June 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF football team will go on the road to take on Boston College on Sept. 20, in a hostile Alumni Stadium. The contest will mark the first meeting between these two schools on the football field.
2008 will be the second season in a row that UCF has ventured to an Atlantic Coast Conference contender's stadium for its first road game of the year. Last year, the Knights opened up the 2007 season on the road, defeating NC State 25-23.
The Eagles had a break out season last year with a record of 11-3, getting to the ACC Championship game and also winning the Champs Sports Bowl, which was played at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The Eagles were also ranked as high as number two in both the BCS and Associated Press polls. The success of the season was directly correlated to the play of their now graduated Heisman candidate, quarterback Matt Ryan.
The main question for the Eagles entering their 2008 campaign is: who will fill Ryan's shoes at the quarterback position? The position is still up in the air and a starter will probably not be named until a few weeks before the season begins. There is no clear-cut frontrunner for the job and it can go to either senior Chris Crane, junior college transfer Codi Boek, redshirt freshmen Dominique Davis or Chris Davis. Who ever takes over the starting job will sleep easier knowing that they have both starting wide receivers from 2007 returning, as well as All-ACC First Team tight end Ryan Purvis.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles have lost some players to graduation and the NFL, but due to the depth of the Boston College football program, they look to have a stronger nucleus of players this season compared to last season. One player to watch out for on the defensive side is All-ACC tackle B.J. Raji, who missed last season due to academic issues.
Boston College is one of two ACC teams that UCF will play this year. On Oct. 11, UCF will travel down to Miami to play the Hurricanes for the first time in school history.
The Knights are also coming off of a breakout season with a record of 10-4, winning the Conference USA Championship and playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Season tickets for the 2008 UCF football campaign are currently available. To order season tickets, or to learn more about attending games at Bright House Networks Stadium, call 407-UCF-1000. The Knights are scheduled to play six home contests this year.
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 visit www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.