Nov. 3, 2004
UCF Game Notes in PDF Format
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ORLANDO - UCF returns home to the Florida Citrus Bowl to face Ohio Saturday on Homecoming Weekend at UCF. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. between the MAC foes. There is no television coverage for the game, but the UCF/ISP Sports Network will have complete coverage, beginning at 2 p.m. with the pregame show. Fans on the Internet can also listen to the game at ucfathletics.com, the official athletics site of UCF. The Golden Knights lost 20-3 last weekend at Marshall while Ohio dropped a 42-16 decision at Kent State its last time out.
Series Notes
UCF's brief series with Ohio consists of only two games, with each school winning on their home field. UCF defeated Ohio 42-32 in Orlando in 2002 while Ohio shutout the Golden Knights 28-0 last season in Athens, Ohio. After scoring in 209 consecutive games, UCF was held scoreless in last year's game at Ohio. The last time UCF was shutout prior to the Ohio game was Nov. 3, 1984 when Indiana State won 38-0. Over the 209-game streak, UCF scored 6,226 total points and averaged 29.8 points per game. Only 12 times over the 209 game streak did UCF fail to score at least 10 points in a game. The lowest point total over the streak was six, which occurred seven times.
Homecoming Streak On The Line
UCF is 17-7 all-time in Homecoming games including a nine-game winning streak in Homecoming contests at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Over the nine-game Homecoming winning streak, UCF is averaging 36.3 points per game and has outscored the opposition 327-88 over the streak. UCF has defeated four teams from the Mid-American Conference on Homecoming including Central Michigan in 2003 (31-13), Eastern Michigan in 1997 (27-10) and 1999 (31-6) and Akron in 2002 (28-17). The 1997 win over the Eagles featured the largest crowd in Homecoming history (39,433). The last time UCF failed to win its Homecoming game was in 1994 vs. Troy State. The Trojans topped the Knights 39-38.
The 3,000-Yard Club
Alex Haynes became just the second player in UCF history to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark at Marshall. Willie English is the only other 3,000-yard rusher in school history with a school-record 3,131 career yards.
Alex The Attempt Leader
Alex Haynes became UCF's all-time rushing attempts leader with 23 carries for 131 yards at Buffalo. Haynes is one of only two players at UCF to total more than 500 rushing attempts.
UCF Career Rushing Attempts1. Alex Haynes (2001-Pres.) 6672. Willie English (1989-91, 93) 6063. Elgin Davis (1983-86) 485
Haynes Second In Rushing At UCF
Alex Haynes continues his quest to become UCF's all-time leading rusher after moving into second place in career rushing vs. West Virginia. Haynes carried the ball a career-high 34 times for 137 yards and a touchdown vs. the 10th-ranked Mountaineers. The Orlando native needs just 126 yards to become UCF's all-time rushing leader.
UCF Career Rushing Leaders1. Willie English (1989-91, 93) 3,1312. Alex Haynes (2001-Pres.) 3,006
Haynes Continues To Hit Pay Dirt
Alex Haynes is second in school history with 25 career rushing touchdowns and third in career touchdowns with 26.
UCF Career Rushing TD Leaders1. Willie English (1989-91, 93) 382. Alex Haynes (2001-Pres.) 253. Daunte Culpepper (1995-98) 24
UCF Career Touchdown Leaders1. Willie English (1989-91, 93) 382. David Rhodes (1991-94) 293. Alex Haynes (2001-Pres.) 264. Gerod Davis (1992-95) 255. Bret Cooper (1989-92) 245. Daunte Culpepper (1995-98) 24
UCF Career 100-Yard Rushing Games1. Willie English (1989-91, 93) 152. Alex Haynes (2001-Pres.) 132. Marquette Smith (1994-95) 13
Alex Near The Top
Alex Haynes is sixth in the MAC in rushing in 2004 with an average of 84.0 yards per game. Haynes is also the second leading active rusher in the MAC with 3,006 yards.
MAC Active Rushing Leaders1. Joshua Cribbs, KSU 3,3792. Alex Haynes, UCF 3,006
Capers In The Record Books
Tavaris Capers caught his 17th career touchdown pass vs. Akron on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Steven Moffett. Capers is now tied for sixth in the UCF annals with 17 career touchdown receptions.
UCF Career Touchdown Receptions1. David Rhodes (1991-94) 292. Bret Cooper (1989-92) 233. Ted Wilson (1983-86) 213. Bernard Ford (1986-86) 215. Doug Gabriel (2001-02) 206. Tyson Hinshaw (1997-00) 176. Tavaris Capers (2001-pre.) 177. Sean Beckton (1987-90) 167. Mark Whittemore (1992-94) 167. Kenny Clark (1996-00) 16
Taking It To The House
Tavaris Capers returned his second career punt return for a touchdown Sept. 18 at Penn State. Capers is now second in school history with two punt return touchdowns.
UCF Career Punt Return TDs1. Mike Dickinson (1989-92) 32. Tavaris Capers (2001-pre.) 22. Thad Ward (1999-01) 2
Closing In On The Top 10
Tavaris Capers needs 244 receiving yards to move into the top 10 in career receiving yards at UCF. Capers has 1,631 career receiving yards, 243 behind Tyson Hinshaw for 10th in the UCF annals. Hinshaw recorded 1,874 career receiving yards from 1997-2000.
40 = The Century Mark
Tavaris Capers had to wait until his 40th career game to reach the century mark in receiving yards. Capers caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown at Buffalo to record his first 100-yard game. It marked the first 100-yard game by a UCF receiver since Mike Walker and Brandon Marshall both went over the 100-yard mark last season vs. Florida Atlantic. The ironic twist to that note is that both Walker and Marshall now play in the UCF secondary at cornerback and safety respectively. Both players moved due to UCF's rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball in 2004. Capers did not have to wait long for his second 100-yard receiving game. The Miami native hauled in seven passes for a career-high 147 yards and a touchdown vs. Northern Illinois the following week.
41 The Magic Mark For Huggins
Luther Huggins had to wait until his 41st career game to reach the century mark. The Miami native set career-highs with nine receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown vs. Akron. Huggins had a season-long 41 yard catch en route to his first career 100-yard game.
Luther Among Return Leaders
Luther Huggins is third in school history with 1,585 career kick return yards. The senior from Miami is one of only five Golden Knights to reach the 1,000-yard plateau.
UCF Career Kick Return Leaders (Yds)1. Ted Wilson (1983-86) 2,1212. Mark Whittemore (1991-94) 1,9323. Luther Huggins (2001-pre.) 1,5854. Todd Cleveland (1994, 96-97) 1,2705. Edward Mack (1996, 98-00) 1,033
| George O'Leary named Kyle Israel UCF's starting quarterback vs. Ohio. |
Pick Six
Sophomore cornerback Travonti Johnson will always remember his first career interception. Johnson picked off Northern Illinois quarterback Josh Haldi and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown vs. the Huskies. Prior was the first UCF player to return an interception for a touchdown since the 2001 campaign.
Up For Grabs
After just five interceptions in 2003 including only two by the secondary, UCF has eight interceptions as a team already in 2004. All eight interceptions have come from the secondary.
The Return Of Atari
Senior strong safety Atari Bigby made his first start since the West Virginia game at Marshall on Oct. 30. Bigby recorded a season-high 11 tackles and an interception vs. the Thundering Herd. The interception for Bigby was his third of his career. Bigby has 280 career tackles, eighth in school history. The Miami native needs 20 tackles to become the seventh player in school history with 300 tackles.
UCF Career Tackle Leaders1. Rick Hamilton (1989-92) 4432. Bill Giovanetti (1979-82) 4293. Nakia Reddick (1993-96) 3544. Darrell Rudd (1981-84) 3475. Wyatt Bogan (1984-88) 3416. Tito Rodriguez (1998-01) 3217. Bill Stewart (1987-90) 2948. Atari Bigby (2001-pre.) 2809. Stanford Rhule (2001-pre.) 26210. Bobby Spitulski (1988-91) 257
North Of The Border
True freshman defensive tackle Keith Shologan has played well in his first year with the Golden Knights. A starter in all eight games at defensive tackle, Shologan has played his best football over the last few weeks. In the Akron game, Shologan led UCF with a career-high seven solo tackles. He is one of two Canadian starters on the team, along with sophomore center Cedric Gagne-Marcoux.
Low Scoring Affair
For just the second time since joining Division I-A in 1996, UCF won a game by scoring less than 20 points last season vs. Buffalo. The Golden Knights stopped the Bulls 19-10 in 2003 and also defeated Northwestern State 19-7 for their only two Division I-A victories while scoring under 20 points. Since 1996, UCF is 2-22 when scoring less than 20 points in a game. All-time, UCF has only 18 victories in 26 years of football when scoring less than 20 points.
So Close
UCF came within 45 seconds of posting the biggest comeback victory in school history vs. Northern Illinois. The Golden Knights had trailed 21-0 to the Huskies before taking a 28-27 lead with 45 seconds left. NIU kicked a field goal at the buzzer for the 30-28 win. The largest deficit UCF has overcome in a game to win was 21 points in 1984 to Illinois State. UCF trailed 21-0 in the first quarter before coming back for the 28-24 victory. UCF's biggest comeback in Division I-A football is 14 points. The Golden Knights rallied from a 14-point deficit vs. Bowling Green in 1998, Alabama in 2000 and Western Michigan in 2002. All three wins came on the road.
In The Month Of November
Since joining Division I-A in 1996, the Golden Knights are 15-11 in the month of November.
UCF In November1996 3-01997 2-11998 2-11999 1-22000 1-12001 2-12002 4-12003 0-4Totals 15-11 (.576)
Youth In The Trenches
First-year offensive line coach Joe Gilbert has inherited one of the nation's youngest offensive lines. Gilbert's first team offensive line consists of two true freshmen, and three redshirt sophomores, who combine for a total of 61 career starts. Sophomore left tackle Dan Veenstra leads the way with 19 career starts. The offensive line is the youngest in the MAC.
Tough Non-Conference Slate
Collegefootballnews.com named UCF's non-conference schedule the sixth-toughest in the nation. The Golden Knights opened the year at No. 21/22 Wisconsin, and faced No. 10/11 West Virginia the next week. The final non-conference game of the season was at Penn State Sept. 18. In the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, Wisconsin is ranked No. 4 while West Virginia is No. 12.
Collegefootballnews.comToughest Non-Conference Schedules1. Houston2. Southern Miss3. Arkansas State4. Utah State5. SMU6. UCF7. BYU8. Ball State9. East Carolina10. Oregon State
Continued Growth At UCF
UCF is now the second largest university in the state with an enrollment of 44,000 students. The Orlando based university trails only the University of Florida in enrollment.
1. Florida - 48,373 2. UCF - 44,000 3. USF - 41,395 4. Florida State - 37,328 5. Florida International - 34,000
Even more impressive is the rapid growth of the UCF campus and community. In 1980, the enrollment was just 13,000. Just over 20 years later, the enrollment has grown to 42,000 and is still increasing.
1980 - 13,000 1990 - 20,000 2000 - 33,000 2004 - 44,000
On The Move
Sophomore Mike Walker made an immediate impact at cornerback in 2004, but has been moved back to wide receiver prior to the Miami game. After playing wide receiver as a true freshman in 2003, Walker was moved to cornerback at the start of fall camp in 2004. In just his third career start at cornerback, Walker tallied two interceptions vs. Penn State. Walker was the first UCF player to record two picks in a game since Asante Samuel did vs. Western Michigan in 2002. Samuel is now a corner for the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.
Welcome To UCF
A total of 11 true freshmen have seen action for UCF in 2004. Six players on offense and five on defense have all garnered playing time. On offense, Blake Carter (wide receiver), Curtis Francis (tailback), Dominic Ignelzi (offensive guard), Kyle Israel (quarterback), Josh Sitton (offensive guard) and Kyle Smith (offensive guard). Defensively, Leger Douzable (defensive tackle), Emeka Okammor (defensive tackle), Sha'reff Rashad (safety), Jason Venson (defensive back) and Keith Shologan (defensive tackle). Shologan is a full-time starter on the defensive line.
New Starters On Both Sides
UCF had eight different starters on defense and five on offense from last season's opener at Virginia Tech. In addition, UCF has 14 players on the two-deep offensive depth chart that are either freshmen or sophomores. On defense, 13 freshmen or sophomores make up the defensive two-deep roster. 27 players, or 61% of UCF's two-deep roster, consist of freshmen or sophomores.
Safety A Cause For Concern
The safety position has been a revolving door in 2004 for UCF. The Golden Knights started the year with a pair of two-year starters in Atari Bigby and Peter Sands. Sands is out for the year while Bigby missed four games with a leg injury. In addition to the loss of Bigby and Sands, UCF lost the services of true freshmen Jason Venson for the season (knee) and Sha'reff Rashad (hand) for 4-6 weeks. Rashad made his first career start at Penn State as a 17-year-old, and broke his hand on the first play of the game.
Defense Delivers At Marshall
UCF's defense played its best game of the season Oct. 30 at Marshall. The Golden Knights yielded a season-low 328 yards of total offense to the Thundering Herd. In addition, Marshall scored just 13 points vs. the UCF defense.
Auto-Matt-ic
Junior kicker Matt Prater has established himself as one of the nation's most reliable kickers. In the season opener at Wisconsin, Prater was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, connecting on kicks from 51 and 33 yards. Next week vs. WVU, Prater extended his streak of made field goals to nine with two more field goals. Prater had his streak of 11 straight made field goals come to an end at Buffalo. Prater missed his first career game vs. Northern Illinois with a hip injury suffered prior to the Buffalo game.
UCF Career Consecutive Field Goals1. Charlie Pierce (1993) 122. Matt Prater (2003-04) 113. Javier Beorlegui (2000-01) 10
UCF Career Field Goals Made1. Ed O'Brien (1984-87) 502. Franco Grilla (1989-92) 473. Charlie Pierce (1993-96) 464. Scott Ryerson (1980-83) 324. Javier Beorlegui (1998-01) 326. Matt Prater (2002-pre.) 31
Rhule Lost For The Season
Senior linebacker Stanford Rhule is out for the season with a torn biceps. The senior ranks first on the team in total tackles (48), solo tackles (39) while also recovering one fumble and forcing one fumble. Rhule's 262 career tackles are ninth in school history.
UCF Career Tackle Leaders1. Rick Hamilton (1989-92) 4432. Bill Giovanetti (1979-82) 4293. Nakia Reddick (1993-96) 3544. Darrell Rudd (1981-84) 3475. Wyatt Bogan (1984-88) 3416. Tito Rodriguez (1998-01) 3217. Bill Stewart (1987-90) 2948. Atari Bigby (2001-pre.) 2699. Stanford Rhule (2001-pre.) 26210. Bobby Spitulski (1988-91) 257
Scouting Ohio
The Bobcats of Ohio University bring a record of 3-6 into Saturday's game vs. UCF. Ohio is 1-5 in MAC play after last week's 42-16 loss to Kent State. The Bobcats also show losses against Pittsburgh (24-3), Miami of Ohio (40-20), Marshall (16-13), Toledo (31-13) and Bowling Green (41-16). Ohio defeated VMI (42-14), Buffalo (34-0) and Kentucky (28-16). Ohio's biggest win of the season was on the road at Kentucky. The Bobcats almost pulled off another upset victory the following week vs. Marshall, losing 16-13 to the Herd in Athens. The Bobcats feature one of the top defenses in the MAC. Ohio ranks fourth in the conference and 39th nationally in total defense yielding 335 yards per game. On offense, Ohio is 10th in the MAC and 96th nationally in total offense averaging 315 yards per game. The Bobcats are 96th in scoring offense (20.5) and 61st in scoring defense (24.8) in the NCAA.
Ohio Coach Brian Knorr
Brian Knorr is in his fourth season as head coach at Ohio University. Knorr owns a career record of 10-34 in Athens. Knorr began his tenure with a 1-10 record during the 2001 campaign before last season's 4-8 mark. Knorr took over the reigns in 2001 after Jim Grobe left to take the head coaching job at Wake Forest. Knorr served at Ohio since 1995, serving as inside linebackers coach from 1995-98 and defensive coordinator from 1998-2000. Knorr, 40, was named Ohio's 27th head coach on December 12, 2000. A 1986 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Knorr was a three-year letterman at Air Force. He was a quarterback for the Falcons that won four straight bowl games. He also served as team captain his senior seasons.
Up Next For The Knights The final road game of the season for UCF is up next for the Golden Knights. UCF travels to Muncie, Ind. to face Ball State Saturday, November 13 at 4 p.m.