Sept. 3, 2009
Knights Football Central
UCF Game Notes
Purchase Tickets
Gameday Information
Samford at UCF sponsored by Bright House Networks
Saturday, Sept. 5 ? Bright House Networks Stadium ? 7:30 p.m.
Television: Bright House Sports Networks Drew Fellios (play-by-play), Mark Royals (color), Dave Baumann (sidelines)
Radio: UCF ISP Sports Radio Network ? Marc Daniels (play-by-play), Gary Parris (color), Jerry O'Neill (sideline reporter), Scott Adams (reporter)
WQTM 740AM - Orlando, WMMV 1350AM Cocoa, WDCF 1350AM - Dade City, WROD 1340AM - Daytona Beach, WMMB 1240AM - Melbourne, WLVJ 1040AM/WKAT 1360 AM - Miami, Fort Lauderdale, South Palm Beach, WPSL 1590AM - Treasure Coast/North Palm Beach, WZHR 1400AM - Zephyrhills)
Internet: Live audio and statistics at UCFathletics.com
When UCF (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) has the ball
The Knights will be led by sophomore quarterback Rob Calabrese. Calabrese looks to build off last year's stats when he went 65-for-165 for 664 yards and seven touchdowns. The running game will be put on the legs of sophomores Brynn Harvey and Ronnie Weaver. Harvey paced the Knights ground attack last season when he rushed for 519 yards and one score. Redshirt senior Rocky Ross, redshirt sophomore A.J. Guyton and redshirt junior Brian Watters are the Knights top wide receivers returning for the 2009 campaign. Watters led the team in receiving a year ago, hauling in 42 passes for 594 yards and three scores. Ross, Guyton and junior wide receiver Kamar Aiken all missed time last season due to injuries. Up front, the Knights' offensive line is anchored by junior tackle Jah Reid, sophomore tackle Nick Pieschel and senior center Ian Bustillo.
The Bulldogs are led by junior linebacker Bryce Smith. Smith is a preseason All-Southern Conference selection. Last year, Smith led the team in tackles with 92 and paced the Bulldogs in interceptions with five.
When Samford (0-0, 0-0 Southern) has the ball
Samford will be led by junior running back Chris Evans. Evans, along with redshirt senior center Jon Weber, enters the season as a preseason All-Southern Conference selection. After rushing for 1,284 yards on 260 attempts a year ago, Evans is currently 805 yards short of Samford's career rushing record. The Bulldogs also return sophomore quarterback Dustin Taliaferro, who completed 151-of-225 passes for 1,745 yards and 13 touchdowns. Taliaferro was named the Southern Conference's Freshman of the Year in 2008.
UCF returns six starters on defense including senior tackle Torrell Troup and redshirt junior defensive end Bruce Miller. Both Troup and Miller are listed on numerous preseason watch lists, including the Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Also, the Knights will look to junior safety Derrick Hallman, who made the switch from linebacker, to provide depth in the secondary after cornerback Joe Burnett made the jump to the National Football League.
Did you know?
The Knights all-time record against Samford is 7-3 ... UCF is a perfect 16-0 against FCS programs since joining the FBS back in 1996 ... Samford redshirt senior center Jon Weber spent one season at UCF in 2005 ... 1997 marks the last time the two teams met, and quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in route to a 52-7 win.
Season tickets and single-game tickets for the Samford game are currently available. To order season tickets, or to learn more about attending games at Bright House Networks Stadium, call 407-UCF-1000.
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.