Oct. 27, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla - On Tuesday afternoon, UCF football held it's weekly press conference. Head coach George O'Leary answered questions on the victory over Rice and this week's match-up against Marshall.
UCF will take on the Thudering Herd this Sunday night at 8:15 p.m. ET in Bright House Networks Stadium. The C-USA match-up will be featured on ESPN.
Below are some exerpts from today's press conference.
On his team's 49-7 victory over Rice:
"All three phases played well from an execution standpoint and from a production standpoint. Offensively, we made some guys miss and we were able to make some big plays out of short passes, which is what we are looking for. In the running game, I thought we did a good job of blocking the pressures that Rice put on. Defensively, I think getting pressure on their quarterback was outstanding. We had five sacks but we also had another seven or eight hits on him. I felt we played a complete game offensively and defensively. It was great to get to play everybody which is good for the locker room and great for the team's morale."
On UCF's offense:
"It was a good win as far as the conference was concerned. I think everybody from the middle of the third quarter on got a chance to play. Rob Calabrese had a couple of throws for touchdowns, and I was very happy with him from a confidence standpoint. I think our running game did a great job with guys being able to block up front and create holes for Brynn Harvey to run through. This week will be a tough one going against a couple of great defensive lineman that Marshall has. They roll one of their defensive linemen back and forth between being down and then acting like a linebacker. That is going to create a little bit of frustration offensively, but I think our guys will do a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage come Sunday."
On Josh Robinson, Kemal Ishmael, A.J. Bouye and the youth of the secondary:
"Those guys are going to be really outstanding football players. I think from a transition standpoint, and being able to pick up the speed of the game, those guys are way ahead. All three of those freshmen are outstanding recruits. If they stay healthy and get better every day, those guys are going to be something special for us."
On this weekend's C-USA contest against Marshall:
"They have some very good football players over there. They have given up the least amount of points in the conference, so that shows that they are very stingy around the goal line. I think they have some playmakers on offense and defense. They have made some good plays and it has shown being that they are 5-3. I think that I counted over 40 variations offensively, and they have three big time playmakers. Their running back is the second leading rusher in the nation, and I think he is a very good football player. The tight end and another wide receiver can definitely help them out with their ability to make plays and get open in space."
On having a Sunday night game on ESPN:
"It is nice to get this game on a Sunday because I think we are the only football game on in town. I believe my Yankees are going at it, but the NFL does not have a late game Sunday night. I am hoping we get a great crowd for the game that night. I am a fan of these Sunday night games only if we have an off week the next week. As far as for the following week, we have an 11 o'clock game against Texas, that time was just released. Anytime we get on national television with exposure, it is great for the program and it is very important from a fan standpoint and a student body standpoint. It is very important to pack the stadium because that is what people notice the most."
For all 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.