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The UCF Knights (3-2; 1-0 C-USA) kicked-off their last season in Conference USA with a crushing 40-20 defeat of the Pirates of East Carolina (3-3; 2-1 C-USA) Thursday evening in-front of a nationwide audience (the game was televised on CBS Sports Network) and about 33,000 Knights fans at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Knights will depart C-USA next season for the Big East; and winning the Eastern Division title and becoming Conference Champions one last time remains the Knights’ #1 priority. Paul Tenorio reports for the Orlando Sentinel:

The opening drive of Thursday night’s game appeared a notch past worrisome for UCF. East Carolina plink and plunked its way down the field. Quarterback Shane Carden completed 6 of 7 passes for 40 yards and the Pirates rushed six times for 35 yards – including a 7-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. It only got worse on the next drive – a one-play, 76-yard strike that made it 14-0.

While Quincy McDuffie’s 99-yard kickoff return undoubtedly turned the momentum of the game, a more subtle adjustment by the Knights’ defensive staff may also have altered the outcome. UCF went on to beat East Carolina 20-40.

The most obvious issue during those first two drives was a lack of push up front by UCF’s defensive line. That led to plenty of time in the pocket for Carden, who was patient and efficient in waiting for his receivers to get open, never more glaring than when Pirates receiver Justin Hardy sprinted by UCF cornerback Brandon Alexander on the long touchdown pass.

“It was mistakes on our half and not more so what they were doing,” said senior defensive lineman Troy Davis, who had six tackles and two quarterback hurries. “And we just needed to make corrections as far as the defensive scheme and we got it done.”

After those opening two drives, UCF allowed just six points. Of the Pirates 362 total yards, 141 came on those first two of ECU’s 11 drives. The pass rush undoubtedly was a factor. Carden rarely had time to sit in the pocket; he was sacked twice and hurried another six times.

UCF coach George O’Leary said it was simply a numbers game.

“They were keeping seven-man protection in there and we were rushing four guys,” O’Leary said. “So it was two-on-one right across the board. So we started sending an extra guy all the time and at least you get two guys with singles so you can hopefully beat someone. … I wish we would have contained the quarterback better, there would have been about eight or nine sacks out there.”

 Story and Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights football team (2-2; 0-0 C-USA) lost 21-16 to the Missouri Tigers (3-2; 0-2 SEC) at home today at Bright House Networks Stadium. Although the Knights put up a strong offensive during most of the first half, their failure to score on Mizzou’s 3-yard line in the final 2-minutes of the second quarter set-up the offense for a sputtering second half. The Knights take-on East Carolina (3-2; 2-0 C-USA) this coming Thursday at 8:00pm at home. The game will be nationally broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.

Brenden Sonnone writes about the loss to Missouri in the Orlando Sentinel:

UCF senior linebacker Ray Shipman planned to rub salt in some raw wounds. After the Knights suffered a 21-16 loss to Missouri on Saturday at Bright House Networks Stadium, Shipman planned to watch hours of film chronicling the Knights’ latest squandered opportunity. “We let another winnable game get away,” Shipman said. “That’s pretty much all I have to say about it right now.” There wasn’t much else to say. Saturday’s home game, played in front of an announced crowd of 35,835, had the potential to be a statement game for a program that still lacks an abundance of marquee wins. Things began to unravel for UCF (2-2) just before halftime. Leading 10-7, the Knights were outplaying Missouri and could have seized control of the game by taking a two-score lead. However, quarterback Blake Bortles was sacked for a 6-yard loss on third down. With no timeouts remaining, the clock ran down and the half ended, along with the good will UCF had compiled. “It was a big shift of momentum,” UCF running back Storm Johnson said. “Obviously, we were on, what, the 3-yard line? We want to score or at least get a field goal out of it. To get no points, that was a big momentum switch, but I don’t think it should have changed our pace of the game. But it did.” New life was injected into the Tigers on both sides of the ball. Missouri took what seemed to be UCF’s best shot and trailed by just three points. The Knights started a drive at their own 12-yard line and efficiently marched downfield. UCF was facing first-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 13 seconds remaining in the half. With renewed energy on defense, Missouri forced UCF into two three-and-outs to start the second half. Johnson had 84 rushing yards in the first half, and the Knights possessed the ball for nearly 22 of the game’s first 30 minutes, but UCF’s offense became stagnant in the second half. With a 14-10 lead, Missouri never looked back. Running back Kendial Lawrence would score on a 10-yard run with 9:31 left in the fourth quarter to put Missouri up 21-10.

It looked as if UCF might pull out of the nose dive just in time. More punting meant more opportunities for Tigers tailback/return specialist Marcus Murphy, who embraced the frequent reps by returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter. After UCF forced Missouri to punt, the Knights took over on offense with 2:44 left in the game, but Godfrey fumbled the ball after a 7-yard reception, ending any chances of a UCF comeback. Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Godfrey hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bortles with 4:34 remaining in the game. 

“They’re losses,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said of the narrow defeats to teams from automatic qualifying BCS conference teams. “They win, we lose, that’s how we look at those games. … But I think we can grow on, correct some of the mistakes. I think we had it going early in the game.” Again, it was another missed opportunity for UCF, which lost at Ohio State earlier this season 31-16 in a game that was competitive outside of self-inflicted mistakes. Defensively, Shipman had eight tackles and a tackle for loss, defensive end Troy Davis had 1.5 sacks and safety Kemal Ishmael had six tackles and an interception. UCF was led on offense by Johnson, who finished with 93 rushing yards. Bortles, who was not made available to the media after the game, threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns. “It’s just dull,” Ishmael said. “We were inconsistent on offense and defense. We had chances to capitalize, but we just have to move forward now.” Ishmael said he will soon forget the painful loss and concentrate on Thursday’s Conference USA opener at home against UCF.

Story and Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (2-1; 0-0 C-USA) defeated the FIU Panthers (1-2; 0-0 Sun Belt) on Saturday at Bright House Networks Stadium in-front of a crowd of nearly 41,000. FIU’s late rally wasn’t enough for UCF’s dominant defense and the Knights sealed their 33-20 victory. UCF now faces the Tigers of Missouri (2-1; 0-1 SEC) a week from this Saturday and will enjoy a bye-week before facing what is likely to be their most formidable foe of the remaining season. Orlando Sentinel‘s Ilana Limon reports:

For a brief moment Saturday afternoon, the haunting memories of the past crept up on UCF players. It was inevitable.But thoughts of revenge and the memories of last year’s painful collapse prompted the Knights to avoid letting history repeat itself. “It’s been a long year, and it’s been worth it,” said UCF senior defensive end Troy Davis, who finished with seven tackles, two sacks and two forced fumble. “Just the loss to them last year put more fuel to the fire.” Just one year since a 17-10 meltdown and loss to FIU — a defeat that derailed the Knights’ once promising season — UCF again flirted with surrendering a comfortable lead to the upstart Panthers. UCF (2-1) thwarted a late FIU (1-2) comeback attempt, beating the Panthers 33-20 before an announced crowd of 40,478 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium. It was UCF’s home opener. 

Then, the pesky Panthers began to claw back. UCF had built a 30-7 lead late in the third quarter following a 10-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver and converted quarterback Jeff Godfrey, but FIU recorded two unanswered touchdowns to cut the Knights’ lead to 30-20 with 9:16 left in the game. The Knights were clearly motivated from the onset of the game, jumping out to a 23-0 halftime lead. It was then when the Knights recalled the way they felt after 2011’s 17-10 loss, a defeat that helped spark a disappointing 5-7 season for UCF. “Just stay on those guys; don’t let up,” Godfrey said of what he thought during the FIU rally. “Just keep pushing.” The Knights dug down and put together a six-minute drive capped by a 23-yard field goal from Shawn Moffitt. The score pushed UCF ahead 33-20 with 2:26 left in the fourth quarter and put the contest out of reach.

UCF’s win over FIU is an exorcism of sorts. Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles threw two touchdown passes during the game’s first two quarters, and the Knights’ defense did not allow the Panthers to cross midfield.For Godfrey and J.J. Worton — both South Florida natives — beating former high-school teammates and opponents who play for FIU means they can move on from last year’s upset loss. Worton finished with five receptions for 94 yards and a score. “It was very personal,” Worton said. “I knew all the guys on their team, so there were no hard feelings afterwards, but I’m glad we came up with the win.”  Even Godfrey’s touchdown toss was much more than just a successfully completed gadget play out of UCF’s Wild Knight formation. With his pass, Godfrey was relieved of the memories from 2011’s debacle. The game started his downward spiral from starting quarterback, to quitting the team, to finally returning as a wide receiver. “Going out there and throwing that ball, it felt like being a quarterback again,” Godfrey said with a smile. “It was very special. [FIU players] were talking a lot down there, saying that I’m a receiver and that I’m not going to get to throw the ball. But we surprised them today.” 

UCF’s balanced offensive attack was led by Bortles, who was 20-of-30 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, as well as running backs Storm Johnson and Brynn Harvey. The duo ran for 78 and 73 yards, respectively. Along with Godfrey’s touchdown throw, the junior had 26 receiving yards and 19 rushing yards. “A win’s a win,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought it was two different halves. … We fought back, got the win. It was a good win.”

Story and Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Knights (1-1; 0-0 C-USA) fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0; 0-0 Big-10) 31-16 Saturday in front of close to 105,000 fans at Ohio Stadium. Orlando Sentinel Knights beat writer Ilana Limon recounted the game:

COLUMBUS, Ohio As the 2011 season was slipping away and losses were piling up, defensive lineman Victor Gray was constantly shouting at his teammates. He was begging them to focus, prodding them to fight back, searching for any button he could push to avoid a losing season. It wasn’t enough, and the Knights were forced to accept a disappointing 5-7 final record.

Gray hated walking out of Ohio Stadium with the first loss of the 2012 season Saturday, but he was inspired by what he saw during the Knights’ (1-1) 31-16 loss at No. 14 Ohio State (2-0).

“I was proud of the way the team stayed out there and fought,” Gray said. “We stayed together. We didn’t get our heads down. We didn’t point fingers at anybody. I’m happy about that and that’s something you can grow and be a dangerous team from.”

The game was played at the Horseshoe before an announced crowd of 104,745. It was broadcast nationally on ESPN2, putting the Knights on an elevated stage.

They were expected to stumble big in the spotlight. The Buckeyes were favored to win by at least 18 points.

UCF ultimately made a lot of mistakes, helping Ohio State score the double digit win. UCF sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles had three critical interceptions. And the Knights’ defense struggled to contain Ohio State star quarterback Braxton Miller.

But 2012 could still be special because Gray wasn’t the only one on the sideline unhappy about the botched plays. He wasn’t the only one still chasing Miller after he made a string of highlight-worthy plays.

“There’s more people helping out,” Gray said. “I’m still going out there talking to guys, but people are doing it to themselves now. Everybody’s holding each other accountable.”

The Buckeyes tried to put the Knights away early in the third quarter and held a commanding 31-10 lead, but UCF scored off a Bortles pass to senior Billy Giovanetti with 1:37 left in the third quarter. Sophomore Shawn Moffit’s extra point attempt was blocked, making the score 31-16 in favor of the Buckeyes.

UCF senior cornerback A.J. Bouye then intercepted a Braxton Miller pass to give the Knights strong field position. UCF senior reserve running back Brynn Harvey used powerful downhill running to push the Knights into the red zone.

However, Ohio State’s Orhian Johnson picked off Bortles at the Buckeyes’ 7-yard line.

“I think basically we played sporadically,” UCF coach George O’Leary said. “. . . You can’t turn the ball over, No. 1, against good football teams. Ohio State’s a good football team. And then I don’t think we tackled very well. Too many missed tackles.

“. . . I thought we fought back. And I thought we came back and were resilient in what we tried to get done.”

While the Ohio State defense made some key plays to keep UCF competitive, the Buckeyes’ success was largely tied to dual-threat star quarterback Miller. He stepped up and delivered crushing blows.

Miller finished with 141 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. He also was 18-of-24 passing for 155 yards, one touchdown and interception.

“He is a good player who can make you look bad,” O’Leary said of Miller.

Bortles said he was upset with the decisions he made under pressure and vows to learn from the mistakes, doing a better job of looking away from his targeted receivers to deceive the defense.

He went 25-of-41 passing for 249 yards, two touchdowns and three painful interceptions.

“It was very frustrating because we all expected to win this game,” Bortles said. “No one comes into a game just hoping to win.”

Gray said he will make sure Bortles and his teammates learn from the loss but don’t let the negative feelings trigger a losing streak. He is eager to see UCF bounce back next week during its home opener against FIU.

The Knights’ 17-10 road loss to the Panthers last season happened to trigger many of the headaches that haunted the team all season.

“The game’s over,” Gray said after the Ohio State loss. “That’s the best thing you can say. The game’s over and there’s another game. . . . We just get ready for the next one.”

Photo and Story courtesy Orlando Sentinel. 

The UCF Knights (1-0; 0-0 C-USA) football team got their 2012 and final season in Conference USA off to a fantastic start with an old-fashioned bottom bruising of the Akron Zips (0-1; 0-0 MAC). The Orlando Sentinel provided excellent coverage and analysis of the game:

“Normally that first game, you’re sloppy and all that,” O’Leary said.”We had our moments out there. But for the most part, we basically executed out there on the offense and on the defense. You had some plays you’d like back on offense and defensively some missed tackle plays, but overall I thought the kids took to coaching and went and did what the game plan called for.” The Knights (1-0) used superior athleticism to pummel Akron (0-1), rolling to a 56-14 win over the Zips Thursday night. The season opener was streamed online at ESPN3.com.

O’Leary sent in his reserves, including Missouri transfer quarterback Tyler Gabbert making his college game-day debut, and the Knights kept putting points on the board without really delving that deep into their playbook. UCF raced out to a 35-0 halftime lead. The Knights kept attacking the overmatched Zips, easily pushing the score to 41-7 in the third quarter. The Knights entered the contest eager to avenge the disappointing 2011 season. UCF had comparable talent, but a series of mistakes and internal strife contributed to the team finishing the year with a 5-7 record.“I’m just happy for the win,” UCF senior safety Kemal Ishmael said. “We went out there. We showed some good things, we did some bad things. Everything’s correctable, but we played a good game.” The Knights used a heavy ground attack to run through and over a much weaker Akron defensive lineup. The passion showed on the field. UCF outgained Akron 141-17 on the ground in the first half, then added more passing plays in the second half. Senior Latavius Murray, who is part of an ultra-competitive rushing rotation, did his best cement his role as the Knights’ starter. He racked up 108 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries during the first half alone,’Leary said Murray suffered a bruised shoulder and he opted to rest his starter, giving some of the talented reserves he wanted to see play more time on the field.

Hall delivered, scoring off an 18-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles in the second quarter, pushing the Knights ahead 28-0. Bortles, who earned a win in his first career college start, connected with Hall again for a 56-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. It was a career-long pass and reception for both Bortles and Hall, respectively. The play pushed UCF ahead 42-7 with 5:28 left in the third quarter and slammed the door on any chance for an Akron rally. Sophomore Rannell Hall said entering the contest he was eager to show he could be more than a kickoff return threat.

Godfrey returned to the program after a tumultuous sophomore season and agreed to accept a different role at the receiver position, while Calabrese was returning from his second torn ACL injury. Godfrey made plays in space, while Calabrese used an acrobatic move to haul in a touchdown pass from Gabbert. The game offered a bit of redemption for former UCF starting quarterbacks Jeff Godfrey and Rob Calabrese, who both played well. “It was a good feeling,” Calabrese said. UCF set the tone for a powerful offensive attack early, efficiently marching down the field on its opening drive. The Knights racked up 73 yards on eight plays. UCF’s special teams unit, which had been a liability last season, forced a turnover instead of committing one Thursday night. Ishmael had nine tackles and one special teams fumble recovery. Senior cornerback A.J. Bouye, another player returning from a knee injury, forced a fumble, and senior defensive end Cam Henderson recovered a fumble. “We’re happy,” Bouye said. “. .. We’re just planning to get better every week.”

The Knights now move on to what is undeniably their biggest challenge of the season. UCF travels to Ohio State next Saturday to take on the Buckeyes, a top-10 ranked team that could turn disastrous for the Knights should they fail to execute a highly effective gameplan. Kickoff for the Ohio State game is @ Noon and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Excerpts and photos courtesy of Orlando Sentinel.