Oct. 2, 2009
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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That the UCF Knights have had chances in the final two minutes to beat both Southern Miss and East Carolina, the predicted front-runners in Conference USA's East Division, speaks volumes about how well they've played in the moments where they weren't their own worst enemy.
It's just those other sloppy, self-inflicted moments of sheer frustration that has left coach George O'Leary wondering these days about what might have been.
If there's one statistic that explains why UCF is frustratingly 2-2 overall and winless in conference play heading into Saturday's 3:30 game against Memphis (1-3) at Bright House Networks Stadium, it's the tale of the turnovers. UCF has given the ball away 11 times so far in four games, while getting back just eight takeaways. In their two losses, the Knights have given the ball away almost twice as many times (seven) as their opponents (four).
Early miscues at Southern Miss had UCF down 14-0 and unable to dig out despite a game effort. And last Saturday's five-turnover-fest sabotaged an effort that proved UCF to be every bit the equal of East Carolina - except with the 19-14 final score.
The emphasis going into the Buffalo game two weeks ago was to force more turnovers, and the Knights responded by jarring the ball free four times. Now, the focus is on eliminating the silly, unforced errors and trying to play turnover-free football.
``I tell my guys before each game that there are essentially four things that we have to do. We have to go out and play hard, play together, play smart and win the game,'' O'Leary said. ``I don't think we've played smart. We've turned the ball over too many times. I give (the players) credit for playing hard, but we've just had too many missed opportunities.''
Nothing could cure what ills UCF more than a clean, crisp beating of a Memphis team that is teetering on self-destruction. The Tigers were beaten soundly by lowly Middle Tennessee State and rebuilding Marshall and their lone win is against Tennessee-Martin. UCF is 4-1 all-time in the series, beating the Tigers each of the past four seasons.
Reaching the team's goal of a conference crown will be difficult, but the Knights still have plenty to play for. A bowl bid is still very much within reach, not to mention a winning season. Motivation will certainly not be a problem, sophomore tailback Brynn Harvey said.
``I really feel like this game is going to predict where we'll be this season,'' said Harvey, who has run for 317 yards and five touchdowns in four games. ``We'll see where the season goes with how we play in this game. The key now is to not get our heads down and move on to the next game.''
Moving on to the next game can't come quickly enough for senior quarterback Brett Hodges, who uncharacteristically threw four interceptions in the loss to East Carolina. Hodges had been a rock of poise steadiness in the first three games, rescuing the offense when it sputtered. But a dropped touchdown and a running back fumble put the Knights in a hole last Saturday, and Hodges trying forcing things and hurt the team with his gambles.
``Playing smart football is usually what makes me ... me,'' Hodges said, shaking his head in disgust. ``I didn't play smart football.''
O'Leary instructed offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe to have both Hodges and sophomore quarterback Rob Calabrese ready to play on Saturday. Calabrese was the starter in the first two games of the season, and O'Leary said he has no problem going back to the sophomore with the better running ability.
But regardless of who the quarterback is on Saturday, the message is very clear: Eliminate the mistakes.
``Hodges does a good job of making plays back there, but the offense as a whole cannot make mistakes,'' O'Leary said. ``Charlie and I cannot stand the turnovers. We feel at times we're giving away points. That just can't keep happening and we have to put an end to it.''
John Denton's Knights Insider runs each Monday, Wednesday and Friday on UCFAthletics.com. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.