Dec. 5, 2010
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By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - George O'Leary and his team set goals every season. This year O'Leary knew the Knights could have a special season. Led by a core group of seniors, the coach felt their leadership could be the difference. Coach was right.
Yes, there was that special freshman who came along and introduced all of us to UCF's future, but the likes of Bruce Miller, David Williams, Derek Hallman, Lawrence Young, Jah Reid, Brian Watters, Jamar Newsome , Kamar Aiken and others playing their final game at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday reminded us that there is nothing like experience in championship seasons.
The win over SMU allowed the Knights to celebrate the goal set out before the season - win the conference title. UCF felt the 2010 campaign was the year to re-establish the Knights as the dominant program in the league. Mission accomplished.
Saturday's win was part of what many consider the greatest week in UCF sports history. It started with basketball's win over then 16th-ranked Florida at the new Amway Center where UCF fans did indeed represent, and was capped with the thrilling 17-7 win over SMU in what is UCF's second football championship in four seasons.
It is a great time to be a Knight. We walk with a little more pep in our step. We've got some bragging rights at the water cooler when other fans of state teams want to talk sports. But let me remind you and them of a few things. Who is the only state football team to win a conference title? UCF. Who is the only state team to win 10 games? UCF. Who has the best defense in the state by statistics? UCF. Who has the best quarterback in the state, by opinion and I dare anyone to argue? UCF. Who is the football team in the state to have won its last game? UCF Oh, and a few more...Who has the only unbeaten basketball team in the state? UCF. Who is just pretty darn cool right now? UCF. You get the picture.
Saturday's win over SMU was a battle that had far fewer points than anyone could have thought. But there were some special moments worth noting:
Third and 16: UCF's opening drive saw a very key play in the game. SMU accepted a holding call on UCF instead of declining the penalty. It would have been fourth-and-3 from the SMU 15 if June Jones had declined the flag. UCF would have likely attempted a 32-yard field goal. By accepting the holding call on Jordan Rae, the Mustangs gave UCF a third-and-16 from the 28. Jeff Godfrey found Latavius Murray underneath on a route and Murray gained...16. It gave UCF a first down and Murray would catch another Godfrey pass and score from five yards out for the game's first touchdown. A crucial call by SMU that could have been a 3-0 deficit instead of 7-0.
Three straight incompletes: After that UCF score, SMU's first offensive play went for 37 yards on a pass to the UCF 41. SMU certainly had to feel like they would answer quickly, but the Knight defense then forced a three and out with three straight incomplete passes. That was a big early stop.
A big 29-yard field goal: Despite Nick Cattoi's struggles this season, the field goal at the end of the half was huge because it gave the Knights a two possession lead with SMU getting the ball to start the third quarter.
Here comes the heat: When the third quarter started, Bruce Miller and his fellow defenders brought the heat. Miller's sack on SMU's first drive of the second half put SMU in a third and long and the defense then forced a punt.
LT to the house: That SMU punt shortly after Miller's sack put the Knights back on their own 15. But key passes for 13 to A.J. Guyton and 18 to Kamar Aiken put UCF at the SMU 36. The next play saw the line open a hole where Latavius Murray burst through and was off to the end zone for a 17-0 lead.
J-Rob rocks: Playing cornerback means you have to forget the last play whether it was good or bad and accept you will give up a big play, but you will also make big plays. On Saturday, Josh Robinson made big plays. Robinson knocked away a sure touchdown with a perfectly timed jump. He then battled and won possession of a key pass for an interception on the SMU drive after Murray's touchdown run. In total, Robinson had seven tackles, two pass breakups and a pick. Job well done by one of the country's best cover corners.
More heat when it was needed: SMU was hanging around when it took over following the missed field goal at its own 35 with 3:41 left. Mustang quarterback Kyle Padron was about to feel the rush. While Padron did make some nice pass plays he first felt the wrath of Bruce Miller again on the second play of the drive for Miller's second sack. Later in the drive, Darius Nall pushed Padron down for a sack and then Troy Davis made it a trifecta when he dropped Padron on the final offensive play for SMU. A fitting end for a defense that was sensational all season and on a drive UCF needed to bring the heat.
Other game notes and thoughts: Kudos to the best student section in the country. I can never say enough about the greatest and loudest group of fans we have. They came early and made noise late and no one jams to DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" like our black and gold so "put your hands up...and they stay there...and they stay there."(Does anyone realize what kind of street cred I just gained by dropping DJ Khaled in a column?)...Zero instant replay reviews in the game.
Knights notes and more: Is the 2010 football team the greatest in UCF history? You can have fun debating with fans, but the season is not over. There is a bowl game out there to win and then the comparisons can begin...Jeff Godfrey had tears in his eyes after the game. Why? He told Jerry O'Neill during our post-game that he had never won a title game at any level. He played in big playoff games in Pop Warner and high school, but this was the first time he got to hold a trophy high as a champion...Watched the ESPN replay of the game late Saturday night and if you don't think the cameras highlighting our facilities, crowd support and on-field success are not important for anyone watching you are crazy. Do you know who UCF's attendance can be compared to? TCU. The Big East bound Horne d Frogs have a stadium almost the same size as UCF. The two almost mirror each other in attendance figures. And do you know how many sellouts TCU has in the last two seasons in which they have not lost a game? Four. That's not criticizing them, it's just pointing out facts that certain critics might want to take notice...No mixed feelings is my answer to anyone who has asked me about UCF's win over Florida in basketball. I am a proud graduate of the University of Florida. But I am a Knight. I root for Florida when they don't play UCF. But there is no split of emotions when the two square off. Last Wednesday's game at the Amway Center was one of the top highlights of my 16 years behind the mic at UCF. It wasn't a win we lucked into. It wasn't a win we got when no one got to see it. The win over the Gators was earned and enjoyed by our fans who got to witness the moment...Thoughts and prayers to the Millican family. Dr. Charles Millican, the first president at UCF, passed away last week. He was a big sports fan and I had the honor to meet him and his lovely wife Francis, who also passed this past year. Dr. Millican often spoke of listening to my radio broadcasts of games and I so enjoyed my time talking with him and his wife. Special people who will always be in our thoughts and prayers...Final thought: Whatever the guy at the Christmas tree place charges to put the tree in the stand is never enough. Serious, has anyone ever used the tree stand with the four screws and gotten all four screws to actually touch the tree? You know you've never done that. There is always that one screw that no matter how you move the tree, it still never makes contact with the wood.
Marc Daniels' From the Press Box runs several times per month on UCFAthletics.com. Listen to Marc during UCF football, men's basketball and baseball radio broadcasts on the UCF Sports Network. Each weekday, Marc hosts "The Beat of Sports" on ESPN 1080 in Orlando from 9-11 a.m.