April 15, 2006
ORLANDO - Senior quarterback Steven Moffett threw two touchdowns to lead the Gold team to a 14-6 victory over the White in the final spring practice for the Golden Knights. Moffett found sophomore wide receiver Rocky Ross on a 45-yard touchdown pass and connected with junior tight end Mike Merritt on a four-yard touchdown pass for the Gold.
An estimated crowd of over 1,000 fans enjoyed the Gold-White scrimmage at the UCF Soccer Complex.
"We got about 110 plays in today," stated UCF head coach George O'Leary following the Gold-White scrimmage. "We came out injury free and they (players) did some good hitting out there, so I am happy about that."
A fumble by junior tailback Curtis Francis set up the White team's first score of the day. Francis coughed the ball up inside the Gold's 10-yard line, setting up the White team for a quick score. On fourth down from the two-yard line, sophomore tailback Kevin Smith plowed his way into the end zone to give the White a 6-0 lead. Junior place-kicker Nick Beucher missed the PAT wide right.
On the next possession for the Gold, Moffett engineered the squad to three straight first downs before going up top to Ross for a 45-yard touchdown pass on a perfect post route. Junior place-kicker Michael Torres connected on the PAT to give the Gold a 7-6 lead.
In the second half, sophomore safety Augustus Ashley picked off a pass from junior quarterback Kyle Israel to set up another score for the Gold. Taking advantage of the short field, Moffett hit Merritt on a four-yard touchdown pass to give the Gold a 14-6 advantage.
Senior linebacker Ronnell Sandy intercepted a pass from Moffett for the White squad to set up his team in great field position, but the Gold defense held and Beucher missed a field goal from 42 yards out.
Moffett was 6-of-12 passing for 99 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Gold. Israel had a good day for the White team, completing 5-of-7 passes for 48 yards and one interception.
"I thought we improved our contact speed this spring," added O'Leary. "I thought our assignments also got better this spring, but we still have a lot of work to get done. That is the good thing about football - you are never satisfied and you can always continue to improve."
The Golden Knights continue their off-season workout schedule leading up to the start of preseason camp in August. UCF opens the 2006 campaign at home vs. Villanova at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Sept. 2.
Season tickets are now on sale by calling 407-UCF-1000.
Unofficial Gold-White Scrimmage Statistics
Gold Team
RUSHING: Shane Smith, 7-15; Curtis Francis, 7-22
PASSING:
Steven Moffett, 6-12-99-2 TD- INT; Chris Carr, 0-1-0
RECEIVING: Rocky Ross, 1-45-TD; Mike Merritt, 3-28-TD; Shane Smith, 1-5
White Team
RUSHING: Kevin Smith, 8-50-TD; Bruce Meeks, 4-12
PASSING: Kyle Israel, 5-7-48-0 TD- INT; Marquel Neasman, 0-4-0
RECEIVING: Sergio Joachim, 3-31; Sinclair Brown, 1-10; Travis Ferrer, 1-11