March 24, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF football team completed its first of 15 practices Wednesday morning under cloudy conditions in Orlando. The Golden Knights were on the field for just over two hours, with heavy emphasis on individual work and fundamentals as the players wore just helmets on the first day of practice.
"I was very pleased with practice today," stated UCF head coach George O'Leary. "The players had a better field presence in terms of understanding on where they are going and what needed to be done."
The majority of practice was spent in individual groups. Early in the practice, the wide receivers, quarterbacks and running backs all worked in ball security while the offensive and defensive lines went over formations and techniques.
During the team periods, the offense and defense both worked on the running game.
Later in the morning during seven-on-seven passing drills, junior quarterback Steven Moffett and sophomore signal caller Kyle Israel both worked with the first unit. Moffett was very sharp, going 7-for-9 during the passing period including three completions to junior wide receiver Mike Walker.
Israel was 4-for-5 throwing the football, including one completion to junior tight end Mike Merritt, who made a leaping grab in front of a defender.
"I thought Steven did well today and he threw the ball well. The receivers showed some progress as well," added O'Leary.
At the end of practice, the offense and defense lined up for team work. Moffett found senior tight end Darcy Johnson on a big gainer down the far sideline while sophomore tailback Curtis Francis had several nice runs up the middle.
The Golden Knights return to the practice field Friday morning for their second of 15 practices this spring. Practice begins at 9:20 a.m. and finishes at 11:30 a.m.