Dec. 27, 2010
Memphis, TN (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF standout defensive end Bruce Miller spent his Christmas break back in his native Georgia, and while there he repeatedly heard the chatter of how the Knights were going down in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs.
All that biased talk did was sharpen Miller's focus for a game that he's dreamed of playing in his entire life.
Once a Georgia fan himself who grew up hoping to someday play for the `Dogs, Miller now finds himself as the opposition. After winning two Conference USA titles and becoming the two-time winner of the league's Defensive Player of the Year award, Miller said he couldn't be happier in choosing UCF over a Georgia program that showed only mild interest in him as a walk-on.
Now, he hopes that No. 24 UCF (10-3) can prove everyone wrong and simultaneously shock the football world by beating Georgia (6-6) in the Dec. 31 Liberty Bowl.
"I got to see all of my friends back home and they were really excited and talking a lot about the game," said Miller, a native of Canton, Ga. "We're ready to go play and win the game."
UCF worked a week before Christmas preparing for Georgia, reconvened again for practice on Sunday and then flew to Memphis on Monday morning to continue preparations on site. The Knights are scheduled to practice at the University of Memphis' practice fields the next four days in preparation for Friday's 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
Head coach George O'Leary was plenty pleased with his team's focus in preparation for the game. Facing a traditional Southeastern Conference power in Georgia also helped to motivate the Knights to prepare for a quality opponent that they will have to play well to defeat.
"Bowl games are great for the program and great for the fanbase," O'Leary said before boarding the team bus Monday morning. "I think we did a good job of focusing on what we have to get done. Now, it's about being productive and getting a win. That's the key to the trip."
UCF is hoping to capture the school's first-ever bowl victory in four tries. The Knights lost in overtime to Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl in 2005, fell to Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl in 2007 and faltered against Rutgers in the St. Pete Bowl a year ago.
In a season where the Knights were ranked for the first time and won five road games for the first time, the belief is that they have the team to bring home the school's first bowl victory.
"Being that it's my last season it would be a great feeling to get that first bowl win," UCF senior wide receiver Brian Watters said. "It would be a great way to end my UCF career going out with a win and UCF's first bowl victory. It's going to be a very physical game. SEC teams are always physical and we know that we can't have any turnovers. We can't beat ourselves and we have to go out there and just play our game."
Like Miller, Watters hails from Georgia and years ago dreamed of playing for the dominant program in the state. Georgia has proven to be a very fertile recruiting area for the Knights with 17 players on the roster coming out of the Peach State. Watters said that most his family and friends support the Bulldogs, but he said they could be in for a very big surprise come Friday.
"Talking to a lot of family and friends up there everybody there is going for Georgia because that's the home team," said Watters, UCF's leading receiver this season. "But I'm so excited about the challenge that we have ahead of us. We like our chances."
UCF enters this game have won eight of its last nine games. The Knights also won their second C-USA title in four seasons by beating SMU 17-7 in the conference championship game on Dec. 4.
And Miller feels like the team got better over the last three weeks while often working twice a day in practice and spending plenty of time in meetings and in the film room. Miller said his team's focus won't be a problem because of the group's steady work ethic and its attention to detail.
"It's been a great year because we've put in a lot of hard work and effort, even before the season started. That's what made this whole season really special," said Miller, the all-time leader in sacks at UCF. "This game means a lot to me being a senior, knowing that I've helped this program get to that next level. Now, the next step is finally winning a bowl game. So it's up to us now to go out there and do it."
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.