March 15, 2010
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
Click here to receive the Knights Insider via email
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In a matter of two seasons, Brynn Harvey has gone from an unproven, fifth-string freshman to one of the cornerstone players for UCF's football team as a dependable, workhouse tailback.
But when he and coach George Godsey sit and watch video of his runs in games and practices, there is a sense that the dynamic 215-pound speedster can do so much more.
And heading into the start of spring practice this week, the message to Harvey is this: Good, even very good, isn't good enough any longer. The coaching staff at UCF wants Harvey, he of the 1,109-yard, 14-touchdown season last year, to strive for greatness.
``Sometimes there are some plays where there is bigger yardage, but (Harvey) gets tackled around the ankles. Or he has the ball in the right hand and the defense is coming from the right when it should be in the left so we could make a move. We want Brynn becoming a big-play back and getting that extra 10-15 yards,'' Godsey said.
Almost to a man, coaches believe that college football players often make their biggest jumps as players between their sophomore and junior seasons. That's certainly the hope for Harvey, who has proven himself to be dependable and powerful. Now, UCF is hoping that the former leading rusher in all of Florida while at Largo High School will become the dynamic playmaker the offense needs.
Harvey looks noticeably bigger already, having put in hours in the weight room to become more powerful so that he can break through the arm tackles that often brought him down last season. Harvey averaged 4.2 yards a carry and 92.4 yards a game, but his longest run all season was just 50 yards. And the goal now is to make him more of a home run hitter out of the UCF backfield.
``I've worked to get stronger because my leg drive has to be better next season,'' said Harvey, whose power-clean max lift has gone from 280 pounds to 300 and his bench-press grew from 330 to 345. ``I'm getting stronger and I can feel it already.''
That's music to the ears of Godsey, who has preached to Harvey and top reserve Jonathan Davis about the need to keep pushing for greatness and to not settle on what has been done in the past. With some uncertainty at quarterback for the Knights, Godsey has preached to his backs that they need to be even better in pass protection and more explosive with big plays this season. Again, good is no longer good enough.
``Those guys had better not get caught looking in the rear-view mirror with what they did last year because you get nowhere unless you are moving forward,'' said Godsey, who is in his sixth year at UCF and his second working with the running backs. ``Not striving for more is what keeps the good players in college football from being great. They get satisfied and you just can't do that at this level. But that's why we're here as coaches. It's why I'm losing hair and my throat's red every day of spring.''
The Knights are also expecting big things out of Davis, the 5-foot-9 back who combines a rare blend of speed and power. He didn't get a carry until the seventh game of the season, but then came through with at least 70 yards three of his last four regular-season games. He ran for a touchdown in each of the final three regular-season games, showing the promise that both he and Harvey could share the load this season.
Junior-to-be Brandon Davis is back to provide depth, while injured back/special teams ace Ronnie Weaver is one of the team's unquestioned leaders with his smarts and grit. But the focus is clearly affixed on Harvey and Davis to become star players for the Knights this season.
``It's up to both of them. Brynn has made great strides from a learning aspect and I'm expecting the same from Jonathan,'' Godsey said. ``There are questions about pass protection. Both of them are talented enough to share 50 percent of the carries, and if they do that we're going to be a really effective offense.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several days a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.