Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

After falling to the #10 Miami Hurricanes last Saturday @ Brighthouse Networks Stadium, the UCF Knights took out their frustrations today on the struggling Rice Owls, who dropped to 0-8 (0-4 C-USA). The Knights jumped on-top quickly, immediately setting the tone for domination. Senior quarterback Brett Hodges connected with A.J. Guyton for a 76-yard touchdown on the opening play. Guyton charged another 66 of those yards after the catch. Guyton tallied 103 yards receiving in the first quarter. It was his second 100-plus yard receiving game this season. He is the only Knight who has racked up at least 100 yards rushing this season. Guyton was a major playmaker today for the Knights, throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass to Kamar Aiken on an option play, giving the Knights a commanding 28-0 lead with 1:55 left in the second quarter.

Several other Knights scored early, with reserve Ronnie Weaver reaching the end zone on a 27-yard run and Hodges reaching the end zone by scrambling ahead for one yard. During the second half, freshman Josh Robinson returned an interception for a touchdown to pad the Knights’ lead. Rob Calabrese came off the bench in the second half, connecting with Jamar Newsome and Ricky Kay touchdown passes to give the Knights a bigger advantage. The Knights now improve to 4-3 (2-2 C-USA) and get ready to be seen in a national spotlight battle against C-USA East’s #1 team Marshall (5-3; 3-1 C-USA) next Sunday (11/1) on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 8:15 pm. COHPA/CON Tailgating details will follow later this week. GREAT JOB UCF KNIGHTS!!! BEAT MARSHALL!!! (Excerpts and photo courtesy Orlando Sentinel),

 The UCF Knights (3-3; 1-2 C-USA) fell 27-7 to the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday night at Brighthouse Networks Stadium in-front of a record-breaking sold-out crowd. The Knights continued to fail to produce on Offense, resulting in only one scoring drive. The Hurricanes move on to 5-1 (4-2 ACC) and continue their drive to be a national contender this season. The game was nationally-broadcast on CBS. While UCF may not have won the game, they certainly won at tailgating! The University estimates close to 70,000 people came to the campus to partake in tailgating parties and festivities. The game was sold-out a few weeks ago; but thousands of fans showed-up anyway to have fun and hopefully find a ticket to buy for the game. The Knights now move back into C-USA play with a game this Saturday against the Rice Owls (0-7; 0-3 C-USA) and then will have another nationally-televised game next Sunday on ESPN versus Marshall. The Knights should have no trouble securing the “W” against Rice, which is one of the worst teams in I-A football. The Knights face only one more out-of-conference foe at Texas on 11/7. UCF is only 3 wins away from being a bowl-eligible team. GO KNIGHTS!!! BEAT RICE!!!

  The UCF Knights Football team is making preparations for what could be the most exciting game of their season. The Knights host the #9 University of Miami Hurricanes this Saturday. UCF’s squad took Monday-Wednesday off last week to heal and get some much needed rest. Practice resumed Thursday. The Knights (3-2; 1-2 CUSA) are coming off a strong 32-14 victory against Conference USA foes the Memphis Tigers on 10/4 while the ‘Canes (4-1; 2-1 ACC) crushed I-AA FAMU 48-16 last Saturday. Although the Knights are the definite underdog, the 58,000-seat sold-out stadium will provide some deafening crowd noise that should help give the Knights’ defense some help. Miami won’t be alone, however. UM sold all 10,000 of their ticket allotment. This marks the second matchup between the teams. Miami narrowly defeated UCF last season 20-14 in Miami. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm at UCF’s Brighthouse Networks Stadium and the game is being nationally televised on CBS. The Colleges of Nursing and Health & Public Affairs will hold their Tailgate Party outside the Fairwinds Alumni Center from 2:00pm-6:30pm. Come support the Knights to victory against the Miami Hurricanes! GO KNIGHTS!!! BLACK & GOLD!!!

  The UCF Knights handed the Tigers of Memphis a solid loss on Saturday in-front of a large and boisterous crowd on Parents’ Day at Bright House Networks Stadium. After running into some offensive stalls during the first half, the Knights turned-up the heat during the second half, forcing multiple turnovers and having mostly scoring drives.  Running back Brynn Harvey (a recruit out of Largo) carried the ball 42 times and accumulated a whopping 219 yards of rushing while the Knights offense racked-up a total of 475 yards. The Knights now have a bye-week and will have the opportunity to get some much needed rest and recovery before taking-on the #17 Miami Hurricanes at home. The game is sold-out. The UCF CON/COHPA Tailgate Party will be held in Memory Mall (right next to Fairwinds Alumni Center). The time is TBA. GO KNIGHTS!!! BEAT THE ‘CANES!!!

 UCF suffered a major setback to their season on Saturday in their 19-14 loss to ECU. The Knights doomed themselves with failed executions, missed tackles, and missed field goals. Quarterback Brett Hodges made their work even harder handing the Pirates 4 interceptions, one of which came in the final 1:30 after the Knights scored and recovered an onside kick near the 50 yard line. Penalties were also costly for the Knights; a false start set that onside kick starting field position back 10 yards. The Knights (2-2, 0-2 CUSA) now have 2 losses in CUSA and are virtually shut-out of the chance to fight for the conference championship. UCF should now focus on winning at least 5 of their remaining games and making a post-season bowl game appearance. They’ll get their start this Saturday as they return home to take on the Memphis Tigers. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm. The CON/COHPA Tailgating Party will begin @ 10:00am in Lot E-6 right in-front of BHNS.

 The UCF Knights football team showed Saturday night that they have what it takes to put forth a solid effort and win the game. The Knights took-on the reigning MAC Champions Buffalo at Bright House Networks Stadium and although gave a lackluster performance the first half, proved they have the ability to win and ferociously attacked the Bulls both defensively and offensively in the second half. UCF capitalized on several Buffalo turnovers and the Knights handed the Bulls a scoreless second half with 16 unanswered points. Brett Hodges, the Knights new quarterback showed poise and was effective in the passing game (despite some inept receivers who couldn’t always hold on to the ball). The Knights head to Greenville next week to take on C-USA foe East Carolina. UCF has never beaten ECU in their own home. Let’s hope Saturday marks the first time… GO KNIGHTS!!! BEAT THE PIRATES!!!

 The UCF Knights are looking to rebound this weekend as they take on 2008 MAC Champions Buffalo. The Knights suffered a loss last weekend in Hatiesburg as they confronted their first C-USA opponent Sountern Miss. The Knights made several costly mistakes that lead to 2 early turnovers. The Golden Eagles capitalized on both and scored points. Quarterback Rob Calabrese fumbled on UCF’s second drive, giving the Golden Eagles an easy touchdown. Although they drove hard in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the game, holding Southern Miss to only one touchdown, it was too little too late for UCF, which lost the game 19-26. Saturday’s matchup pins UCF against one of the best teams from a non-BCS conference.

Buffalo was crowned MAC Champions last season. The Buffalo Bulls are coming off a loss at Pittsburgh last week. After his fumble and inability to put together an effective offense front against Southern Miss, Rob Calabrese was benched and replaced by new starting quarterback Brett Hodges, who transferred to UCF last season after competing for the starting job at Wake Forest. The Knights are 4-point favorites on Saturday. Kickoff for the UCF vs. Buffalo game is set for 7:30pm at UCF’s Bright House Networks Stadium and will be televised on Bright House Networks Sports Network. The UCF Colleges of Nursing and Health & Public Affairs will hold their Tailgate Party in Lot E-6, beginning @ 1:00pm.

   After struggling in their season opening win against I-AA squad Samford last week, the UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 C-USA) are moving right into Conference USA action this week as they take on their Golden Eagle foes of Conference USA’s Eastern Division. The Golden Eagles are coming off of a 52-0 blitz of I-AA Alcorn State last week and are under the helm of new head coach Mike Fedora. The Golden Eagles are a favorite among many sportscasters to win Conference USA and are returning some key starters from last season. After sustaining a severe compound fracture during USM’s 2008 bowl game against Troy State, wide receiver DeAndre Brown is returning to the Golden Eagle’s starting lineup this week as soon as team physicians give him clearance. The Knights shocked fans that packed Bright House Networks Stadium last week after showing ineptitude on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Starting quarterback Rob Calabrese sputtered in the first few offensive drives and was quickly replaced by backup senior and Wake Forest transfer Brett Hodges, who led the Knights on all 4 of their scoring drives. Despite Hodges’ success, offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe is sticking with Calabrese on Saturday: “If I didn’t see the potential he has on the practice field, then you might consider another direction,” Taaffe said. “But Rob can do it, he can play. He just has to take that next step, which is to transfer it to the game field. So he’s still young and early in his career, and the only way he’s going to get better is playing.” Kickoff is set for 7pm (ET) Saturday. The game will be nationally-televised on CBS College Sports Network. LET’S GO KNIGHTS!!!

The UCF Knights took home their first victory of the 2009 season Saturday night against the Samford Bulldogs; but it sure wasn’t pretty. The Knights struggled both offensively and defensively, almost losing to a I-AA squad that was a 19.5 point underdog. The Bulldogs capitalized on a pile of UCF mental errors. Starter Rob Calabrese couldn’t effectively move the offense down the field, although he didn’t get much help from his offensive line and wide receivers. Calabrese was only 3-10 for 29 yards and one sack. Senior backup Brett Hodges had better luck, going 10-of-17 passing for 129 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also lead the Knights on all 4 of their scoring drives. Sophomore Brynn Harvey rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns while true freshman Quincy McDuffie fired up the Knights with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Penalties proved costly as did turnovers, a missed field goal, and a missed PAT. The Knights (1-0, 0-0 in C-USA) have to make major improvements this week to prepare for a tough Conference USA game at Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 52-0 win over Alcorn State, living up to Coach Larry Fedora’s promise to be aggressive in all facets of the game. Southern Miss’ no-huddle offense and star RB Damion Fletcher will be major obstacles for UCF. (Excerpts courtesy Orlando Sentinel).

The UCF Knights will begin their football season tomorrow against the Bulldogs of Samford University of Birmingham, Alabama. Going in as 19.5 point-favorites, this game will most likely serve as a scrimmage for UCF. But Knights’ fans are PUMPED and ready to turn the page on last year’s abysmal 4-8 season. As of early Thursday, the UCF Athletics Office reported less than 2,000 seats remaining within UCF’s 52,000 seat Bright House Networks Stadium. After this week’s matchup, the Knights will immediately enter Conference USA competition with a game against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, who many sportscasters predicted will be this year’s Conference Champions. UCF will take the field under new leadership on the offensive front.

Tim Salem was handed a demotion at the end of last season and made the Tight Ends Coach. Charlie Taffe took over the reigns as Offensive Coordinator and will be infusing new offensive schemes into the Knights’ attack this season. UCF returns quite a few players from last season, including most of its strong defensive line. The offense remains under the gun of quarterback Rob Calabrese. Practice reports and comments made by head coach George O’Leary indicate Calabrese has made significant improvements during the off-season. And receiver Rocky Ross is also returning after a clavicular fracture prematurely sidelined him after the second game of the 2008 season. Tailgating parties for the Alumni Associations of the College of Health & Public Affairs and the College of Nursing start at 1:00pm in the area of Memory Mall right behind the Fairwinds Alumni Center. Kickoff is at 7:30pm. The game will be televised on Bright House Networks Florida Sports Network.