June 18, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF football team will host Houston for the first time at Bright House Networks Stadium. On Nov. 14 for UCF's Homecoming game, the Knights will take on the Conference USA West program. The series record stands at 1-1 with the last matchup coming in 2006.
The Cougars started last season with a new head coach, Kevin Sumlin. He helped lead Houston to an overall record of 8-5. This past year Houston had its first bowl victory since 1980, beating Air Force 34-28 in the Armed Forces Bowl to end an eight-game postseason losing streak.
Houston Player to Watch
Quarterback Case Keenum is a Conference USA Player of the Year candidate after recording 5,020 yards and 44 touchdowns last season. In numerous games Keenum held Houston's C- USA West hopes alive. Against UTEP he threw a touchdown pass with 41 seconds left in the game to lead the Cougars to a 42-37 win. Keenum finished the game with 480 yards passing (a career best) and three touchdowns, as well as adding two rushing touchdowns. Against Tulane, Keenum completed 72 percent of his passes for 384 yards with four touchdowns.
An Offensive High
The Knights had a season-high 530 yards of total offense, but it was not enough as UCF fell 51-31 to host Houston in C-USA action in 2006. UCF recorded 24 first downs and 248 yards on the ground. Kevin Smith had two touchdowns in the first half and Kyle Israel finished 9-of-18 for 207 yards with one interception. Wide receiver Mike Walker had six receptions for a game-high 119 yards in the loss.
Season tickets for the 2009 UCF campaign at Bright House Networks Stadium are currently available. To order your season tickets today, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com.
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.