Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (4-6; 2-4 C-USA) lost to a very good ranked (#23) Southern Miss (9-1; 5-1 C-USA) team Saturday night in a showdown at “The Rock” in Hattiesburg, MS. The Knights brought the game down to the wire, mostly by racking up yardage on the backs of backup quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receiver Lativius Murray. The Knights marched down the field in the last final seconds of the game and scored a touchdown that brought the game to 29-30. Instead of tying the game up and bringing it into overtime, UCF went for a two-point conversion, that unfortunately, fell short and gave the Golden Eagles the win. This was also the away-game I chose to attend this season with my dad. We made plans to attend Southern Miss before the start of the season, believing the Conference USA East Division Title would be on the line at this game. UCF now needs to win-out its remaining two games at East Carolina (4-5; 3-2 C-USA) and at home against UTEP (5-4; 2-3 C-USA) to become bowl eligible. Most college football experts predict the Knights will do that and land in the St. Petersburg (Beef O’Brady’s Bowl) against a Big East (UCF’s future conference) team on December 20th. UCF vs. East Carolina is being broadcasted on Fox Sports Network this Saturday. Kickoff is at 7:00pm. See below for my reflections from Southern Miss. (Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel).

1. Pre-Game Dinner at Leatha’s BBQ: Ridiculously good BBQ! Dad and I both remarked it could be the best BBQ we ever had, even better than Memphis! Neat atmosphere and very friendly wait staff who welcomed the UCF fans that were there.

2. Southern Miss Campus/ Tailgate/ Fans: Very nice campus that consists of older style brick buildings. Lots of tailgaters. Every Southern Miss fan we interacted with at the game was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The fans (with the exception of a few who’ve come to this Board) are very classy folks. 

3. The Game: I think we saw an amazing comeback performance from our boys that brought it down to the wire. Obviously Bortles was much more effective than Godfrey (he should be our starter period) and Murray/ Worton were great. I have some great feelings about our offense and entire 2012 team after this game. The two-pointer was a gutsy call that would’ve made one hell of a statement had it worked. Hindsight is always 20/20. So going for the tie for OT looks much more attractive now. But I give O’Leary some credit for the ballsy call. 

4. Attendance: My dad and I were shocked to hear the announced crowd at just 32,000! A ranked top-25 football team that seems to be destined for their Conference Championship game and a nice post-season bowl only had 32K people attend their game and that is sad to me. And the very friendly, welcoming, and cordial Southern Miss fans around us told us that the attendance last night was actually slightly better than average and that “The Rock” has NEVER hosted one sell-out game in its entire history! Seeing such poor attendance for a team that is having such an incredible season was disappointing for sure. Overall, we really enjoyed the Southern Miss experience. I would definitely go back again. 

The UCF Knights (4-5; 2-3 C-USA) suffered yet another loss Thursday night. In front of a national audience on CBS Sports Network, UCF lost to Conference USA mate Tulsa (6-3; 5-0 C-USA) at Bright House Networks Stadium. While the offense saw some success, the defense really struggled. With five starters out on injury, the Golden Hurricane took advantage of missed tackles and sloppy play. UCF led during the half; but they couldn’t perform in the red zone, which resulted in them adding just 3 points in the entire second half. And in the end, Tulsa took control of the game running out close to 5 minutes of the game clock giving the Knights no time for any offensive effort. With this loss, the Knights are now struggling to win just six games to become bowl eligible. The season has been a terrible disappointment for a team that finished 2010 ranked in the top 20 in two polls and #25 in the BCS, won their Conference Championship game, and beat a traditional powerhouse team in the Liberty Bowl. And their season isn’t getting any easier. The Knights play a very good Golden Eagles (8-1; 4-1 C-USA) team in Southern Miss this Saturday. Kickoff is at 8pm and the game is televised nationwide on CBS Sports Network. Photo courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (4-4; 2-2 C-USA) are celebrating a smashing victory over C-USA rival Memphis (2-7; 1-4 C-USA) on their Homecoming from this past Saturday. UCF proved that it has what it takes to be a dominate force on the football field after shocking upsets at SMU and UAB. The defense held Memphis to just six first downs and only 134 total yards of offense. The offense was also very successful, racking up a massive 505 total yards! Quarterback Jeff Godfrey also shows why he is the Knights’ #1 guy. He completed 14/17 passes, passed for 200 yards, and earned one of the Knights’ touchdowns. But the victory for UCF has to be quickly savored. The Knights are back on national television this Thursday when they take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-3; 4-0 C-USA). Tulsa just delivered the Mustangs of SMU (the same SMU team that solidly defeated UCF and who knocked TCU out of the Top 25 just a few weeks ago) a slaughter! The Golden Hurricane are no doubt the most rounded (and perhaps most talented) football team UCF has faced this season. UCF is also expected to get a formal invitation to join the Big East in all-sports as early as Tuesday of this week. Hopefully that invitation will come and bring renewed energy to the team who can bring home another win. Kickoff is set for 8pm and the game will be nationally televised on CBS College Sports Network. The UCF College of Nursing Tailgate Party for the UCF vs. Tulsa game will begin at 4pm in the Softball Lot. Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (3-4; 1-2 C-USA) suffered a shocking defeat last week to the Blazers of UAB (1-6; 1-3 C-USA) in Birmingham, Alabama in a game that was nationally broadcasted on CSS. UCF struggled defensively and offensively. Starting quarterback Jeff Godfrey proved to be ineffective during the game; but backup Blake Bortles was put in too late. Although he was able to help put up 10 points in less than 5 minutes and put the Knights in the lead, UAB’s Ty Long hit a 41-yard field goal that would seal the fate of the game and give UAB a 26-24 win over UCF. The Knights now shift their focus to Memphis, a struggling team that is 2-6 overall and 1-3 in C-USA. Kickoff for the Homecoming game is set for 4pm. The UCF College of Nursing Alumni Chapter has a full day of events planned for UCF’s Homecoming celebration. The Alumni Breakfast begins at 8:30am in the College of Nursing at University Towers (Suite 300) in Research Park. After the Breakfast, the Homecoming Parade kicks off at 11:00. The College of Nursing Homecoming Tailgate Party then starts at Noon in the Softball Lot. For more information on the UCF College of Nursing Homecoming events, contact the College of Nursing Development Officer Katie Korkosz @ (407) 823-1600. Photo courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (3-3; 1-1 C-USA) suffered a humiliating defeat against the Mustangs of Southern Methodist (6-1; 2-0 C-USA) on Saturday in Dallas, Texas. UCF was out coached from all aspects of the game; and its continued problems with special teams haunted them on Saturday as well. Bad punts doomed the Knights from the start of the game, giving SMU excellent field position which led to quick and short scoring drives twice. And while UCF has had a stout defense, the Knights gave up 440 yards of offense and allowed a touchdown pass for the first time in 8 contests! In contrast, UCF had a total of 459 yards with 80 plays. But the problems in the offensive line kept points off the board. While UCF didn’t give up any turnovers, they were unsuccessful at sustaining scoring drives. Quarterback Jeff Godfrey was 23 of 32, passing for 231 yards, scoring one touchdown, with two sacks. Backup quarterback Blake Bortles was put in the game during the last five minutes of play and he led the Knights to a quick scoring touchdown in 1:12. But it was too little too late and the Knights finally succumbed to the Mustangs 38-17. The loss puts UCF in a toss-up in Conference USA East with Southern Mississippi (5-1; 1-0 C-USA), who had a bye week this week. The Knights will get little rest as they must immediately begin preparations for UAB, who they play in-front of a national audience on Thursday on CSS Sports Network. Kickoff is at 8pm.

The UCF Knights (3-2; 1-0 C-USA) defeated the Thundering Herd of Marshall (2-4; 1-1 C-USA) during an absolute torrential downpour at Bright House Networks Stadium (BHNS) on the beautiful UCF campus on Saturday night. UCF struck early and landed the first touchdown of the game during the first drive of the game. The Knights would also capitalize on a safety in the 2nd quarter and then drive for a second touchdown on the next drive. Marshall’s only points came from a UCF fumble on Marshall’s 10-yard line late in the 3rd quarter that was returned for a touchdown. The Herd then went for a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful. Over a 24-hour period, over 7 inches of rain soaked the field at BHNS and the rain ranged from a steady downfall to a pelting throughout the contest. With the win, UCF moves up to first place in C-USA East and continues to defend its 2010 Championship. The Knights’ next matchup is one that will prove daunting. UCF travels on Saturday to Dallas, TX to take on the SMU Mustangs, who had a bye-week Saturday. SMU (4-1; 2-0 C-USA) knocked-off the then #20 TCU Horn Frogs (at TCU) last Saturday in a game that went into overtime and resulted in some bad blood between the two teams. The game will be broadcast nationwide on Fox Sports Network. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm. The Knights need to secure a win against SMU to propel themselves further up C-USA East to fend off the Southern Miss Eagles (5-1; 1-1 C-USA), who are proving to be a dominant team in the East.

The UCF Knights (2-2; 0-0 C-USA) suffered another game of mishaps last Friday night in their 24-17 loss at BYU (2-2; IND) with two turnovers sealing their fate in Provo, Utah. With the loss, UCF is ready to fix their mistakes and are doing so this week in a bye week. The Knights need to focus on improving their punt return average and also need to work on special teams, who have had 2 costly miffed punts that have resulted in touchdowns over their last two contests. Starting quarterback Jeff Godfrey has also struggled somewhat, holding on to the ball a little too long resulting in sacks. Fumbles have also been an issue for the offense. The Knights are moving into Conference USA play for the remainder of the season, starting with their Homecoming game next Saturday against the Thundering Herd of Marshall (1-3; 1-0 C-USA) at 7pm at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Knights have a lot of potential remaining in their season. Last year at this same point, UCF was 2-2 and eventually went on to be an undefeated ranked-team that defeated Georgia in the Liberty Bowl. The UCF College of Nursing has an entire day-long event planned for Homecoming, including a breakfast beginning at 8:30am in the University Towers, attendance at the Homecoming parade, and the College’s Tailgate Party, which begins at 3pm in the Softball Lot.

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (2-1; 0-0 C-USA) were handed a shocking defeat Saturday night against the FIU Panthers (3-0; 0-0 Sun Belt) at a sold-out FIU Stadium in Miami. Both programs were coming off of huge wins. UCF obliterated Boston College (1-2; 0-0 ACC) 30-3 last week at home while FIU knocked-off Louisville (2-1; 0-0 Big East) at Papa John’s Stadium in Kentucky. With that win, the Knights knew they would have a tough battle ahead of them. But in the end, they doomed themselves with two very costly turnovers and the inability to stop FIU’s potent blitzing defensive scheme. Quarterback Jeff Godfrey was rattled the entire game. While he hadn’t been sacked all season, the Panthers somehow managed to sack him 7 times during the game. The 5,000+ Knights fans who made the trek down to South Florida for the game were left perplexed at how UCF made so many costly mistakes and hope the effect will not be felt this week amid rabid conference expansion talks.

UCF has worked long and hard to bring their program into serious consideration for a BCS AQ bid. To perhaps make matters worse, the Knights won’t get much of a break. The team travels into Provo, Utah on Friday to take on the Cougars of BYU (2-1), who are coming off a crushing loss to Utah 54-10. The Knights are hoping to make some major improvements to prevent the same errors that occurred Saturday against FIU from recurring. The UCF vs. BYU football game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 8:00pm.  Photo: UCF QB Jeff Godfrey fumbles late in the second quarter, giving FIU an instantaneous touchdown return. Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

Defeat is never an easy pill to swallow. But when that defeat is absolutely stifling, the pill leaves behind an even more bitter taste! That’s exactly what the UCF Knights (2-0; 0-0 C-USA) football team delivered to the Eagles of Boston College (0-2; 0-0 ACC) in-front of 46,000 fans that filled a sold-out Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday night on the beautiful UCF campus. The Knights and Eagles played a very close game for most of the first 3 quarters. But that all took a dramatic change when the Knights’ defense forced two turnovers and paralyzed any type of offensive effort from BC. The UCF defense put up some major roadblocks for BC, allowing them to put up only 141 total yards of offense and just 3 points!

The final score of 30-3 reflects the gasoline the Knights’ offense poured on between the end of the 3rd quarter and entire 4th quarter using a running attack that wore down BC’s defensive line quickly. The gorgeous evening of football and fanfare was punctuated by an amazing show of solid support for a Boston College hero–Welles Crowther. Crowther was a BC Alum and former lacrosse player who was killed in the World Trade Center Attacks on 9/11. He was famous for wearing a trademark red bandana, one he eventually used as a mask when he re-entered the South Tower and saved countless people before being killed in the building’s collapse. Thousands of UCF students, fans, and Alumni wore red bandanas to show their love for the BC Alum, who gave his own life so that others could live.

The win was sweet for the Knights in many ways. It marked the first win ever against a BCS-AQ conference team for UCF since moving to their home on the UCF campus. The Knights also picked-up more votes towards a top-25 ranking. A solid win against Florida International (2-0; 0-0 Sun Belt), a team that handily defeated the Louisville Cardinals (1-1; 0-0 Big East) last Friday, should help push the Knights further towards a top-25 spot in the polls. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN3. Kickoff is set for 6pm at FIU Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 C-USA) football team started the 2011 football season on the right foot Saturday against the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern (0-1; 0-0 FBS). The Knights handed the Buccaneers a crushing 62-0 defeat in-front of a crowd of 40,000 at Bright House Networks Stadium. The UCF squad dominated the matchup from the start and went into the half up 35-0. Starting quarterback Jeff Godfrey took a seat early when there was over 3 minutes left in the first half. Backup quarterback Blake Bortles would lead the Knights for the remainder of the game but not before Godfrey tied former UCF great Daunte Culpepper for the most rushing touchdowns in a game. UCF now has to shift focus to a much harder level of competition as they take on the Eagles of Boston College on Saturday. The Eagles (0-1; 0-0 ACC) are off to a rocky start and the Knights need to capitalize on that to bring home the “W” to what is sure to be a sold-out Bright House Networks Stadium on the UCF campus. As of late last week, fewer than 2,000 tickets remained for the Boston College matchup. Kickoff is set for 8pm and the game will be nationally televised on CBS College Sports Network. The UCF College of Nursing Tailgate Party for the Boston College game “kicks off” at 3pm under the scoreboard in the Golden Knights Club Softball Lot.

(Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel).