Aug. 18, 2010
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Rob Calabrese has heard the whispers of doubt morph into a roar and he feels all the eyes peering down at his every move as UCF's starting quarterback. And even though his first two chances at the job were swing and misses, Calabrese feels like everything is now in place for him to finally wipe away the seeds of doubt.
After all, he knows it's most likely now or never for him to grab control of the UCF offense and become the dynamic player that coaches and teammates rave about, but few fans have yet to see in actual games.
There's clearly heaps of pressure involved, and this time Calabrese stresses that it's a good pressure for him. He hears his clock ticking and he promises that he's ready to answer the bell this time.
``It needs to happen now for me. I need to step up and do my job,'' Calabrese said candidly. ``Having not been too successful with that these past two years has been kind of hard on me. Now, I know I have to step it up. I just have this sense that this is my year.''
Dealing with his on-field struggles have taught him to relax his once jittery nature. Seeing older players cope have smoothed out some of his erratic highs and lows. And he's dealt with his flaws in a way head coach George O'Leary absolutely adores - he's worked harder in the film room and on the practice field than any quarterback the veteran coach has ever been around.
Whether or not it all translates to the playing field on Sept. 4 at Bright House Networks Stadium against South Dakota remains to be seen. But Calabrese, now a junior, has earned the trust and respect of those around him. And those some people are predicting big things from the likeable, charismatic quarterback from East Islip, N.Y.
``I believe he's going to shut a lot of people up this year,'' wide receiver A.J. Guyton said. ``He's still humble. He's not walking around like he's got a lot on his shoulders. He's just going to practice, doing what he he's got to do every day. Whatever happens happens. It's not all in his hands. I talk to him every day. His locker's right next to mine and he's got a good mentality.''
UCF head coach George O'Leary has kept the heat on Calabrese in camp, stressing that he still needs to see the junior make more plays. O'Leary often stresses that not every play called in from the sideline will be a perfect one and it's often the quarterback's responsibility to make something productive of the play.
O'Leary said he'll use Saturday's upcoming scrimmage to solidify the quarterback position. Calabrese seemed to have cleared up some of the questions about his play in the spring by holding off freshman phenom Jeffrey Godfrey to win the starting quarterback slot. He's retained that slot most of fall camp with some nice throws where he's shown off the touch he's added from hours of work over the summer. But O'Leary stressed on Tuesday that the job is still very much wide open.
``With Rob, I'd like to see him make more plays. I think there are plays to be made out there that he's leaving out on the field,'' O'Leary said. ``Jeff makes plays that you remember, but overall it's how you run the team from first down to third down. Obviously (Godfrey) is a very talented individual who has to see the field and how soon depends on who we go as a football team.''
The quarterback position could very well be the swing spot between a truly special season and an ordinary one. UCF is stacked with 18 seniors and 17 returning starters, but it's the quarterback where there are still more questions than answers.
Calabrese, a part-time starter each of the previous two seasons, will share some of the duties with Godfrey, a big-armed, quick-footed playmaker. But undoubtedly the Knights' fortunes will rest largely on the play of Calabrese this season.
``I feel much more experienced, just the knowledge of the playbook and the defense,'' Calabrese said. ``I feel real good out there. Now it's just a matter of going out there and executing every play.''
UCF offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe noted recently that Calabrese was ``often his own worst enemy'' last season when he began the season as the starter, but succumbed to wild emotional swings. O'Leary has convinced him that it's more important to manage the game than trying to win it, hoping to extinguish some of the pressure. And Taaffe has observed a different type of player this time around.
``We want consistency from him, see him continue to progress in the offense and stay poised,'' Taaffe said. ``Every quarterback is going to miss passes and I think he'll deal with that better now. But he has a tremendous grasp of the offense and he makes very few mental errors. That's a good place to start and he's playing with confidence now. He has plenty of weapons around him and just needs to distribute the ball where it needs to be. I think he's going to be fine.''
He was placed in a tough spot as a freshman, playing before he was ready and predictably struggled. He started the season poorly last season, compounding his struggles with feeling the pressure. His 4-7 career record as a starter is somewhat misleading considering his time under center as a true freshman and last season in Austin against Texas.
He worked hard this offseason to prove to his teammates that he isn't the same quarterback as before. He got especially close to his receivers, namely veterans Kamar Aiken and Guyton, in an attempt to build chemistry that might help him work through any tough times. He knew that so much of his success came down to his receivers and them having a strong belief in his abilities.
``He hung out with us more,'' Guyton said. ``He got to know us more, just not on the field but off the field, too. He would go to the store with us, go out with us, anything like that that's just helping him to get to know us better.''
Knowing he's very likely in a now or never scenario as UCF's starting quarterback, Calabrese is convinced that his time has come. He is better, he stressed, physically, mentally and emotionally. And he's more than ready to clear up any doubts about himself and be the quarterback that UCF needs to make this a special season.
``My mentality now is that if I make a mistake to just forget about it, put it behind me and then go do my job. That's the way I'm approaching now to try and help our football team,'' he said. ``I'm a very confident guy. I think I had a good spring and proved myself and I've played well in camp, so now it's just about going out there and just executing every day consistently. I think I'm ready to do that.''
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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.