April 1, 2006
ORLANDO - In the first scrimmage of the spring, the UCF offense got the upper hand as it scored seven touchdowns Saturday afternoon inside the Nicholson Fieldhouse. Sophomore tailback Kevin Smith looked to be in mid-season form, rushing nine times for 116 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense.
"I thought the offensive side did a nice job," commented UCF head coach George O'Leary. "We had 108 plays, which was about what I wanted to get."
Smith had a terrific day, totaling three runs of 15 yards or longer, including a 50-yard touchdown run vs. the second team defense. Smith also scored from nine yards out vs. the first team defense.
Senior quarterback Steven Moffett threw the ball well, going 11-of-14 for 190 yards and three touchdowns. "I thought Steven made some plays and did some good things," added O'Leary. Two of Moffett's touchdowns went to senior wide receiver Brooks Turner. Turner hauled in a 22-yard touchdown reception and caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Moffett.
Junior wide receiver Sergio Joachim also had a productive day for the Golden Knights with a team-best four receptions for 98 yards, including a 51-yard reception.
The first team offense was responsible for five touchdowns on the day, including two vs. the first team defense.
The second team offensive unit scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 27-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kyle Israel to senior wide receiver Kenny Jackson.
Junior tailback Curtis Francis scored the only other touchdown of the scrimmage on a 30-yard run.
Defensively, senior cornerback Travonti Johnson returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown.
UCF returns to the practice field Tuesday morning from 9:20-11:20 a.m.
Scrimmage Notes: One of the most promising signs of the first scrimmage was the play of the place-kickers. Juniors Michael Torres and Nick Beucher both kicked well, with Torres booting a pair of field goals from 42 and 52 yards out. The UMass transfer also finished 4-for-4 on point-after-attempts. Torres missed from 37 yards out and had a 57-yard field goal blocked.
Beucher was 4-for-6 on field goal attempts, with makes from 30, 37, 42 and 47 yards out. His only misses were both from 52 yards. "I thought both the kickers did a very good job," added O'Leary.
Sophomore defensive end Antonio Wallace and senior defensive end Kareem Reid each finished with a sack ... Sophomore safety Sha'reff Rashad had a productive scrimmage, finishing with a tackle-for-loss and a blocked field goal ... Junior defensive tackle Leger Douzable swatted down a pass and finished with one stop behind the line of scrimmage.
Unofficial Statistics
RUSHING: Kevin Smith, 9-116, 2 TD; Curtis Francis, 12-58, TD; Jason Peters, 19-55; Bruce Meeks, 3-7; Shane Smith, 3-6; Steven Moffett, 1-4; Marquel Neasman, 1-2
PASSING: Steven Moffett, 11-14, 190 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT; Kyle Israel, 5-9, 78 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT; Marquel Neasman, 1-7, 4 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT; Chris Carr, 2-2, 12 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT
RECEIVING: Sergio Joachim, 4-98, TD; Brooks Turner, 2-52, 2 TD; Kenny Jackson, 2-39, TD; Mike Merritt, 2-27; Javid James, 2-25; Willie Thornton, 1-14; Sinclair Brown, 2-10; J.R. Sandlin, 1-7; Jason Peters, 2-7; Travis Ferrer, 1-5