Dec. 17, 2009
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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UCF coach George O'Leary has been highly complimentary of his football team's focus all season, and that has been no different this week as the Knights prepare for the St. Petersburg Bowl against Rutgers.
As of Thursday, the Knights (8-4) have had eight practices in preparation for Saturday's 8 p.m. game at Tropicana Field. All that is left is a brief visit to the converted baseball stadium and a short situational walkthrough on Friday before Saturday's gameday preparations.
``We've covered a lot and the hay's in the barn,'' O'Leary said Thursday following the team's practice at a nearby high school. ``We're just ready to go play a game now.''
O'Leary said the Knights installed the game plan for attacking Rutgers (8-4) before they ever left campus on Tuesday. The two practices in St. Pete have been more about review and sharpening schemes. And O'Leary said he's watched closely for signs of complacency and slippage, but this team has responded well to his demands that the preparation stay sharp.
``I usually look at assignments and alignments and mental mistakes and they've really been on top of things,'' O'Leary said. ``When I go to bowls, and I have been to a lot of them, I look at the senior class. If they set the tone, the rest of the kids will usually follow. They've done a good job of telling kids the right things to do and the wrong things to do. So far the kids have been pretty good and no one has missed curfew yet.''
O'Leary is hoping that by playing in a pre-Christmas bowl that UCF will be able to carry over its momentum from the regular season. The Knights finished the season playing their best football, winning their last six Conference USA games. UCF rallied to beat Marshall 21-20 in dramatic fashion, it whipped its first ranked opponent in No. 12 Houston and won on the road in the finale at UAB.
O'Leary likes the fact that the team had slightly more than one week off, time away from football used to concentrate on final exams. The Knights also had an additional week to prepare for the bowl game what with Rutgers and the Big East Conference playing all the way until Dec. 5. He hopes UCF can carry over the momentum to Saturday's showdown.
O'Leary has also talked to his team about the importance that this game could have on the future of the program. UCF lost its only other two bowl trips, falling in the Hawaii Bowl in 2005 and the Liberty Bowl in 2007. A victory on Saturday would mean everything to the Knights, O'Leary said.
``We're here to win. Getting to the bowl is nice, but it's about winning the game,'' he said. ``I've addressed that with our players. Bowl wins carry you into the offseason.
``Really, unless you are playing a Jan. 1 bowl I like to see the games played before Christmas and then the kids can be home at Christmas with their families,'' he continued. ``I think the earlier the better. This bowl has been ideal for us as far as location, timing and not getting too far away from the season.''
As far as facing Rutgers, O'Leary said the top concern is handling the Scarlett Knights' pass rush and their stringy defense. Like UCF, college football's fourth-best team against the run this season, Rutgers ranks 20th in the nation defensively on the ground. The Scarlett Knights, a bowl participant for a fifth straight season, also do plenty to try and confuse opposing quarterbacks.
``The best thing they've done is mix up their blitzes. They've caused a lot of problems with their pressures and blitzes,'' O'Leary said. ``They don't beat themselves and they've done a good of not giving up the big play. We have to not worry so much about big plays as much as just trying to move the chains. Field position is going to be a big key because both defenses are very stout.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.