Dec. 12, 2010
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By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With chestnuts roasting on the open fire and jack frost nipping at our nose, we take a moment to look back at a great year to remember in UCF football history. Do note, the season is not over. The Liberty Bowl game against Georgia is a huge test and it truly can put the exclamation point on the season and stamp the 2010 team as the best ever UCF squad.
But as the team returns to practice this week, we look back at the year that was:
Debut a success in 2010: UCF 38, South Dakota 7. Rob Calabrese played his best half of football in his UCF career and fans got their first glimpse of "the kid", Jeff Godfrey. Jonathan Davis ran for 107 and UCF opened with an easy victory.
"He might be really good": That was the buzz on Godfrey as he rallied UCF from a 21-point second half deficit to give UCF a chance to tie and perhaps win against visiting NC State. Despite the turnovers, the Knights got back into the game and the defense gave NC State quarterback Russell Wilson his worst statistical game of the season.
Miller highlights his sprinting speed: UCF beats Buffalo in the first road game and the first start for Jeff Godfrey. Bruce Miller intercepted a shuttle pass and "sprinted" to the end zone 30 yards for a touchdown. Miller was almost beat by a UCF defensive tackle to the goal line, but he swears he looked more like Usain Bolt running a record 100-meter dash than current Bill and one time teammate Torell Troup.
"Even Dorothy never saw skies like this": Mother Nature put on a show as clouds did things residents of Kansas had never seen the day UCF outplayed Kansas State for 55 minutes. The Knights' defense ended the Heisman campaign of Wildcat running back Daniel Thomas by holding him to 76 yards. Despite the loss, George O'Leary points to this game as the turning point of the season. His team was ticked off. It knew it was the better team and yet had no win to show for it. But UCF went to work the next week and started a conference championship run.
Wednesdays are good to the Knights: In back-to-back mid-week games on national television, UCF rolled over UAB and Marshall. The Knights outscored both 77-21. UAB came into the game after an overtime loss to Tennessee feeling pretty good. They left feeling pretty bad. Meanwhile, Marshall saw our second weather delay of the season. After the delay and a brief halftime, Jamar Newsome took the third quarter kickoff back 70 yards and then Jeff Godfrey ran for a 5-yard score. Ronnie Weaver ran for 150 and Herd fans left quickly and quietly...game over.
Daunte sees the future: Arguably the best player in UCF history watched the guy who might become the best. Daunte Culpepper made his first appearance at Bright House Networks Stadium and he watched Jeff Godfrey dazzle early and often in a blowout of Rice. The UCF defense held the Owls to 229 yards of total offense.
Showdown goes to the Knights: In came East Carolina in a matchup of two teams with the best conference records at the time. In the end, Ronnie Weaver rolled to a career best 180 yards on 30 carries and two scores. Jeff Godfrey tossed a pair of scores and UCF stood atop the league after a high scoring shootout that gave the Black and Gold even more confidence for the next "big" game.
Even Warren was wowed!: Bruce Miller's speed was on display again with another interception return for a touchdown to start the scoring at Houston. From there, Jeff Godfrey went to work and work he did. The sensational freshman went 15-of-19 for 294 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also ran for 105 yards and a score. His performance made former NFL All-Pro Warren Sapp jump up and down celebrating like a diehard Knight fan.
Lesson Learned: The setback against Southern Miss knocked UCF out of the national polls after earning its first entry into the rankings world. But the test for the team came the following week. How would UCF bounce back with no margin for error in winning the east division?
Statement made: The bounce back came in the game's first 10 seconds. Playing in front of more UCF fans than Tulane fans on their home field, Quincy McDuffie took the opening kick back 95 yards...game over. From there UCF raced to a school record 31 first quarter points. Latavius Murray got the start and ran for a career-best 146 yards. Jeff Godfrey didn't need many passes for a big day. He was 6-of-8 for 133 yards and two touchdowns. UCF started the game with a return for a score and ended it with a score when Jordan Ozerites took an interception back 100 yards on the game's final play.
See you again soon Liberty Bowl: UCF learned it had won the east division and secured home field for the conference title game before it took the field at Memphis. Yet, UCF still rolled to a 37-17 win. Jamar Newsome had two big touchdown catches and 118 yards and Godfrey was...well he was Godfrey. Jeff was a routine 14-of-17 for 252 and two touchdown passes and ran for another.
The joy of a championship: Few would have guessed UCF and SMU would combine for 24 points. But the UCF defense simply put was...nasty. The Knights pressured SMU quarterback Kyle Padron early and often. They made big plays and picked off passes and shutdown an offense used to scoring a lot of points. Along the way, Latavius Murray made big plays en route to MVP honors and for the second time in four seasons, UCF was crowned conference champs on its home field.
Black and Gold props to:
Ronnie Weaver- The fifth-string back going into fall camp, all Weaver did was earn the job in week four and then run for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns and solidified a position in which UCF lost a first-team all-conference back in Brynn Harvey. Weaver could have led the league in rushing if he was the starter in week one. Bonus kudos to Latavius Murray for his season. LT ran for 10 touchdowns and became a starter the final two games of the season. How deep is running back next season? The top eight rushers from this season come back and that does not include Harvey.
Jamar Newsome- The fifth year senior wideout emerged as the year went along. He made big catches and bigger runs after catches. He blocked when needed and also became one of the country's best kick returners, and that put him second in that category on his own team.
Jordan Rae- His performance cannot go unnoticed. Rae solidified a tough position on the line. He was strong all season and was a big reason for UCF's offensive success this year.
Darius Nall and Troy Davis- The two combined for 13.5 sacks and the future looks very bright when it comes to great pass rushers.
Derrick Hallman and Lawrence Young- They played together as true freshman in that special win at NC State back in 2007. They will leave as two-time conference champions and two players who others might have said were undersized for their positions, but all they gave UCF and its fans were four great seasons of making plays and adding to the foundation they helped build at UCF.
Josh Robinson- Dude is flat out good. He can cover. He can run. He can intercept passes. He can break up deep passes. He can return punts. He has two more years left.
Jeff Godfrey- During my 16 years broadcasting at UCF, I have seen many players come through the program. Daunte was special because of his size, arm strength and where the program was when he got here and where it was when he left. Kevin Smith was that diamond few others wanted to run the ball. He gave us one of the greatest seasons a running back in college ever had. Jeff Godfrey is the "it" factor. Not even Daunte played with such poise and grace as a rookie. No player in my time at UCF had the ability to make plays with their feet like Jeff can. But the best quality of Jeff is not his arm, speed or dancing moves on the field, it's that he wanted to be a Knight and is proud to represent our school and welcomes the role of a team leader on the field and off the field. That my friends is a special player.
Bruce Miller- Last on this list for a reason. As I mentioned, I have seen many special players in my time behind the microphone calling games at UCF. I have a list of my favorite players for their on-field performances but also for the way they are off the field. Bruce Miller is one of my favorite players all-time. I have admired his play on the field for four years. He is the undersized guy that plays bigger than he is. He never stops the effort machine and he his play is contagious. He makes other players better. He makes freshmen want to play like him. He makes coaches proud on and off the field. Perhaps the ultimate compliment made to Bruce was what C-USA coaches did when he won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight season. Miller's statistics were not as good as his junior season. But coaches knew why. They knew they had to double and triple team Miller because he is just that good. UCF is a better program because Bruce Miller gave us the privilege to watch him play.
Knights notes and more: They say people who always get a reaction when asked about them are the most interesting people. Everyone has an opinion about George O'Leary. But no matter what some of his critics think, he does things the way most college presidents and athletic directors want their program run. He cares about the players he brings into the program and makes them better men during the time at the school. O'Leary won his third Conference USA Coach of the Year award in six years. You know how many times that has been done in league history? None. His players love him and his peers respect him...We will preview Georgia and the matchup next week, but over the last two months of the season, Georgia was a top-25 team. They went 5-2, with one of those losses to Auburn. Their offense is rolling with redshirt freshman quarterback Andy Murray. The Dawgs will be a challenge...Final thought: When I told my wife I thought about retiring to spend more time with her and the family she reminded me we have unlimited texting and calling on our plan. Then she printed copy of some photos of her and my girls and put them in my briefcase and said, "now get back to work."
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.