Aug. 18, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF wide receiving corps is working hard this preseason to do its part in improving the Knights offense in 2009. One of those receivers is redshirt junior Jamar Newsome (St. Petersburg, Fla.), who benefitted from some of the injuries to his teammates a season ago with increased playing time. After playing on the scout team as a freshman, Newsome saw action in each of the Knights' 12 games in 2008.
Newsome's breakout game came on national television against East Carolina on Nov. 2, when his two catches included a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The score was his first of his career.
To see Newsome and the Knights play seven home games at Bright House Networks Stadium this season, order your season tickets today. For more information, call the UCF Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000.
As he and his teammates quickly approach the season opener on Sept. 5 against Samford at Bright House Networks Stadium, Newsome recently talked with UCFAthletics.com to discuss where he feels he improved in the offseason and the offense's goals are for 2009.
What was the highlight of your summer?
"I went home for half of the summer back in St. Pete and then I ended up coming back up here. I came back to take a class in Summer B and spent the rest of the time training with the guys."
What are most looking forward to about the upcoming season and why?
"I am looking forward to playing and producing. That is the biggest thing. That is pretty much all I am looking forward to right now."
Where do you think you improved the most over the offseason as an individual?
"I would say I improved most in my route running. Also, I am more focused to get whatever I have to get done accomplished."
What do you think will be the difference between the team this season and last season?
"Experience I think will be the biggest difference. For the most part on offense we have all the guys back, and that will be good for us in terms of improvement. For the defense we also have a lot of experience over there besides the secondary, but they are coming along and looking really good also."
What do you think the most important part of preseason practice is in preparing for the season and why?
"The most important thing is maybe repetition and just doing things over and over again so that from there it becomes second nature."
What do you see as the keys to your team having success this season?
"Unity and discipline. As long as we play together we are going to be good, and as long as we stay disciplined and do what we are supposed to do then everything should work out fine."
For the offense, you have a lot of players back with more experience under their belts. How do you that will help the offense improve this season?
"Most of the people playing this year got a lot of playing time last year. So we just have to pick up and start again and it is easier for us. We do not have to worry about memorization and stuff. It is just all second nature."
For the offensive side of the ball, what will be the main focus or goal this season?
"Score. The biggest emphasis is just to get touchdowns and score as much as we can."
What are your goals individually this season?
"Individually I want to step up, work harder, continue improving on my route running and catching the ball."
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.