Dec. 9, 2009
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - When the UCF football squad faces Rutgers on Dec. 19 in the St. Pete Bowl, the contest will mark the program's first contest at Tropicana Field. Still, the game will not serve as the first appearance by a UCF team inside the dome.
In 1998, head coach Kirk Speraw took his Knights into Tropicana Field to face cross-state foe USF. The game was played at the facility to prepare organizers for the Final Four, which was held at Tropicana Field the following March. The Bulls opened the game with an 11-0 run and held on for a 69-55 win.
D'Quarius Stewart led the Knights with 17 points.
Ironically, UCF will be in action in Tampa just days before the bowl game. The Knights, who are off to a 6-2 start this season, will face USF at the Sun Dome next Wednesday.
UCF's next game is Saturday when the squad will host Bethune-Cookman. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. at the UCF Arena. A special "Pick Your Starting Five" ticket plan is currently available for UCF home contests at the UCF Arena. The plan allows fans to select tickets to five games of their choice for as little as $45. To purchase the "Pick Your Starting Five Plan" today, call (407) UCF-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com.
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.
Notes: On Thursday, UCF public address announcer Erik Kohler will be in Tampa, working the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. Kohler will handle the public address duties for DePaul/Mississippi State and Syracuse/Florida. The games will be televised on ESPN... At Notre Dame last Sunday, sophomore guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) totaled five steals. The point guard is now 11th nationally, averaging 3.1 steals per game.