Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (8-3; 6-1 C-USA) football team delivered a crushing defeat to the Tulane Green Wave (4-7; 2-5 C-USA) in New Orleans, LA this past Saturday. UCF dominated the game on all fronts and lead Tulane 31-0 by the end of the first quarter. The Knights moved closer to clinching the 2010 C-USA Eastern Division Crown and hosting the Championship Game at Bright House Networks Stadium on 12/4. That will happen as long as the Knights take care of business this Saturday against the Memphis Tigers (1-10; 0-7 C-USA). UCF is also inching closer to being a ranked team once more. After falling to Southern Miss (8-3; 5-2 C-USA), the Knights fell out of the Top 25. But after the win against Tulane, UCF came in at #27 in the Coaches Poll. A major victory against Memphis could be enough to land the Knights back in the rankings. Conference USA also announced today that despite concern the SEC would push for an opponent from the Big East for the Liberty Bowl, its champion would be sent to Memphis on 12/31 for the game. Early predictions are pitting the Knights against the Georgia Bulldogs or the Tennessee Volunteers.

The UCF Knights football program is ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in its history. UCF made the move to IA in 1996 but has never been in the Top 25. The closest ranking to the nation’s elite football teams came in 2007 when the Knights placed #27 after losing to MSU in the Liberty Bowl. This week, the Knights placed #25 in the AP Poll and #23 in the Coaches’ Poll. After beating the University of Houston Cougars (5-4; 4-2 C-USA) on Friday in front of a national audience on ESPN2, UCF (7-2; 5-0 C-USA) has ensured they will most likely host the Conference USA Championship Game at their own Bright House Networks Stadium on December 4th. Kickoff for that game is TBD and it will be broadcast nationally on either ESPN or ESPN2.

 But, before then, the Knights take on the Eagles of Southern Miss this Saturday (kickoff @ Noon–TG Party begins @ 10am in Softball Lot), the Tulane Green Wave on 11/20 in New Orleans (kickoff @ 3:30pm), and Memphis Tigers on 11/27 in Memphis, TN (kickoff @ 12:00pm). While certainly out of their control, there has also been a lot of chatter that UCF will be asked to join the Big East, considered by most to be a major upgrade from Conference USA and would also place the Knights in an AQ-BCS Conference. Their ranking in the Top 25 will definitely bolster the Knights as a team worthy of strong consideration. (Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel).

Homecoming was a happy affair on Saturday as the UCF Knights beat the Rice Owls 41-14. Freshman quarterback Jeff Godfrey opened the game with a bang, connecting with senior receiver Kamar Aiken for a 59-yard pass. UCF’s defense pounced early and limited Rice to 41 yards total offense in the first half. The Knights’ offense was just as potent, scoring touchdowns on all four of its first-half possessions to claim a 27-0 halftime lead. The Knights’ advantage swelled in the second half, giving inexperienced reserve quarterback L.D. Crow valuable snaps. Crow, a junior who transferred from Stanford, moved from third to second string when junior quarterback Rob Calabrese suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 13 at Marshall. UCF was pinned on its 2-yard line, but Crow responded by leading the Knights on a nine-play, 98-yard scoring drive. He finished the drive with a 40-yard touchdown pass to senior H-back Ricky Kay. Godfrey turned in his strongest passing game of the season. He completed 13-of-18 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Godfrey also rushed for 41 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. Junior running back Ronnie Weaver had another solid day, leading UCF with 53 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Senior defensive end Bruce Miller, junior defensive end Darius Nall and sophomore Josh Robinson led the Knights with six tackles apiece. Nall added 2.5 sacks, one quarterback hurry and forced one fumble. UCF now moves to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in C-USA and faces a formidable showdown against the East Carolina Pirates (5-2; 4-0 C-USA) this Saturday at 3:30pm at Bright House Networks Stadium. The victor of the game will most likely go on to host Conference USA’s Championship game. The Colleges of Nursing and Health & Public Affairs Alumni Tailgate Party will start at Noon in Softball Lot E5. UCF also picked-up 2 votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, more than the University of Florida Gators, who did not earn a single vote. (Photo and contributions courtesy Orlando Sentinel).

The UCF Knights (4-2; 2-0 C-USA) headed into Huntington, West Viriginia on Wednesday night with a showdown against the Thundering Herd of Marshall (1-4; 0-2 C-USA) on ESPN. The game was a soggy slugfest, with the Knights taking advantage of turnovers and easily handing the Herd a 35-14 loss. A rain delay that spanned an hour and eight minutes ended-up forcing a short 3-minute halftime. And the Knights’ backup quarterback Rob Calabrese was benched with a knee injury right after he scored UCF’s first touchdown (pictured, courtesy Orlando Sentinel). Starting quarterback Jeff Godfrey threw one pick during the game and the wet conditions caused a lot of fumbles and slip ups. But despite the challenges, the Knights put together a highly effective running game that really paid off. UCF returns to Bright House Networks Stadium for their next matchup against Rice on October 23rd. Kickoff is at 3:30pm.

After dominating Kansas State the entire game but eventually running out of steam in the last minute of the game, the UCF Knights (2-2; 0-0 C-USA) return home to Bright House Networks Stadium on Wednesday at 8pm to face the UAB Blazers (1-3; 0-0 C-USA), who last week took the Tennessee Volunteers into overtime. Last week, the Wildcats scored a touchdown on a quarterback scramble with 25 seconds left in the game, waking up just in time to seal a 17-13 win over the Knights. The Knights look for their first win towards a Conference USA Championship appearance. The game is going to be nationally-televised on ESPN. Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm. The Colleges of Nursing and Health & Public Affairs Tailgate Party will begin at 4:00pm in the Softball Lot (Lot E-5), directly across the street from BHNS. (Excerpts and photo courtesy Orlando Sentinel).

The UCF Knights football team (2-1; 0-0 CUSA) took control of the game late last Saturday securing a 24-10 victory against the Buffalo Bulls. Although the Knights struggled during the first half, they were able to pull ahead late in the third quarter to bring UCF their first road victory of the season. Below are video highlights of this week’s matchup at Kansas State and a recap of last week’s win at Buffalo (courtesy Orlando Sentinel):

LET’S LOOK AHEAD: UCF (2-1) plays arguably its toughest nonconference game of the season at Kansas State (3-0). The Knights’ defense faces a big challenge in the Wildcats’ dynamic senior RB Daniel Thomas, who ranks second nationally in rushing with 184 yards per game. Thomas, who has experience playing quarterback, can effectively run the wildcat and has helped carry Kansas State to a 3-0 record, beating UCLA, Missouri State and Iowa State.

LET’S REVIEW: The Knights shook off a sluggish first half, using a strong fourth quarter for a 24-10 win at Buffalo. True freshman QB Jeff Godfrey got his first career start against the Bulls, but UCF coach George O’Leary said he fell back into some bad habits as the rushing attack sputtered. Junior QB Rob Calabrese played the first two possessions of the third quarter with little success, then Godfrey came off the bench to lead UCF on a 15-play, 90-yard scoring drive that helped the Knights secure the win.

INJURY UPDATE: Sophomore RB Brynn Harvey will likely go through full-contact workouts for the first time since injuring his knee during spring football. O’Leary said Harvey might be back for the UAB game Oct. 6. Senior LB Lawrence Young may have suffered a slight concussion at Buffalo and his status is known for the Kansas State game. Redshirt freshman OL Chris Martin is expected to return to the lineup after missing the Buffalo game with a knee injury. 

After dominating South Dakota 38-7 on last Saturday in-front of 33,000 fans at Bright House Network Stadium, the UCF Knights take-on the Wofpack of NC State from the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday. Junior quarterback Rob Calabrese had his best game ever for UCF, leading the Knights on four scoring drives. He was 12-of-15, passing for 176 yards and one touchdown. N.C. State is coming off a 48-7 win home win over Western Carolina. Junior quarterback Russell Wilson took six months off from football to play college and professional baseball, but he made a smooth transition back to running the Wolfpack offense. Wilson was 21-of-31, passing for 306 yards and four touchdowns Saturday. The Knights have been practicing all-week for a high-octane offense powered by a NC State’s very mobile quarterback. The Tailgate Party for the Colleges of Nursing and Health & Public Affairs will begin at 2:30pm in Lot E5 (Softball Lot). All are welcome to attend. Hopefully the Knights will repeat the performance they gave back in 2007 when they beat NC State in Raleigh. Take a look at a GREAT video of the final seconds of that game and below:

 The UCF Knights football team will take to the field at Bright House Networks Stadium this Saturday to mark the beginning of the 2010 Football Season. UCF is expected to be a major contender in Conference USA with a squad of mainly returning players. The Knights will take on the Coyotes of South Dakota on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 6:00pm.

The Knights went 7-5 in 2009, losing to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in the St. Petersburg Bowl in the post-season. This year, the goal is Conference USA’s flagship Bowl: The Liberty, which pits the C-USA Champion against a team from the SEC. UCF played in the Liberty once before, in the 2007 season losing to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The College of Nursing is again teaming-up with the College of Health & Public Affairs for Tailgate Parties for each game. This year, the Tailgates will take place in the Softball Lot (E5). This Saturday’s tailgate begins @ 1pm.

Below, take a look at the eldest member of the UCF Marching Knights, 48 y/o Don Cuopo, who is returning to UCF to finish his college education. The Marching Knights are under new direction this season, with former Georgia Tech Band Director Donny Allen taking over the reins from Director Ron Ellis (who departed in July to take a position with the University of Texas @ San Antonio). The Marching Knights are expected to have over 300 members this year and it should be great to see a change in leadership that will hopefully yield positive results. See-you on Saturday and GO KNIGHTS!!! 

 UCF announced that two more football games during the 2010 season will be broadcast on national television. The Knights will play N.C. State at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and Southern Miss at noon Nov. 13 on CBS College Sports. UCF is hosting both games at Bright House Networks Stadium. In addition to the two CBS College Sports games, UCF will be playing three games airing on the ESPN family of networks. The Knights host UAB Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. on ESPN. UCF will play at Marshall Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. on ESPN and at Houston Friday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

 The UCF Knights Basketball program has hired a new Captain. Donnie Jones is leaving Marshall University to become the next coach at UCF. Jones has only been the head coach at Marshall for 3 seasons; but the Tundering Herd rose quickly to success on the court, landing in the top of Conference USA and ended 2009-2010 with a 24-10 record. Marshall made their first postseason appearance for the first time in 22 years. Prior to his position at Marshall, Jones was an Assistant at the University of Florida. UCF parted ways with long-time coach Kirk Speraw, who finished this season with a losing record (15-16) at the bottom of Conference USA. UCF Athletic Director Kieth Tribble praised Jones for his strong recruiting skill and cited Jones’ abilities to bring strong recruits to Huntington. Tribble also mentioned to Jones that UCF is strongly pursuing a position in the Big East should the league expand in the not-too-distant future.