Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (3-0; 0-0 AAC) announced today that its home matchup against the Gamecocks of South Carolina (2-1; 1-1 SEC) this Saturday at Noon has officially sold out. Hundreds of students stood in line at the UCF Arena box office starting early Monday morning in an attempt to purchase guest tickets to the game. Most, however, were turned away when the last set were sold shortly before 12pm. Although UCF’s beautiful on-campus stadium sits about 46,000, the capacity grows closer to 50,000 once box seats, press, and other spectators in the stadium are factored into the tallies. UCF is coming off one of its biggest victories in program history with a 34-31 win against the Nittany Lions of Penn State (3-1; 0-0 BG10) in-front of a close to 100,000 capacity crowd at Beaver Stadium on 9/14. The Knights enjoyed a bye-week last Saturday and resumed practice after resting for a couple of days. Saturday’s game against the Gamecocks will also be the first game UCF will perform in-front of a nationwide standard broadcast. The game will air on national broadcast television on ABC. If you were unable to get tickets to the game, make sure to tune in and watch the Knights take on the Gamecocks at Noon on ABC! GO KNIGHTS!!!

The UCF Knights (3-0; 0-0 AAC) defeated the Nittany Lions of Penn State (2-1; 0-0 BG10) on Saturday in a packed stadium filled with close to 100,000 raucous fans. UCF now has a bye-week before hosting the Gamecocks of South Carolina (2-1; 1-1 SEC) on September 28th at Noon. That game will be broadcasted on ABC, ESPN, or ESPNU. Below, ESPN highlights the Knights’ historic win at Penn State:

The UCF Knights (2-0; 0-0 AAC) steamrolled right past the Panthers (0-2; 0-0 C-USA) of Florida International University on Friday night in-front of a nationwide CBS Sports Network audience. The Knights shut-out the Panthers 38-0 and displayed more offensive prowess in the second of four out-of-conference games that start their season. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles completed 12-19 passes for 214 total passing yards and 1 TD; and Storm Johnson dominated the rush amassing 89 yards on 18 carries and scored 3 TDs. Rannell Hunner also ran up 100 yards receiving for the first time. UCF will now travel to Penn State, where they’ll take on the Nittany Lions (2-0; 0-0 B-10) in what could be one of the biggest games of the season. Kickoff is set for 6pm and the game will be nationally-televised on the Big 10 Network. The UCF Alumni Association will also be hosting the Charge On! Beat Penn State Tailgate Tent Party at Penn State starting at 3pm on the field of the Penn State Track and Field area. Tickets to the event are just $15 and include an open bar and all-you-can-eat BBQ. For more information or to register for the event, visit: https://www.ucfknightsnetwork.com/UCFPennState2013

Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel

The UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 AAC) opened the season with a resounding victory over the Akron Zips (0-1; 0-0 MAC) in front of a large crowd at Bright House Networks Stadium Thursday night. The game played to a nationwide audience on ESPN3. UCF beat Akron 38-7 and showed they could be a serious contender in the all-new American Athletic Conference this season. The Knights were lead by quarterback Blake Bortles, who showed some amazing talent as he broke the program’s longest touchdown pass in history with a 91-yard BOMB to receiver Breshard Perriman. Bortles also completed 18-24 passes for 314 total yards and three touchdowns. Head Coach George O’Leary praised Bortles’ performance, saying, “He has a world of talent.” The Knights travel to Florida International University next Friday for an evening game against the Panthers (0-0; 0-0 C-USA) that will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network before heading to Penn State the following week to take on the Nittany Lions (0-0; 0-0 B-10). With repeats of performances like they gave tonight, the UCF Knights should be poised to have a stellar season! Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.