Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

 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.