Sept. 25, 2007
UCF Football Game Notes - The Louisiana Game in PDF Format
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ORLANDO - With touchdowns on all six possessions in the first half, UCF jumped out to a 42-0 lead at the break and went on to defeat Memphis in the Conference USA opener, 56-20, Sept. 22. UCF closes out a three-game homestand with Louisiana Saturday at 6 p.m., which marks the first night game at Bright House Networks Stadium.
UCF eventually reached the endzone on its first seven possessions vs. the Tigers, and tied a C-USA record with seven rushing touchdowns for the game. By improving their record to 2-1 thanks to the 36-point victory, the Knights received five votes (38th overall) in the Associated Press poll and four votes (35th overall) in the coaches' poll.
Junior tailback Kevin Smith sprinted for 124 yards on 22 carries vs. Memphis and scored three of UCF's first four touchdowns. Most of those rushing attempts came in the first half as he had just one carry after halftime.
Through three games, Smith ranks third in the nation in rushing yards per game (163.33), tied for fourth in points per game (14.00), tied for sixth in rushing TDs (seven) and 11th in total rushing yards (490).
UCF Quick Hits
- The red zone has been an entertaining place for the Knights in 2007 as they have scored on all 14 tries when they get inside the 20 (12 touchdowns, two field goals). Only 11 programs in the country are perfect in the red zone, while Texas A&M, LSU and Kentucky have converted more opportunities.
- The back-to-back home attendance numbers of 45,622 for Texas and 42,153 for Memphis stand as the fourth and fifth largest home attendance figures in school history, respectively.
- UCF's meeting vs. Louisiana wraps up a three-game homestand, which is the longest since the 2002 season. The Knights return home vs. Tulsa Oct. 20 at 4 p.m.
UCF vs. Louisiana - Ground Games At Work
- The Black and Gold may have a junior running back that has quickly made a name for himself, but Louisiana can say the same about Tyrell Fenroy. Even though he had just one carry last week vs. Troy due to an injury, Fenroy is already the school's career rushing leader with 2,568 yards.
- When Louisiana adds in its quarterback, Michael Desormeaux, the Ragin' Cajuns as a team rank sixth in the country in rushing yards per game (257.5). Desormeaux has three 100-yard efforts on the ground and leads all quarterbacks nationally with a 105.5 average.
Air Assault
- Perhaps overshadowed by the 313 yards and seven touchdowns churned up on the ground vs. Memphis was the Knights' passing game. Senior Kyle Israel and freshman Kamar Aiken connected on a 72-yard scoring strike in the third quarter to give the Knights a 49-0 lead. The passing play tied for the 10th-longest in school history and Aiken became the first freshman since Mike Walker (2003) to register a 100-yard receiving game. Aiken finished with four catches for 131 yards.
Sack Happy
- The Knights have registered eight sacks through three games, a total that is tied for second in C-USA. Junior DE Antonio Wallace leads the team in the category with 1.5 sacks, while six others have one a piece (Leger Douzable, Torrell Johnson, Derrick Hallman, Bruce Miller, Keith Shologan and Travis Timmons).
Sack Prevention
- The offensive line has been paving the way for Kevin Smith to gain valuable yards on the ground and also has been doing a decent job of protecting Kyle Israel and Michael Greco. The opposing defenses have only sacked a UCF QB three times this season - good for an average of one per game. That ranks second in C-USA behind Tulane, who has yielded just one takedown in three contests.