July 12, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO - Anticipation for the 2011 football season at UCF is higher than ever following the finest season in school history in 2010.
The Knights are coming off an 11-3 season in which they won both the Liberty Bowl and the Conference USA championship. UCF defeated Georgia 10-6 in Memphis on Dec. 31 for the school's first bowl victory.
UCF also entered the national rankings for the first time ever last season and finished ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Also, the Knights were No. 21 in the Associated Press poll and hope to begin next season in both national polls.
With the opening of training camp coming up and the Sept. 3 opener at Bright House Networks Stadium against Charleston Southern also approaching, UCFAthletics.com's John Denton will take a look at various players to watch this season leading up to the start of camp on Aug. 4.
PLAYER: A.J. Guyton
POSITION: Wide Receiver
HEIGHT, WEIGHT, CLASS: 5-11, 198, Redshirt Senior
HOMETOWN: Homestead
BEST ON-FIELD TRAITS: Guyton is a dependable, hard-nosed possession receiver who will lay a lick on a defender while blocking and will fight for extra yards after catching underneath passes.
2010 STATISTICS: He caught 28 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns last season. He started five games, including the first four to open the season. He averaged 12.6 yards a catch and had a long reception of 44 yards.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: With so much youth among the receivers, UCF will lean on Guyton for his experience and leadership this season. This is his chance to finally establish himself as a go-to receiver for quarterback Jeff Godfrey. Injuries have dogged him in the past, but this season he should be top wide receiver threat for the Knights.
WHERE HE'S BETTER: Guyton has a now-or-never sense of urgency to this season, knowing that he is being looked to shine as a wide receiver at arguably UCF's thinnest position. He is a tough blocker in the running game and excels at catching the ball in traffic underneath. He'll get his shot to be the go-to receiver this season.
UCF 2011 football season ticket packages can be purchased or renewed online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000. Home games include Charleston Southern [Champions UKNIGHT (Sept. 3)], Boston College [Hall of Fame Weekend (Sept. 10)], Marshall (Oct. 8), Memphis [Alumni UKNIGHT - Homecoming 2011 (Oct. 29)], Tulsa (Nov. 5) and UTEP [Senior Day (Nov. 26)]. Should UCF host the C-USA Championship Game for the fourth time in seven years, it would be played on Saturday, Dec. 3 and season ticket holders will receive the first shot at the best seats.
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.