Nov. 23, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Senior Day at Bright House Networks Stadium has a little added meaning to it this season as 19 Knights will play their final regular season home game vs. UTEP at 2 p.m. The UCF football team needs a victory over the Miners to clinch the Conference USA East Division title and secure the right to host the league's championship game for the second time in three seasons.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. UTEP will be the third school from Texas that the Knights have faced this season.
UCF (8-3, 6-1 C-USA) has played well on its home field in the inaugural season, posting a 4-1 record and averaging 43.2 ppg in those contests. The match-up with the Miners (4-7, 2-5 C-USA) pits two of the top three scoring teams in C-USA this season as the Knights rank second overall at 38.0 ppg, while the Miners come to Orlando averaging 34.8 ppg.
UCF enters the contest riding a five-game winning streak. Junior running back Kevin Smith has rushed for 1,030 yards and scored 14 touchdowns during that five-game stretch, while the Knights' defense has forced 17 turnovers, including 15 interceptions.
Smith leads the NCAA FBS with 25 total touchdowns and needs 55 rushing yards to become the first back in the state of Florida to register a 2,000-yard rushing season. Strong safety Sha'reff Rashad and cornerback Joe Burnett each have three of those interceptions. Burnett is tied for the league-lead with five interceptions.
UTEP started the season 4-3, but has since dropped five-consecutive contests. The Miners' freshman quarterback Trevor Vittatoe has the top touchdown/interception ratio in the conference this season, tossing for 24 scores, while only throwing five interceptions. Wide receiver Jeff Moturi is tied for the lead in C-USA with 13 touchdown receptions, including a stretch of 10-consecutive games with a receiving score.