Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

 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.

  Mount Dora Coach Chad Grabowski says UCF is getting a good one in CB Jordan Ozerities, who committed to the Knights on Thursday. Ozerities, the No. 30-ranked player in the Orlando Sentinel’s “Central Florida Top 100,” is a two-way talent for Mount Dora, playing cornerback and wide receiver, and he also sees time in the offensive backfield. He’s athletic and a good cover corner. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder has good speed at 4.59 in the 40-yard dash and has also developed into the role of a leader at the Mount. The Knights also added Oviedo standout quarterback Blake Bortles, who says he just couldn’t stop thinking about UCF. “Every school I visited, I kept comparing it UCF,” Bortles said. “I talked to my parents about it (Friday night) and told them I really just felt like UCF was the best school for me.” He made it official Saturday afternoon, turning down offers from Purdue, Tulane and Colorado state to commit to UCF. Bortles is the Knights’ 11th commitment. Bortles, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, is the No. 7-ranked prospect on the Orlando Sentinel‘s “Central Florida Top 100.” The quarterback said he had a positive feeling about the coaches and overall atmosphere at UCF. “I’m really happy I was able to make a decision so that now I can just focus on school and football,” he said. (Courtesy: Orlando Sentinel).

 ESPN released its annual top 5 “Games to Fear” for the upcoming football season. The column lists the top 5 NCAA I-A matchups of the season in-which an upset for the favorite is most probable. ESPN lists UCF’s September 26th match versus the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, NC as the #4 most “Game to Fear.” Here’s what ESPN has to say about the game:

4. East Carolina vs. UCF: East Carolina is the favorite to win Conference USA, but once again it has a tough nonconference schedule to with contend first. Last season, the tough nonconference schedule hurt the Pirates during the early parts of their conference slate and it could happen again against a Central Florida team that many believe will contend for the conference title as well.

And the best news: My dad and I will be there for the game cheering for the Knights!

GO BLACK & GOLD!!! GO KNIGHTS!!!

The UCF Knights football team have made two amazing additions to their 2010 football commits.  Impressive offensive linemen Jordan and Justin McCray committed to UCF Monday morning. The twins’ older brother Cliff McCray is already a member of the Knights’ squad. The linemen’s Miami Southridge High School coach, Patrick Burrows, said Cliff McCray didn’t try to steer his younger brothers, but his decision to play for the UCF football program played a major role in their decision.”To be honest that’s that one thing that kept hearing from them the most whenever they talked about UCF,” Burrows said. “Their big brother plays there and their big brother is happy there. That seemed like the most important thing. They also like facilities  and they like the coaches.” Jordan and Justin McCray are identical twins who are 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive guards. They drew interest from FAU, Miami, Ole Miss, Purdue, Rutgers, USF and Tennessee, but their only offer so far was from UCF. The brothers made it clear early in the recruiting process they wanted to stick together in college. With the two commitments, UCF’s 2010 recruiting class continue to fill up at a rapid pace. The Knights now have seven commitments for 2010.

Burrows heaped on high praise for the McCray twins. “They’re great leaders on the team, great leaders in the classroom,” he said. “One of the brothers had  1040 on the SAT and the other had a 1050. They both have at least a 3.5 GPA or better. They’re really committed and work hard on and off the field. They were raised by great parents and very receptive to coaching. They are willing to do whatever it takes to get better.” While they are strong students off the field, Burrows said the McCray brothers are equally impressive on the football field. “They look like they’re ready for the next level right now,” he said. “They ffinish blocks, they’ve got quick feet, they run down the field well. Really, the quick feet is all that matters. That’s what you really need to be a great offensive lineman and you can’t really fake it.”

When asked if the McCray brothers were among the leaders on the Miami Southridge team, Burrows made it clear Justin and Jordan are the leaders on his team. They’re focused on and off the field,” he said. “They’re role models at the school and in the community. They get it, they just get it. They understand everything that it takes to be successful. They’re the first ones in weight room and last to leave. They’re just great guys.” (Editor’s Note: Orlando Sentinel contributed to this article).

UCF Basketball is about ready to gain quite a bit of notoriety and spotlight. Marcus Jordan, son of legendary Basketball player Michael Jordan, has committed to the Knights. According to the Orlando Sentinel: “He made his decision based on two criteria,” said Tyrone Slaughter, Jordan’s coach at Whitney Young High in Chicago. “One was the ability to go in and make an immediate impact. He wanted to go in and have an opportunity to play right away at the collegiate level. Secondly, if it was place that he went to on a visit would immediately appeal to him. He immediately felt comfortable during his visit to UCF.” Jordan, a 6-foot-2 and 180-pound senior, made his decision one week after visiting UCF. He is best friends with UCF freshman point guard A.J. Rompza, who played at Whitney Young last season with Jordan. Welcome to UCF Marcus! We look-forward to yout tenure as a Knight!