Dec. 31, 2010
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - Friday's Liberty Bowl matchup against the University of Georgia was a dream come true for UCF standout senior Bruce Miller.
Miller grew up in tiny Canton, Ga., dreaming of someday of wearing Georgia red and playing for the Bulldogs. But when Georgia showed little interest in Miller coming out of high school it proved to be a true boon for UCF.
Miller eventually became the all-time sacks leader at UCF with 34 and twice was named Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Year.
Miller had a crew of 45 friends and family caravan in from Georgia for Friday's game, and he stressed that the crew would be rooting for the Knights and not the Bulldogs. He said the idea of playing his boyhood team was neat, but his focus was more on helping UCF notch its first-ever bowl victory.
``I was pulling for Georgia to get into the game and to get the opportunity to play them,'' Miller admitted. ``I grew up going to a lot of their games and cheering for the red and black. I liked watching a lot of their players, especially David Pollack. It's quite a comparison and compliment being compared to (Pollack).
``It really didn't hurt (not being recruited by Georgia) because I was so excited about getting a chance to play at UCF. It's been a great career for me at UCF and I've had a blast. It's a rush of excitement playing a team like Georgia, but I'll be focused on the game and not worried about the Georgia jerseys.''
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MIXED FEELINGS: UCF coach George O'Leary admitted to going into the 2010 finale with mixed feelings because it's the end of the line for the most decorated senior class in UCF football history.
UCF's senior class is 19 players strong, the largest of O'Leary's seven-year tenure coaching the Knights. Many in UCF's senior class were a part of the program's season-opening defeat of NC State back in 2007 and helped the Knights win two Conference USA crowns.
O'Leary said the impact of this senior class is undeniable and years from now the legacy of this group will be recognized as helping UCF grow by leaps and bounds. And O'Leary said that group's contributions extend to well beyond the playing field.
``This senior class has been a really good one and most of them have been with me four or five years,'' O'Leary said. ``We've got a bunch of good players there, but they also did a great job off the field with the young kids. The biggest problem today is that kids come in from high school with entitlements. The senior class was good at making sure our young kids stayed out of trouble.
``I've always felt that you lose as many games in the locker room than you do on the field,'' O'Leary continued. ``This senior class was very good at telling kids, `Hey, we don't do that here at UCF in this program.' That peer pressure is a good thing and your seniors have to take over when the coaches aren't around. Our seniors did a good job of that.''
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PRAISE FOR GODFREY: Georgia coach Mark Richt has his quarterback of the future, recruiting redshirt freshman Aaron Murray out of Tampa.
Much like with the maturity of his freshman quarterback, Richt said he's been very impressed with the poise of UCF freshman phenom Jeff Godfrey. Richt even admitted to being shocked that college coaches shied away from recruiting Godfrey as a quarterback because of his smallish 5-foot-11, 177-pound frame. He said Godfrey's ability to convert in the clutch - primarily on third downs - tells him that Godfrey will be a star at UCF for several years to come.
``To do what he's done as a true freshman has been spectacular,'' Richt said. ``He's extremely mobile, he's hard to hem up and he's an outstanding passer as well. When you start looking at quarterbacks you want to know how they play in the clutch and they're averaging 54 percent on third down, which is tremendous. It's because he's such a great passer and he can run, too. He's a really talented kid and I don't even look at him as a freshman anymore.''
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ETC: Quincy McDuffie, who was one of just nine players to return two kickoffs for touchdowns this season, appeared to open the game with a third TD return, going 98 yards. However, the return was called back because of a holding penalty against UCF junior Ronnie Weaver. ... UCF proved its strength as a traveling powerhouse, selling approximately 8,000 tickets for Friday's game. Knights' fans braved the rainy and windy conditions and packed the pregame tailgate venues. ... The Knights stayed in the same hotel - a Hilton in east Memphis - as they did five weeks ago when they beat the University of Memphis 37-17. For a twist, the Knights dressed in the University of Memphis' dressing room as opposed to the visitor's usual dressing rooms. ... The game officials for Friday's game were from the Big 12 Conference. Umpire Rick DiBernardo is thought to be the only person ever to play and referee in the Liberty Bowl. DiBernardo was a long snapper for Notre Dame in 1983 when the Irish beat Boston College 19-18 in the Liberty Bowl. ... The kickoff temperature was 67 degrees, much different than the 30-degree temps than when UCF appeared in the 2007 game in Memphis in 2007. The kickoff temperature - with 15-20 mile per hour winds that gusted at 30 mph - made it the second warmest Liberty Bowl in the 52-year history of the game. ... Georgia's famed mascot - UGa VIII - had to miss the game with a gastro-intestinal virus. The backup Bulldog, Russ, filled in at the Liberty Bowl. ... UCF offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe said prior to Friday's game that the pressure was clearly on the Knights because Georgia would be ``the best football team we'll play all season.'' Both O'Leary and Taaffe said that UCF was much better than its 6-6 record heading into the game.
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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.