, who traditionally plays at small forward, shined running the team. He nearly recorded a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. What a way to start the season for the Knights. Led by an incredible performance at point guard by Isaiah Sykes, UCF opened the campaign with a dominating 74-56 victory at cross-state rival USF Saturday, spoiling the Bulls’ debut at the renovated Sun Dome. A huge contingent of UCF (1-0) fans were on hand to see the Knights defeat the Bulls, who won a pair of games in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, in Tampa for the first time since 1978. The Knights, who hardly trailed during the evening, shot 50.0 percent overall and finished with a 45-26 edge on the glass. Sykes was one of four UCF players who finished with double digits in scoring. Keith Clanton had 16 points and 16 rebounds.  The Knights dominated from the start. UCF led 40-24 at the break after a first half filled with dunks, offensive rebounds and incredible play at the point from Sykes.

The junior had 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in the opening stanza. “It was an incredible win for our program and our school,” UCF head coach Donnie Jones said. “I am very proud of this team. I thought we played a great team (game). We had four guys in double figures tonight and played very unselfishly. The thing I am really proud of is that we played a lot of guys out of position. Isaiah Sykes hasn’t played one minute at point guard in his career until tonight. I am very proud of him.” UCF shot 45.2 percent in the first half, when it outrebounded the Bulls (0-1) 25-13. The Bulls got within 12 points with 8:28 left in the contest, but the Knights responded with a huge 3-pointer from Kasey Wilson that handed UCF a 59-46 advantage. Sykes did it all for the Knights. In the first half, he found open teammates like Clanton and Sykes for dunks, and scored in a variety of ways. Holding a big lead in the second half, he slowed things down and got to the basket for impressive buckets. 

“I just stuck to the game plan and focused. Our coaches did a great job in breaking down their film,” Sykes said. “Our coaches did a good job of preparing our team.” UCF limited the hosts to a 36.4 percent shooting performance. Tristan Spurlock totaled 14 points in the winning effort, and Wilson added 13 points and six rebounds. Jawanza Poland led USF with 22 points. UCF and the Bulls will also meet on Jan. 2 in Orlando. The home-and-home series is offering the Knights a preview of the BIG EAST Conference, which the program will join next fall. On Saturday, UCF’s banner already hung in the rafters of the Sun Dome among those of the other BIG EAST programs. “It was big for us,” Clanton said of the win. “We knew that they were going to come out with a lot of emotion. Coach told us that we might not shoot it well, but the one thing that we can always control is our hustle.” 

The Knights will make their 2012-13 home debut on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena against Alabama State. The game is the first of a record 20 home contests this season.

The UCF Knights (8-2; 6-0 C-USA) beat the UTEP Miners (2-8; 1-5 C-USA) last night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, inching their way up to a Top 25 ranking (the Knights hit #30 in the AP poll today). The Knights struggled a bit offensively and defensively. But in the end, a run from Latavius Murray solidified the Knights’ tough fought victory. The Knights remain atop of Conference USA’s East Division and will undoubtedly host the Conference USA Championship game on December 1st if they can wrap up a win against the Conference’s West Division leader Tulsa (8-2; 6-0 C-USA) on Saturday. That game airs on Fox Sports Network at Noon. Below, take a look at highlights from UCF’s win over UTEP from UTEP’s Point After:

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

Seeking revenge for the beat down they received last season in Dallas, the UCF Knights (7-2; 5-0 C-USA) dominated the Mustangs of SMU (4-5; 2-2 C-USA) from start to finish in a Homecoming celebratory game in-front of a crowd of almost 35,000 of UCF’s faithful. The Knights punctuated their game plan with an incredibly effective trick play in which quarterback Blake Bortles through a lateral to receiver (and former quarterback) Jeff Godfrey, who then through the touchdown pass to Latavius Murray. The fans went crazy after the play and the stadium grew more raucous by the minute! The Knights also received 15 votes in both the AP and Coaches’ Poll, indicating that consistent wins over their next two opponents (UTEP this Saturday and Tulsa a week from Saturday) will probably land them in the Top 25 and result in them being a nationally-ranked team. It would also solidify the team as the East Division Champions and secure their home stadium as the site for the Conference USA Championship game on December 1st. Below, check out Conference USA’s Point After for highlights of UCF’s 42-17 win over SMU below:

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (6-2; 4-0 C-USA) handed a crushing 54-17 defeat to the Thundering Herd of Marshall (3-5; 2-2 C-USA) on Saturday in Huntington, West Virginia. The Knights stifled Marhall’s prolific offense, which ranked #4 in the country prior to Saturday’s matchup and also put a screeching hault to Marshall’s talented quarterback Rakeem Cato, who was #2 in the nation in pass completions and passing yards. Here’s a quick synopsis from Orlando Sentinel‘s Paul Tenorio:

As Latavius Murray caught the screen pass in the third quarter and turned up field, left guard Jordan McCray came across and leveled a Marshall safety, knocking the defender out of the play as Murray coasted 20 yards into the end zone. While Murray and QB Blake Bortles stood out offensively on Saturday night, McCray’s block was an example of the play up front that spurred the offense to its best performance of the season. “I thought they did some different things that we weren’t expecting,” O’Leary said of Marshall. “Our offensive line coach, Brent Key, made some adjustments, really didn’t take a lot, just a different line call to control some of the movement they were putting on us.” 

UCF coach George O’Leary praised the unit multiple times during his weekly television show on Sunday. The adjustments worked, and the Knights controlled the game the rest of the way.  “I got to give credit to the offensive line, that’s where it starts,” Murray said after his second straight standout performance. “I think they keep blocking the way they are, there are yards to be made.” The offensive line generated a great push against Marshall, and as a result UCF racked up its most impressive numbers this year. The Knights had season-high marks in rushing yards (278), yards per rush (6.9), passing yards (290), yards per pass (13.2), total offense (568) and yards per play (9.2).

The Knights move back to campus this Saturday to celebrate Homecoming by taking on the Mustangs of SMU (4-4; 2-1 C-USA). SMU is a talented team that will most likely give the Knights their biggest remaining challenge before they head into Tulsa (7-1; 4-0 C-USA) on November 7th. Below, take a look at highlights of Saturday’s one-sided victory of Marshall from Conference USA’s Point After:

Picture and Story Highlights Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (5-2; 3-0 C-USA) bested the Memphis Tigers (1-6; 1-2 C-USA) 35-17 Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee in a Conference USA showdown that was nationally broadcasted on College Sports Station. The Knights’ defense took and gave in the win; they forced turnovers at the right times; but they also gave up a large number of yards against the Tigers, who have struggled offensively and have only collected a meager 3.3 yards per carry prior to Saturday’s matchup against UCF. The Knights take on the Thundering Herd of Marshall this Saturday at 8:00pm in Huntington, WV. The game will be nationally broadcasted on CBS Sports Network. Check-out highlights from Saturday’s gridiron clash between UCF and Memphis below:

Conference USA’s Highlights of UCF vs. Memphis

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel