Sept. 27, 2008
UCF FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
AT UTEP - SEPTEMBER 27, 2008
TEAM NOTES
- UCF dips to 2-2 all-time in C-USA openers and 0-1 on the road.
- UCF is now 8-5 all-time in C-USA road games, snapping a three-game winning streak.
- UCF has now intercepted a pass in each of its last 12 games.
- In each of UCF's last three games its quarterback has also been its leading rusher.
- The 80-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter was UCF's longest of the season.
- The 58 points allowed tonight are the most by UCF in a conference game. Miami of Ohio scored 56 on Nov. 28, 2003.
- With UCF's touchdown at the 2:23 mark of the second quarter, each of UCF's last 31 offensive points to that point had come in the final 3:15 of a half, dating back to the season opener against South Carolina State.
- The Knights had not surrendered a fumble return for a touchdown since Nov. 5, 2005 against Rice.
- UTEP's blocked punt in the first quarter was the first kick UCF had blocked against it since last year's game against UTEP, when the Miners blocked an extra point try. The last UCF punt to be blocked was on Sept. 26, 2006 by Southern Miss.
- Tonight's contest marked the third time in four games this year (and six out of seven overall) that UCF did not allow a score on its opponents opening drive with USF providing the exception on Sept. 6.
- With the addition of quarterback Rob Calabrese to the roll tonight, UCF now boasts 38 players on its roster who have started a game for the Knights.
- As usual, UCF's starting secondary tonight was Joe Burnett, Johnell Neal, Sha'reff Rashad and Jason Venson. The quartet has now started a combined total of 151 career games.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Joe Burnett's fourth quarter interception was the 13th of his career, tying Keith Evans (1986-88) for the school record and moving him into a tie for fifth place on the C-USA career chart.
- Ronnie Weaver scored the first touchdown of his career in the third quarter.
- Kamar Aiken, UCF's second-leading receiver last year, made his season debut tonight and caught his first touchdown of the year.
- Joe Weatherford saw his first career action during the fourth quarter.
- Patrick Brown, who left the game in the fourth quarter, has started a national-high 42 straight games at left tackle.
- Rob Calabrese made his first career start today. Since UCF joined then-Division I-A in 1996, he is just the eighth different Knight to make his first career start. He is the ninth starter overall during this period but Daunte Culpepper had started games in the program's Division I-AA era. Calabrese is the fourth to make his first career start on the road...He threw his first career touchdown pass late in the second quarter...His passing yardage was the most by a debut UCF starter since Ryan Schneider's 365 at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 30, 2000.