April 12, 2006
ORLANDO - The UCF football team completed its 13th practice of the spring Wednesday morning inside the Nicholson Fieldhouse. The Golden Knights donned full pads and had several scrimmage periods during Wednesday's workout.
"Anytime you scrimmage, the big thing you look for is contact speed and we are getting better in a lot of areas," stated UCF head coach George O'Leary. "The timing in the passing game has shown good improvement and I see more competition at all of the positions than what I have seen in the past."
The defense made several plays and big sticks during the scrimmage periods. Sophomore cornerback Johnell Neal has continued to make big hit after big hit this spring and it continued Wednesday. Neal whacked junior tight end Mike Merritt after he caught a pass and Neal later took on two blockers and blew up the play. Neal drilled senior center Cedric Gagne-Marcoux and sophomore guard L.J. Anderson to disrupt the play.
The linebackers had a strong day, both in pass coverage and stopping the run. Sophomore Cory Hogue tallied two interceptions while redshirt freshman Alex Thompson picked off a pass and made a nice tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Senior Ronnell Sandy made several crunching stops vs. the run game.
On offense, senior quarterback Steven Moffett showed a nice touch on the deep pass, hitting senior wide receiver Brooks Turner in stride for a long completion. The play would have covered 70 yards if it was not whistled dead.
UCF returns to the practice field Friday from 9:20-11:20 a.m. before the final practice of the spring on Saturday. Saturday's scrimmage is scheduled from 10 am to 12 noon at the UCF Soccer Complex. Fans will have one final opportunity to watch the Golden Knights this spring along with a chance to purchase or renew season tickets.
Practice Notes: Junior defensive tackle Leger Douzable has played well this spring for the Golden Knights. The Tampa native made two big tackles behind the line of scrimmage early in Wednesday's scrimmage ... Senior tailback Bruce Meeks had the run of the morning with a shifty, 13-yard gain up the middle ... O'Leary ended practice with the team working on the two-minute drill. Practice finished with junior place-kickers Michael Torres and Nick Beucher attempting 47-yard field goals. Torres missed his kick wide left while Beucher drilled his attempt.