UCF KNIGHTS 2009 SEASON OUTLOOK The Wayne Densch Sports Center was filled with posi�ve energy this summer and for good reason. With tremendous gains made in the weight room, a roster laden with returning veterans, the core of Conference USA’s best defense back and an exci�ng new offensive system in place, there is ample cause for op�mism in Orlando.
DEFENSE
While Conference USA has built a reputa�on on some flashy offenses, the Knights have consistently excelled at stopping them for the past several seasons. UCF brings back six of the seven starters, and 13 of the 14 members of the two-deep, from a front seven that helped the Knights lead C-USA in rushing defense (126.08 yards per game) and passing efficiency defense (107.46 ra�ng) last fall while ranking second in the league in total defense (333.75 ypg) and scoring defense (24.08 points per game). UCF also welcomes back one of its best-known faces to lead the young secondary in former player and assistant coach Sean Beckton. UCF’s new assistant coach immediately clicked with his unit, one which will be crucial for the Knights’ defensive success in 2009.
DEFENSIVE LINE
UCF’s secondary stole a lot of headlines last year but the team was every bit as dominant in the trenches, the place where so many games o�en are ul�mately won and lost. The Knights ranked third in the na�on last fall by averaging 8.17 tackles for loss per game. UCF also ranked 26th na�onally in sacks. This pass-disrup�ng pressure helped the UCF secondary account for its high intercep�on total and also disturbed opposing ground a�acks as well. UCF led Conference USA in rushing defense, yielding just 126.08 yards per game on the ground. The unit was so deep entering the 2009 spring prac�ce that head coach George O’Leary had the luxury of moving Theo Goins to the offensive line to help sure up that area. Wes Tunuufi Sauvao also made that switch for the spring and summer but is back on defense now that the offense has added a pair of veteran linemen in �me for the fall to help solidify that area. Two reasons for the strength of the line are returning All-Conference USA selec�ons Bruce Miller and Torrell Troup. Both were also named first-team preseason AllConference USA this summer as well with Troup earning the addi�onal honor of a spot on the Outland Trophy’s na�onal watch list. Miller showed versa�lity in 2008, playing at both end and tackle, a look which gave UCF more speed and allowed Jarvis Geathers to get more involved in the unit. Miller is back at the end posi�on as the curtain rises on the 2009 season. In 2008, he recorded 17 tackles for loss which �ed for the C-USA lead. Troup shed a lot of weight from what he ini�ally arrived at UCF weighing and the improved fitness paid off in 2008. Sure to garner considerable interest from NFL scouts this fall, Troup started all 12 games at tackle and a�racted double teams all season, allowing others to roam free. S�ll, Troup made 12.5 TFLs himself to �e for fourth in C-USA. Travis Timmons, who started seven games at tackle last year, again is going to be looked upon at that spot. David Williams who started six games at end and Geathers, who started the final five games at end, also return to help bolster the outside. The most amazing and inspira�onal returner of the unit though is Darius Nall, a 2007 Conference USA All-Freshman team member, who prac�ced fully during this past spring a�er missing the en�re 2008 campaign while undergoing treatments for cancer. Rashidi Haughton and greyshirted true freshman Chris Mar�n are presently slated as backup tackles.
LINEBACKERS
UCF’s defense was amongst the na�onal leaders in both intercep�ons and tackles for loss last fall. That can’t happen without good linebacking play helping on both ends of that equa�on. Lawrence Young is back from a break-through season where he started all 12 games and picked up honorable men�on AllC-USA accolades. Young was third on the team with 10.5 TFLs and leads all 2009 season returnees with 72 total tackles. The Knights will welcome back a pair of players lost to injury early last season in Cory Hogue and Jordan Richards. Both can help strengthen an all ready strong unit at the core of the Knight defense. The two are both fi�h-year seniors and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the linebacking corps. Hogue is also an emo�onal leader for the group a�er surviving an excep�onally rare bout with compartment syndrome in both of his calves last season. Also strengthening the middle is Chance Henderson who started 11 games for UCF
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FOOTBALL
in that spot last fall and was fourth on the team with both his 57 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Another fi�h-year senior, Gainesville’s Alex Thompson, is poised to step up and nail down a spot in the two-deep while sophomore Josh Linam will get the first crack at the top backup role in the middle behind Hogue. A mul�tude of young players could help form the backbone of an extremely strong linebacking corps for UCF in 2009.
SECONDARY
Many eyes will be on the secondary this season as the unit looks to sustain itself amidst the gradua�on loss of four starters, Joe Burne�, Johnell Neal, Sha’reff Rashad and Jason Venson, a quartet who combined to start 183 games for the black and gold and intercept a total of 50 passes as Knights. Each of the four was named at least to the honorable men�on All-Conference USA team a year ago and rank amongst the UCF career top 10 in intercep�ons. All four also graduated on �me. Each will be missed. However, UCF made very good use of its nickel and dime packages last fall in an a�empt to get some playing �me for the poten�al replacements for this fine group. The Knights also gave many young defensive backs ample reps on special teams. As a result, the names in the star�ng lineup will be new, but the faces will be familiar ones who bring some playing experience to the table. In addi�on to the familiar faces from 2008, UCF has also brought in two early enrolled true freshmen to the mix in Josh Robinson and Jarre� Swaby, while also conver�ng 2008 star�ng outside linebacker Derrick Hallman to a safety. With this influx of talent, the hope is that the unit will once again be a stout one in 2009. Four of the early projected two-deep members, Emery Allen, Darin Baldwin, Jus�n Boddie and Reggie Weams, are amongst those understudies who learned much about the posi�on and UCF’s system on the prac�ce field last fall from the depar�ng seniors while also ge�ng some ac�on in games. Hallman earned honorable men�on All-C-USA recogni�on as a linebacker, making 57 tackles, including eight TFLs, with one intercep�on and a fumble return for a touchdown. His athle�cism will help the Knights as a safety, the posi�on he excelled at playing for Fort Pierce Central High School, solidifying UCF’s defensive backfield. Robinson and Swaby immediately became prime compe�tors for a prominent role with their play during spring prac�ce as each demonstrated the ability that UCF was so eager to see when they enrolled in January. Both are expected to bolster the final two-deep however it may shake out between now and the season opener against Samford on Sept. 5. Another new addi�on to the group is former quarterback Michael Greco. Greco’s athle�c ability and familiarity with different coverages from his quarterbacking experience helped him make a fairly seamless transi�on to his new post and he is a prime candidate for a spot in the two-deep this fall.
OFFENSE
This fall UCF fans can expect to see one of Conference USA’s most experienced offenses running some exci�ng new schemes drawn up by first-year offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe. UCF lost just one starter from last year’s unit in le� tackle Patrick Brown. The Knights also get back three starters in wide receivers A.J. Guyton and Rocky Ross and �ght end Corey Rabazinski who all missed at least half of the 2008 season due to injury. The result is a glut of talent under the guidance of a versa�le offensive mind who will know how to u�lize it.
QUARTERBACKS
Three different Knights saw ac�on at the quarterback posi�on last fall but it was Rob Calabrese who asserted himself and, on the heels of a strong spring prac�ce and tremendous summer workout season, is ready to hold the reigns of the offense entering his second year as a Knight. Calabrese started eight games a year ago as a true freshman, becoming
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UCF KNIGHTS
one of just four true freshmen to serve as their school’s primary star�ng quarterback in 2008. While s�ll learning the offense fresh from East Islip High School on Long Island, Calabrese completed 65-of-165 passes as a rookie for 664 yards with seven touchdowns and five intercep�ons. Joe Weatherford also saw �me in three games as a backup quarterback and enters the 2009 campaign a year wiser as a redshirt sophomore. Weatherford completed 15-of-36 passes a year ago for 160 yards. The Knights welcome Wake Forest transfer Bre� Hodges immediately into the mix as well. Hodges, a fi�h-year senior who graduated in four years and is able to transfer without penalty to study in UCF’s forensics program, was a part of some of the most successful teams in Demon Deacon history, including their 2006 ACC Championship squad. The Winter Springs na�ve played in 11 contests for Wake Forest, including a pair of starts in 2007 against Boston College and Nebraska. True freshman Nico Flores of North Miami Beach High School is also in the mix at the quarterbacking spot. Hodges is one of three transfers in the unit but the lone one who will be eligible to play in 2009. UCF also welcomed L.D. Crow (Stanford) and Brian Taaffe (Fordham) to Orlando during the offseason. Andy Slowik also proved to be a steady hand during spring drills.
RUNNING BACKS
UCF returns a deep stable of sophomore tailbacks in 2009 as four different freshmen got a shot at filling the shoes of departed consensus All-America Kevin Smith in 2008. By the end of the year, Brynn Harvey had emerged as the starter and ended up leading the Knights with 125 a�empts and 519 yards, averaging a solid 4.2 yards per carry. He showed a flash of what may be to come with a 50-yard touchdown scamper that helped seal UCF’s win at Marshall and was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team. Ronnie Weaver started each of the first six games and gained 348 yards on his 102 carries, scoring twice. Brandon Davis also saw ac�on in six games as a true freshman, rushing the ball 24 �mes for 68 yards. Joining the group this spring was James Poe, a big back at 6-4, 230 pounds. A graduate of Orlando’s Freedom High School who later a�ended Georgia Military College, Poe will also get plenty of reps during preseason camp as the Knights try and se�le out the depth and roles at this posi�on. Brendan Kelly, a redshirt freshman, is also going to get some backup tailback considera�on, adding to the op�ons at the disposal of Taaffe and posi�on coach George Godsey.
OFFENSIVE LINE
UCF boasted an excep�onally young offensive line a year ago with four first-year starters, two of them redshirt freshmen. The unit is back in 2008 (except for four-year starter Patrick Brown at le� tackle) and, a year stronger and wiser, the linemen will look to make a giant step forward under the tutelage of Brent Key, an All-ACC lineman in his playing days at Georgia Tech. Addi�onally, UCF has welcomed back a starter from the 2007 Conference USA Championship squad and a junior college transfer who has Big Ten experience. The unit has taken well to Key’s guidance and is expected to be vastly improved from last fall, allowing the whole offense to work more cohesively and, with that, the whole team. Nick Pieschel, who started each of the final seven games of the season at le� guard, moved over to the le� tackle post for the spring season and seemed quite comfortable in that role. Pieschel is one of many Knights who also had a great offseason in the weight room. UCF took advantage of some of its tremendous defensive line depth to help bolster its offensive line during the spring and part of that was moving Theo Goins across to the other side of the ball to play on the le� side of the line as well. Abré Leggins is a massive and experienced 6-4, 317 pound transfer from CopiahLincoln Junior College in Mississippi who has immediately stepped into the top spot at le� guard. Leggins, an Orlando na�ve, spent two seasons at Michigan State before working his way back home. Belle Glade’s Jarien Moreland, weighing in at 321 pounds, will likely hold down the backup role at le� guard. Ian Bus�llo started seven games at center in 2008 and is poised to hold down that role again this year with Zac Norris presently slated to be his backup. Powerful redshirt freshman Steven Robinson of Tallahassee will get his crack at the star�ng right guard posi�on but he will be challenged by a new yet-familiar face to the program. The Knights welcomed back Cliff McCray over the summer a�er missing the 2008 season. McCray appeared in 12 games in 2007 with seven starts, including the Conference USA Championship Game and AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Fourth-year junior Jah Reid will shi� back outside from right guard to right tackle in 2009 where he expects to start. The 6-7 Reid started the first four games last fall at right tackle and then each of the last six at right guard for 10 total starts. Redshirt freshman Chad Hounshell and fourth-year junior Mike Buxton expect to compete to be the top reserves behind Reid.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Once again, UCF has great depth at the wide receiver posi�on which will give the coaching staff several op�ons when it comes �me to set a lineup. Overall, UCF returns players who accounted for all but three of the team’s 2008 season recep�ons. In addi�on to what UCF had at the end of the 2008 season, the unit is that much deeper with the return of A.J. Guyton and Rocky Ross from injuries and the addi�on of true freshman Marquee
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FOOTBALL
Williams who had a promising spring. Guyton was one of the team’s top receivers in 2007 but missed the en�re 2008 campaign with a knee injury while Ross broke his clavicle at UTEP last September and the UCF offense was not the same without him in the final eight games. Brian Wa�ers started all 12 games a year ago as a wide receiver and led the Knights with 42 catches and 594 yards while sharing the team lead with Khymest Williams with three scores. Williams started a pair of games last fall and appeared in all 12. Kamar Aiken saw ac�on in the final nine games a�er suffering a preseason injury and hauled in 20 passes for UCF. Jamar Newsome (four recep�ons, 81 yards, one touchdown), Notre Dame transfer Richard Jackson (seven games played, two recep�ons) and J.T. McArthur also saw playing �me for the Knights at wide receiver in 2009 as a part of a deep unit. In addi�on to Williams, several true freshmen will also get a good audi�on at receiver in preseason camp, including the fleet-footed Quincy McDuffie.
TIGHT ENDS/H�BACKS
UCF’s core of �ght ends and H-Backs are also back intact from last year and will addi�onally benefit from the return of Corey Rabazinski who caught nine passes, including a touchdown, before suffering a season-ending injury at Miami. Rabazinski will head into the season as the top H-Back ahead of redshirt freshman Billy Giovane�. That group also features Ricky Kay who has played extensively for the Knights as an H-Back and fullback, star�ng four games a year ago and catching seven passes, one of which was a touchdown. Adam Nissley, who played at both offensive tackle and �ght end last year, is back in the �ght end mix as the 2009 season approaches. The redshirt sophomore started six games at each posi�on in 2008. Alongside Nissley at the �ght end post is Willie Gaetjens.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the areas to watch during the preseason will be the compe��on at kickoff and punt returner. UCF lost an all�me great in first-team All-American Burne� who set the Conference USA career punt return yardage record last fall. A number of players could emerge to be the Knights’ leader in either role. Nick Ca�oi was one of two Knights to see ac�on as a place kicker last year and is the lone scholarship returnee at that post. Ca�oi hit 4-of-6 field goals in 2008 and 9-of-10 extra point tries. The pun�ng chores are in the hands of junior Blake Clingan who has been UCF’s starter in that discipline for each of the past two years and boasts a 40.6-yard career average. True freshman Jamie Boyle is the backup in each discipline. Walk-on wide receiver Aus�n Hudson and Hodges will compete to be the holder for place kicks, a job Clingan assumed midway through the 2008 season. Charley Hughle� will be snapping the ball back to Clingan for the second consecu�ve year, a role he filled ably in 2008 and earned C-USA All-Freshman recogni�on for his abili�es. James Getsee is his backup.
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