2009 REVIEW, TEAM NOTES RESILIENT KNIGHTS SHOW THEIR HEART • No mountain seemed too steep for the Knights in 2009 as the team went 8-5 despite leading at the half only three times in those 13 games. Even both of UCF’s C-USA losses nearly saw the Knights rally to win as both games dramatically got down to onside-kick situations on the road. The Knights outscored opponents 203-132 (+71) after intermission in 2009, including a 105-67 (+48) edge in the third quarter of games. DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK • The Knights overcame double-digit deficits three times in 2009. UCF trailed defending MAC Champion Buffalo 17-7 at the half on Sept. 19 but scored 16 unanswered secondhalf points to win the game 23-17. It marked the first time the Knights rallied back from a double-digit deficit to win since Nov. 19, 2005. In that game, UCF trailed Rice by 12, 21-9, at the half in Houston before rallying to win 3128. On Nov. 1, UCF also trailed Marshall 17-7 at halftime (and trailed by 13 points in the fourth quarter) before rallying to win. UCF was down 14 points to No. 13 Houston (17-3) on Nov. 14 before rallying for what tied for the secondbiggest come-from-behind win in school history. UCF was 3-0 in 2009 when leading at the half, 1-0 when tied at the half and a remarkable 4-5 when trailing at halftime. UCF DEFICITS OVERCOME GAME DEFICIT Buffalo 7-17, late 3rd Memphis 3-7, halftime Marshall 7-20, 8:00 4th Houston 3-17, late 2nd
RESULT W, 23-17 W, 32-14 W, 21-20 W, 37-32
KNIGHTS LOOKED FINE IN 2009... • The team’s eight wins in 2009 tied for the third-winningest season in school history. 10 2007, 1990 9 1998, 1993, 1987 8 2009, 2005 AMONGST AMERICA’S MOST IMPROVED • UCF was four games better during the 2009 regular season than it was the year before, recording an 8-4 regular-season record after going 4-8 in 2008. This tied for the fifth-biggest improvement in the nation. BIGGEST IMPROVEMENTS FROM 2008-09* SCHOOL 2008 2009 MARGIN SMU 1-11 7-5 +6 Idaho 2-10 7-5 +5 Ohio 4-8 9-4 +5 Washington 0-12 5-7 +5 UCF 4-8 8-4 +4 Iowa State 2-10 6-6 +4 Middle Tenn. 5-7 9-3 +4 Temple 5-7 9-3 +4 *Regular season games only 82
0-2 TO 6-2 • In 2009, UCF became just the second team to ever start a Conference USA slate at 0-2 and then win each of its next six league games to finish 6-2. This rare feat was also accomplished by the 2006 Rice Owls. The Knights dropped seven-point games on the road at Southern Miss and East Carolina in September before the team’s offense in particular had a chance to gel. UCF bounced back a week after the ECU loss to down Memphis, 32-14, at Bright House Networks Stadium and did not look back in league play, including a victory over West Division Champion Houston, then ranked No. 13/12 in the nation, and a win over bowl-bound Marshall. ALL WE NEED IS 20 • With the strength of UCF’s defense over the past few years, its offense has not needed much to win games. In fact, 20 points has been a sort of magical dividing line. Over the past 34 games, UCF is 18-2 when scoring 20 points or more and 1-14 when scoring less than 20 points. In 2009 the Knights were 8-1 when scoring at least 20 and 0-4 when held under that number with the lone exception being a 45-24 loss to Rutgers in the St. Petersburg Bowl. WELL DISCIPLINED • UCF was third in the nation last year, trailing only Navy and UConn, with 4.00 penalties per game. UCF also ranked fifth nationally for giving its foes just 37.62 penalty yards per game, trailing just Navy, UConn, Penn State and Iowa. UCF GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS • UCF finished second in a competitive C-USA East Division which sent four teams to bowl games. The Knights won six league games in 2009, but UCF did so with such a team effort that it provided for record-low weekly individual accolades. UCF had just two C-USA Player of the Week awards in 2009, both on defense by Bruce Miller. That sum tied the 2006 Southern Miss Golden Eagles for the fewest C-USA Player of the Week honorees ever by a team with six C-USA wins. Thanks in large part to the dominance of Houston quarterback Case Keenum, a Heisman Trophy candidate for much of the season, UCF and East Carolina last year became just the second and third six-win C-USA teams to ever win that many league games without an Offensive Player of the Week to their credit, joining the 1999 Southern Miss squad. UCF is just the sixth six-win team out of C-USA’s 28 alltime to not have a Special Teams Player of the Week, all of which is a testament to the overall special team effort that allowed UCF to go 8-5 in 2009 and 6-2 in C-USA play.
THE HIGHLIGHTS... • The Knights made their third bowl appearance in five years and sold out four separate ticket allotments in St. Pete. • UCF led C-USA in total and rushing defense, plus sacks and TFLs. • The Knights tied for the fifth-largest improvement in the country from 2008 to the 2009 regular season. • UCF won five of its last six games to close out the 2009 regular season and each of its last six conference tilts. • The resilient Knights won eight games yet led at the half just three times. • UCF overcame double-digit deficits to win the game three times. • The Knights averaged 367.6 yards of total offense over the final nine games of the season. • Bruce Miller was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and ranked fifth in the nation in sacks. • 12 Knights made at least All-C-USA honorable mention, including second round NFL Draft pick Torell Troup.
UCF RESULTS (8-5, 6-2) DATE OPPONENT Sept. 5 SAMFORD Sept. 12 at Southern Miss* Sept. 19 BUFFALO Sept. 26 at East Carolina* Oct. 3 MEMPHIS* Oct. 17 No. 9 MIAMI Oct. 24 at Rice* Nov. 1 MARSHALL* Nov. 7 at No. 2 Texas Nov. 14 No. 13/12 HOUSTON* Nov. 21 TULANE* Nov. 28 at UAB* Dec. 19 vs. Rutgers# * Denotes Conference USA games # St. Petersburg Bowl
SCORE W, 28-21 L, 19-26 W, 23-17 L, 14-19 W, 32-14 L, 7-27 W, 49-7 W, 21-20 L, 3-35 W, 37-32 W, 49-0 W, 34-27 L, 24-45
CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS East Division Teams East Carolina UCF Southern Miss Marshall UAB Memphis
C-USA W-L 7-1 6-2 5-3 4-4 4-4 1-7
Overall W-L 9-5 8-5 7-6 7-6 5-7 2-10
C-USA W-L 6-2 6-2 3-5 3-5 2-6 1-7
Overall W-L 10-4 8-5 4-8 5-7 2-10 3-9
West Division Teams Houston SMU UTEP Tulsa Rice Tulane
TEAM NOTES, CONT.
OFFENSE NOTES
THE THIRD FRAME • UCF played in a bowl game for the third time in five years, falling to Rutgers of the BIG EAST Conference in the St. Petersburg Bowl. In 2005, on the heels of a C-USA East Division title, the 8-4 Knights headed west to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl where Nevada beat UCF in a 49-48 thriller. In 2007, after winning the Conference USA Championship, a 10-3 UCF team traveled to Memphis for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl but dropped a 10-3 decision to Mississippi State.
OFFENSE GOT IT IN GEAR • UCF last fall had a new offensive coordinator (Charlie Taaffe), starting quarterback (Brett Hodges) and regularly started two linemen (Abré Leggins and Cliff McCray) who joined the team in the summer of 2009. It obviously needed some time to click, but it did starting in week five against Memphis. The differences from the first four games of the season to the last nine games were dramatic:
UCF FANS TRAVEL HEAVILY TO BOWL GAME • UCF sold out four seperate allotments of tickets for the St. Petersburg Bowl, accounting for 15,402 directly-sold seats. Game day estimates had over 20,000 UCF fans in attandance out of a sold-out crowd of 29,763. It marked the second time in three years that UCF sold its entire allotment for a bowl game and was part of a record crowd. At the 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, UCF also sold its full allotment of 10,000 tickets, and the game’s attendance of 63,816 was a Liberty Bowl record. The UCF Pregame Tailgate Party staged by the UCF Alumni Association and UCF Athletics at Tropicana Field was also a sold-out event with 1,000 tickets distributed. NOVEMBER REIGN • There’s an old adage that the best teams get better as the year goes along and UCF has been no exception under George O’Leary. The Knights are 15-6 overall in November since joining Conference USA after going 4-1 in 2009, losing only on the road at No. 2 Texas. November is UCF’s winningest month in the C-USA era, eclipsing the school’s 10 October wins. NO LETDOWNS • UCF went 3-0 last year in games following a game against a ranked opponent. UCF downed Rice on the road a week after facing No. 9 Miami, downed No. 13 Houston a week after facing No. 2 Texas and then defeated Tulane after the game with the Cougars. KNIGHTS SHINE BRIGHT AT BRIGHT HOUSE • UCF completed its 2009 home schedule going 6-1, in addition to a perfect 4-0 mark vs. C-USA opponents at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Knights went undefeated at home in league play for the second time in three years (2007). The Knights are 14-6 at BHNS all-time and 10-3 in C-USA play, playing to an average of 40,612 fans per game over that three-year span. BESTING THE WEST • UCF is a perfect 6-0 against teams from CUSA’s West Division at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Knights defeated Tulsa twice at home in 2007, including the Conference USA Championship Game. The Knights also beat UTEP at their new home in 2007 and SMU in 2008. UCF then defeated Houston and Tulane at Bright House Networks Stadium. The sixth CUSA West team, Rice, will make its Bright House Networks Stadium debut this fall.
CATEGORY Scoring Offense Rushing Offense Passing Offense Total Offense Time of Poss.
GAMES 1-4 84 (21.0) 380 (95.0) 743 (185.8) 1,123 (280.8) 28:32
GAMES 5-13 256 (28.4) 1,317 (146.3) 1,991 (221.2) 3,308 (367.6) 32:23
THE BIG PLAY IS BACK • UCF promised to get more dynamic on offense in 2009 and it delivered. The Knights had 34 passing plays of at least 20 yards. In all of 2008, UCF had a total of just 12 completions of 20 yards or more. UCF had six such completions against Marshall alone, half of its 2008 season total. Eight different Knights had a catch of at least 20 yards last year while only four did all of last year. UCF also spread the ball around more. Ten different Knights had a catch at UAB, the most in one game since also having 10 against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 28, 2003. UCF ABLE TO PUT LONG DRIVES TOGETHER • A clear sign of UCF’s improved offense in 2009 was its ability to sustain long drives. UCF had nine scoring marches of at least 11 plays in 2009 after having just five in 2008. UCF had scoring drives of over 8:30 against both Southern Miss and Buffalo, a feat it had not accomplished since 2007. - Against Buffalo, UCF had two separate 14-play scoring drives. It was the first time that UCF had two scoring drives of at least 14 plays in the same game since the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs at Youngstown State. - UCF had eight scoring drives of at least 80 yards in its last 10 games. - Against Memphis, UCF secured the victory with a 92-yard fourth quarter touchdown drive, its longest march since a 99-yard drive against Marshall in 2007 and tying for the second-longest of the six-year George O’Leary era. - It all added up to first downs. UCF tallied 28 vs. Tulane and Memphis, which were its most in a game since ECU on Oct. 6, 2007. THAT’S OUR BALL! • UCF amassed 39:30 in time of possession to help keep Houston’s dangerous offense off of the field in the Knights’ upset win over the No. 13/12 Cougars on Nov. 14. It is the most possession time that UCF has had in a game in the FBS era (since 1996). UCF followed it up with a 37:23 showing against Tulane.
HARVEY’S DANGEROUS FOR OPPONENTS • Sophomore Brynn Harvey was 32nd in the nation in rushing in 2009, averaging 92.42 yards per game. Harvey ran for 219 in UCF’s win over Memphis. He proved to be a workhorse in that game, carrying the ball 42 times, third-most in school history and the second-most nationally last year. Harvey had 14 rushing touchdowns in 2009, good for second in UCF history. UCF as a team had just eight all of 2008. He is the first Knight since Kevin Smith in 2007 to have consecutive three-touchdown games (vs. Houston and Tulane), and also the first since Smith ended his career with eight in 2007 to record three consecutive 100-yard rushing games (vs. Houston, Tulane and UAB). SUPER SOPHOMORE • Brynn Harvey’s sophomore year statistics stand up favorably next to Kevin Smith, a consensus All-American at UCF in 2007 who was the starting tailback for the Detroit Lions in 2009. ATT YDS TD AVG. YPG Harvey, 2009 261 1,109 14 4.2 92.4 Smith, 2006 206 934 7 4.5 103.8 BRETT PLAYED LIKE A VET • After transferring from Wake Forest for his senior year to play for his favorite childhood team, Winter Springs’ Brett Hodges assumed the role of starting quarterback with his steady play in the first two games. He did not disappoint in his first start against Buffalo, completing 15-of-20 passes and piling up 212 yards of total offense (71 rushing, 141 passing) in the win. His 342 passing yards against Marshall were the most by a Knight since 2003 and the team’s first 300yard passing effort overall since 2007. Behind Hodges, UCF was fifth in C-USA in passing efficiency a year after ranking 12th in the league. JAH RULES • Only one UCF player was named to the AllConference USA offensive unit and that was junior right tackle Jah Reid. The 6-foot-7, 314-pound behemoth from Haines City started every game in 2009 and helped pave the way for a UCF offense that improved from 2,754 yards and 16.6 points per game in 2008 to 4,431 yards and 26.2 points per game in 2009. ROCKY V • Named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team and the C-USA Football All-Academic Team, wide receiver Rocky Ross turned in a solid senior year, ranking second on UCF with 41 catches, for 461 yards. He also caught the game-winning score with 0:23 to play vs. Marshall. The Jacksonville native ranks seventh in UCF history in career receptions and 10th in career receiving yards. AIKEN FOR THE END ZONE • Junior Kamar Aiken led UCF with both 610 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2010. His nine touchdowns, including two in the St. Petersburg Bowl, are the most by a Knight since 2005 when Brandon Marshall had 11 and Mike Sims-Walker had nine. 83
DEFENSE NOTES NO RUNNING ALLOWED • UCF topped C-USA in rushing defense last fall, and ranked fourth nationally behind BCS bowl participants Texas, Alabama and TCU, yielding just 82.77 yards per game. UCF also led C-USA in rushing defense in 2008. In league history, only TCU (2002-03) had previously led C-USA in rushing defense in consecutive seasons. UCF held its opponent under 100 yards of rushing in nine out of 13 games last year. Against Marshall, UCF held Darius Marshall, then the secondleading rusher in the nation, to a season-low 80 yards on 28 carries (2.9 avg.). At No. 2 Texas, Colt McCoy had to throw the ball to kill the clock in the fourth quarter because the Longhorn rushing attack was going nowhere. Held to just 67 yards in the game, it was Texas’ lowest rushing total for a home non-conference game since Arkansas held UT to 62 in 2003. “We just decided to quit running it,” Mack Brown said of Colt McCoy’s 42 attempts in the game. UCF followed that up by holding No. 13/12 Houston to 46 yards on the ground, its lowest showing in two years. Then came the Senior Day performance of a lifetime as UCF held Tulane to minus-30 yards rushing. SIMPLY THE BEST • In addition to having C-USA’s premier rushing defense at 82.77 yards per game, UCF led the league in total defense (350.54 ypg), sacks (2.92 spg) and tackles for loss (7.23 pg) while ranking second in scoring defense (21.93 ppg). GREEN WAVE KEPT TO LOW TIDE • In its 49-0 shutout win over Tulane, UCF held the Green Wave to a C-USA record low 50 yards of total offense, including minus-30 yards rushing. The 50 yards of total defense marked the fifth-best performance in the nation this past decade against a FBS foe. TOP TOTAL DEFENSE OF THE DECADE VS. FBS (2000-09) 24 Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State, 11/28/08 35 Virginia Tech vs. Duke, 9/10/05 45 Wisconsin vs. Temple, 9/10/05 46 Oklahoma vs. Colorado, 12/4/04 50 UCF vs. Tulane, 11/21/09 CONTINUING TO BRING THE PRESSURE • UCF ranked sixth in the nation with 2.92 sacks per game. UCF also stood 13th in the nation last fall in TFLs with 7.23 per game, continuing its lofty 2008 pace when UCF was third nationally. Both stats led C-USA. A total of 19 different Knights had at least half of a TFL and 11 had a sack. UCF had four players (Jarvis Geathers, Derrick Hallman, Cory Hogue and Bruce Miller) who hit double digits in TFLs in 2009. UCF’s six sacks vs. Miami tied for the most yielded by UM since the 2005 FSU game. Miller and Geathers were 1-2 in C-USA in sacks last year, both placing in the top 16 nationally, and 1-3 in C-USA for TFLs. 84
IT’S MILLER’S TIME • Bruce Miller was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. It marked the first time that a Knight had ever received that honor and marked the fourth time in five years of C-USA play that UCF has claimed at least one major conference award. A defensive end who also has the brawn to line up in a three-technique when UCF goes to its nickel package, Miller led the league in both sacks (13) and TFLs (18). He ranked fifth nationally in sacks and tied for 18th in TFLs in 2009 and is curently the nation’s career leader in both sacks (27) and TFLs (44) amongst active players. SUPER TROUP-ER • He may not have had the biggest numbers of anyone on the defensive line but defensive tackle Torell Troup attracted a steady stream of salivating NFL scouts to Orlando and ended up going high in the second round (41st overall) to the Buffalo Bills. A double-team eating nose guard who is nimble enough to create havoc by himself, Troup unselfishly allowed those around him to rack up tremendous numbers. He had fair stats himself, making 35 stops on the year, with five TFLs and two sacks, four pass breaks and three hurries. He was named to the All-CUSA Second Team, the second year in a row in which he received that recognition. HERE’S TO YOU MR. ROBINSON • True freshman Josh Robinson made his firstcareer start on Sept. 12 at Southern Miss and came away leading the Knights with a total of 10 tackles, all of them solo. He did not look back, earning first team Freshman All-America accolades. His C-USA-leading six interceptions last year topped all true freshmen nationally and eclipsed Joe Burnett ’s school freshman record of five. The six interceptions matched the national high for all freshmen, including redshirts, and tied for 10th overall nationally. Robinson was the only true freshman to rank in the top 100 in the nation in passes defended with 14. He has made six interceptions in UCF’s last nine games. HALLMAN’S SUCCESSFUL SWITCH • Derrick Hallman started for UCF in 2008 at linebacker but moved to safety to start the season as the Knights secondary would see four new starters. He would return to linebacker in mid-season and go on to receive honorable mention All-C-USA accolades after ranking second on the team with 79 tackles including 5.5 TFLs.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES COVERING LIKE A BLANKET • UCF proved quite adept at covering its punts and kickoffs in 2009, consistently ranking in the top 10 in the nation for both units. UCF finished the year ranked 10th in the nation in kickoff return yardage against and fifth in punt return yardage against. UCF yielded 1,068 yards on 57 kickoff returns against (18.74 avg.) last year. With punter Blake Clingan’s improved hang time, UCF foes returned just 14 punts for 32 yards (2.29 avg.). Only Miami, Texas and Tulane had positive punt return yardage for a game against UCF last fall while Southern Miss, UAB and Rutgers lost yardage on punt returns. LUCKY 13TH IN THE NATION IN KO RETURNS • UCF excelled in both phases of kickoffs as the Knights also ranked 13th in the nation and first in C-USA with an average of 24.79 yards per kick return. Meanwhile, the Knights were a solid 29th in punt returns as well, averaging 11.96 yards per try. THREE RETURNS OVER 70 YARDS • By the season’s second week, UCF had three different players return a kickoff for at least 72 yards. Quincy McDuffie had a 95-yard touchdown against Samford, Jamar Newsome had an 89-yard run back at Southern Miss and Darin Baldwin had a 72-yard return against Samford. It marked the first time in UCF history that the Knights had three separate players run a kickoff back at least 70 yards in the same season. Newsome’s had the dubious honor of being the longest non-scoring play in UCF history. McDUFFIE’S: I’M LOVIN IT • True freshman Quincy McDuffie had an auspicious debut for the Knights against Samford. The Orlando native ran a kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown. It was the sixth-longest return in school history. Curiously, of UCF’s 12 all-time kickoff return touchdowns, six have been by freshmen. McDuffie’s was the first in a seasonopener. He averaged 24.21 yards per return on his true freshman season. With his 944 total yards on kickoff returns falling just eight yards shy of matching UCF’s school record.