Sept. 17, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - The UCF football team is the best represented in the National Football League of any Conference USA school with 13 and Knight alum Brandon Marshall stood out amongst the bunch this past weekend. The wide receiver continued to lead the Denver Broncos' offense on Sunday and he was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week today. Marshall helped Denver claim a 39-38 victory vs. the San Diego Chargers by hauling in 18 receptions, which tied for the second-most in NFL history and set an AFC record.
Marshall, who had seven 100-yard receiving games in 2005 for UCF, earned the award for the first time in his career. It also was the first time a Bronco was selected as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week since Rod Smith picked up the accolade in 2005. His 18 catches on Sunday have only previously been eclipsed by Terrell Owens who had a league-record 20 catches for San Francisco vs. Chicago on Dec. 17, 2000.
A star at Lake Howell High School, Marshall finished the dramatic win over the Chargers with 166 yards and one touchdown. His 18 receptions improved his total to 55 (577 yards) in his last five games dating back to 2007. That mark set an NFL record for most catches in a five-game stretch.
Marshall is one of a Conference USA-high 13 Knights on NFL Opening Day rosters in 2008. Southern Miss has the next highest amount with 11 players suiting up for NFL clubs.
In addition to Marshall, other former Knights who made NFL Opening Day rosters include Atari Bigby (Green Bay), Travis Fisher (Detroit), Michael Gaines (Detroit), Cornell Green (Oakland), Rashad Jeanty (Cincinnati), Darcy Johnson (New York Giants), Michael Merritt (Kansas City), Matt Prater (Denver), Asante Samuel (Philadelphia), Josh Sitton (Green Bay), Kevin Smith (Detroit) and Mike Walker (Jacksonville).
The bunch has all ready provided several highlights for their respective teams in 2008. Bigby intercepted a pass with 54 seconds remaining to seal Green Bay's 24-19 win over Minnesota in week one. Prater has hit all three of his field goal tries for the Broncos in 2008 and all nine of his extra point attempts. Prater connected from 52 yards out in Denver's win over San Diego on Sunday.
Samuel made his first interception for the Eagles on Monday Night off of Dallas Cowboys signal caller Tony Romo. Samuel signed with Philadelphia as a free agent this past winter after a run in New England which saw the former Knight corner win a pair of Super Bowls and start for the AFC in the 2008 Pro Bowl. Smith has started both games to date for Detroit and scored a touchdown against Atlanta in his professional debut. He also made SportsCenter's number one Play of the Day with a long touchdown scamper during preseason.
The Broncos get back to work Sunday when they host the New Orleans Saints at 4 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, the Knights return to the gridiron Saturday with a 1 p.m. ET showdown against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.