Aug. 31, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Nearly a month after preseason camp began for the UCF football team, the Knights are set to make their 2007 debut on Saturday at NC State. Kickoff at Carter Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. is set for 6 p.m.
Head coach George O'Leary's UCF squad will be looking for its second-consecutive season-opening victory. The Knights topped Villanova, 35-16, in their 2006 debut at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
UCF and NC State will be meeting for the first time. All-time, the Knights are 4-6 against squads from North Carolina. In their last trip to the state, they topped East Carolina in 2005 (30-20).
The season opener with NC State will make the third time this decade that UCF will begin a campaign at an Atlantic Coast Conference foe (2000 at Georgia Tech and 2001 at Clemson). O'Leary was the head coach at Georgia Tech for the 2000 contest.
The game against the Knights will serve as the NC State debut for new head coach Tom O'Brien. He came to the Wolf Pack after 10 years at Boston College.
NC State went 3-9 overall a year ago. The Knights posted a 4-8 mark in 2006.
A live broadcast of the game will be available on the Internet at ESPN360.com. Ryan Rose will have the call and Jim Hofher will provide the color commentary.
In the Sunshine State, the contest can be heard on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, WQTM 740-AM in Orlando. Network affiliates include WMMV 1350-AM (Cocoa), WDCF 1350-AM (Dade City), WORD 1340-AM (Daytona Beach), WMMB 1240-AM (Melbourne), WLVJ 1040-AM/WKAT 1360-AM (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, South Palm Beach County), WPSL 1590-AM (Treasure Coast, North Palm Beach County) and WZHR-1400-AM (Zephyrhills).
Marc Daniels will provide the play-by-ply, Gary Parris will have the analysis and Jerry O'Neill will man the sidelines for the UCF broadcast. Scott Adams is the studio host.
Live statistics and audio can be found at www.ucfathletics.com.
After facing NC State, UCF will have one week off before playing Texas in the inaugural game at Bright House Networks Stadium on Sept. 15.
The Knights will play six games at Bright House Networks Stadium this year. The campaign will serve as UCF's first year playing at the 45,000-seat on-campus facility. Season tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 407-UCF-1000.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics.