Nov. 21, 2005
ORLANDO - Members of the UCF football team met with the media on Monday to talk about the Conference USA Championship game. The Golden Knights will host the event on Dec. 3 at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Senior Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall
On what it feels like to earn a spot in the conference championship:
"It is just a blessing to be in this position. To be able to come off an 0-11 season and be sitting where we are shows how far we have come. The character of this team is unexplainable and the heart of this team is unbelievable."
On the team believing that it would succeed this season:
"When you are a believer it is very easy to understand all of this. Everything we needed to have happen this year, has happened. I guess you could say it was our year. We needed Southern Miss to lose so we could be in the championship and we needed UTEP to lose so we could host the championship. We are firm believers."
Junior Quarterback Steven Moffett:
On how amazed he is that UTEP lost last weekend to allow UCF to host the league title game:
"I am amazed that the teams we needed to lose helped us out so quickly. We did not have to wait around for a week or so to see how things worked out. As far as us doing our part, I am not really amazed at that. This is what we expected to do when we went out there."
On having a week off prior to the title game:
"It is good to rest up after 10 straight weeks. This is really the perfect week for us to get some time off. We will have a few workouts but they will be light workouts. Coach O'Leary really wants us to relax and get our legs back, then come back next week and have a good week of practice as we prepare for the championship."
On whether the practices will change:
"I don't think we are going to change anything. I think we are going to go in with the same approach and treat it like a normal game week. We want to keep things the same because it has allowed us to be successful all season."
On succeeding this season:
"I know when we told people at the beginning of the season that we were going to go to a bowl game they really wondered how we could go from 0-11 to a bowl game. I knew that if we did what we were supposed to do, it was going to happen, and so far, we have done what we were supposed to do."
Junior Tailback Jason Peters
On the mood around campus:
"We have a lot of people coming up to us, congratulating us, giving us hugs and stuff like that. I feel good that they can enjoy the win just as much as we do."
On whether or not he thought that the team could be this successful:
"We have always been excited because we knew what we could do. Coming in at the beginning of the season, we knew we had the ability to win all of our games. Although we had a setback with the first two (games) and hit a speed bump with the Southern Miss game, we still kept everything going. Now we have the chance we have wanted, the chance to prove ourselves on national television."
Senior Tight End Darcy Johnson
On what this season has meant to him:
"This is one of the best experiences I have felt since I have been at UCF. This is what I have always dreamed about. That is one of the reasons I signed here. I thought we could take this program to a different level and I wanted to be a part of it. It is good to see that five years later, it is paying off for me.
On what he has learned this season:
"Everyday you are going to learn something and every year you are going to learn something. I think these past 12 months have allowed me to grow up a lot. Being around coach O'Leary has helped me become a stronger person, so I feel like things can only get better."
On what this means to him as one of UCF's few seniors:
"It makes me feel good that our senior class is a part of this. We can say 10 years from now that we not only played for the championship, we went out and tried to win it."
Senior Defensive Tackle Frisner Nelson
On what the football team's success has meant for the school:
"This is monumental for UCF. I don't think anyone outside of the program ever would have thought we would have the opportunity to host a Conference USA Championship. To make it here and host the game is very big for us."
On having an extra home game:
"We are just happy to be playing. We are happy to have another home game since we only had four this year. To make this a fifth home game, that is very exciting for us. This is what we had hoped for, and for it to come out like this, we feel very blessed."
On advancing to the championship game as a senior:
"This is everything you hope for as a senior, to be one of the top teams. We had a couple of rough years and to leave on top, this is what any player on any level would hope for."
On believing in destiny:
"This year alone could make you believe in destiny. It was like the stars were aligned for us. Southern Miss losing to Houston to put us back on top and then UTEP losing to UAB to bring the game home. If you were not a believer, this year will make you a believer."
Senior Defensive End Paul Carrington
On playing the championship at home:
"This is just unbelievable. To have one more game at the Citrus Bowl is definitely going to be an advantage for us. We are undefeated at home this year and to come back and play the championship here is a great thing."
On what this season has meant to the program:
"With all the changes and adversity that have gone through the program the past few years, this is unbelievable. I am already proud of everything we have accomplished, but this is just the beginning."
On hosting the championship:
"Only playing four home games (at home) has definitely been tough, but we still managed to come away with an impressive record. To come back and play the championship at home with our fans and crowd should be a great atmosphere for us."