Dec. 31, 2010
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"BOWLIN' ON BEALE STREET" VIDEOS
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In seven years at UCF, head coach George O'Leary has seen the waves of success that the football program has enjoyed change expectations in a good way. After reaching three bowls, beating a ranked team and getting ranked for the first time and winning two conference crowns, the demand is for even greater success.
Simply getting to a bowl game used to produce euphoria. Not anymore, and O'Leary and his senior-heavy Knights wouldn't have it any other way.
On the verge of today's 52nd annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs, nothing else matters to No. 24 UCF than finally notching the school's first-ever bowl victory. Beating a traditional SEC power in Georgia would only make the accomplishment sweeter, but the Knights want this bowl victory because of the short-term sense of accomplishment and the long-term ramifications for a program clearly on the rise.
``When you first do something it's a big deal and when I first got to UCF they had never been to a bowl game,'' O'Leary remembered. ``We don't have that long history of tradition and when we first got a bowl bid everybody was happy with that. But the ultimate goal of a bowl game is to win the game. My only goal going into this game is to do what we have to do in all three phases to get us a bowl win. It's going to be a difficult chore against a good football team, but winning this bowl game is the only reason that we're here.''
The Knights want this victory for a variety of reasons, primarily for a 19-man senior class that has already established itself as one of the most successful in school history. And they want it for standout defensive end Bruce Miller, the Georgia kid who grew up rooting for the Bulldogs and will have a cheering section of 45 members today. ``They had better all be in black and gold and cheering for UCF,'' Miller said.
And the Knights also want this victory because of what it could potentially do for the bright future of the program. Freshman phenom quarterback Jeff Godfrey, a Miami product who was somewhat of a savior for the season, has UCF on the radar of practically every recruit in South Florida, and a win could help the Knights continue to haul in more elite recruits. And with the conference landscape ever-changing, a victory over Georgia would show the country that UCF is ready to be prime-time players.
``I'm sure we'll be on the lips of everyone when the (college football conference) geography changes, so we want to make sure that we're ready in every way possible,'' O'Leary said.
O'Leary has done his best to make sure his Knights are ready for what they are about to face in Georgia today at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Liberty Bowl. Here's a look at the five biggest keys to the Knights walking in and out of Memphis today with the school's first-ever bowl victory:
* Contain Georgia wide out A.J. Green. Green will undoubtedly be a high first-round pick in the spring NFL Draft if he turns pro as expected, and the Knights have to make sure that today's game doesn't turn into a NFL audition for the lanky speedster.
Green will see a heavy dose of man-to-man coverage from Josh Robinson, who has welcomed the challenge of facing potentially the best wide out in the country. And the Knights will often roll coverage to Green, leaving them exposed in other areas. The big key is ends Darius Nall, Troy Davis and Miller getting pressure without having to blitz so UCF can leave seven players back in coverage.
* Turn Godfrey loose through the air. The Knights have been predominantly a running team all season in an attempt to lighten the load on Godfrey. The strategy worked wonders with Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver regularly gashing C-USA foes.
But the Knights could run into major problems trying to run against a fast Georgia team that considers its front seven to be the strength of the squad.
That's why the Knights have to be ready to let their fabulous freshman quarterback throw the ball down the field to stretch the defense. Godfrey seems ready for a much heavier workload, ranking eighth in the nation in pass efficiency (and first among freshmen) and sixth in completion percentage.
UCF's Jamar Newsome is a legitimate NFL prospect and the Knights would be wise to use his raw speed deep throughout the game to keep the defense honest. And Godfrey is best when he's on the move, so using designed rollouts with run-pass options could keep the Bulldogs guessing all day.
* Handle the nasty, wet conditions. The forecast calls for thunderstorms and steady rain most of Friday, so the Knights will have to play through some adverse conditions. Not that they aren't used to doing so. The Kansas State and Marshall games were delayed by lightning storms, and the Knights responded well to both delays.
And as O'Leary pointed out, Orlando doesn't lack for rain in the summer and fall months, so the Knights should be used to the conditions. And just to be safe, UCF practiced in the rain on Wednesday to get used to playing with a wet ball.
Wind - and not rain - is the biggest fear of any passing team, so the hope is that there aren't swirling conditions. The playing surface is a FieldTurf field, similar to that inside the Knights' indoor practice facility, so the footing shouldn't be a problem regardless how much rain is in the area.
* Win the special teams battle. UCF has, statistically at least, the best special teams unit in all of college football this season. The Knights rank first in the nation in kick returns and 10th in the country in punt returns. Also, UCF covers as well as it returns, ranking fourth overall in kickoff coverage. Sophomore Quincy McDuffie, one of just nine players to return two kicks for TDs this season, is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Josh Robinson and Newsome also have sprinter's speed, and could be big factors in the game.
What should make the kicking game battle intriguing is that Georgia also has one of the nation's top coverage teams. The `Dogs are No. 5 nationally in kickoff coverage and they are No. 4 in overall in net punting.
* Stand up to Georgia physicality and stop the run. Undoubtedly, Georgia will attempt to line up and run over UCF's smallish front seven with its rush game. The Bulldogs have a massive line, while UCF's undersized line depends more on speed and guile to stand up against the run.
UCF proved itself to be up to the challenge earlier this season against Kansas State's massive line, and held elite back Daniel Thomas to just 76 yards on 22 carries. And the Knights held SMU's Zach Line, C-USA's leading rusher, to just 94 yards on the ground in the league title game.
If the Knights can contain Washaun Ealey (751 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry, 11 rush TDs), they can make the `Dogs one-dimensional and they can make redshirt freshman Aaron Murray throw the ball more. Murray is a rising star, but he is prone to making mistakes in pressure situations. Keeping Georgia in second- and third-and-long positions would likely give UCF its best chance of leaving Memphis on the final day of 2010 with a first-ever bowl victory.
``Winning this game would be so significant for us for so many reasons,'' UCF senior linebacker and emotional leader Derrick Hallman said. ``First, it would be against an SEC school and it would be the right way to send our senior class out. But most importantly it would be the first bowl win ever for the school. We've done just about everything here except win a bowl game, and winning this one would boost up the program and give us that marquee bowl win. We want it so bad and all that's left to do is go and get 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.