June 28, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com)- With the opening of UCF football camp quickly approaching and the Sept. 3 opener at Bright House Networks Stadium against Charleston Southern coming up, UCFAthletics.com's John Denton will take a look at various players to watch this season.
PLAYER: Quincy McDuffie
POSITION: Wide receiver, kick returner
HEIGHT, WEIGHT, CLASS: 5-10, 175, Junior
HOMETOWN: Orlando
BEST ON-FIELD TRAITS: A former state champion in track, McDuffie is UCF's fastest player and one of the fastest athletes in the country. He fearlessly hits the hole on kickoff returns and once into the clear there's no catching him from behind.
2010 STATISTICS: McDuffie ranked second in the nation last season, averaging 32.19 yards per kickoff return. He ran two kicks back for touchdowns last season and has three return TDs in his two years at UCF. He also caught 12 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns last season.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: McDuffie has established himself as the premier kick returner in the country, earning All-American honors last season, but he wants to become a much more productive wide receiver threat this season. McDuffie is a threat to score anytime opponents kick him the ball. In the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Georgia, he had a long kickoff return for a touchdown called back because of a questionable holding penalty. McDuffie has added more muscle this offseason, allowing him to hold up better as a receiver and stay in routes when defensive backs try to be physical with him. McDuffie is one of head coach George O'Leary's favorite players because of his ability to learn from mistakes and his willingness to work hard.
WHERE HE'S BETTER: McDuffie showed in the spring that he's ready to become UCF's go-to receiver following the losses of Jamar Newsome, Brian Watters and Kamar Aiken to graduation. He's athletic enough to make the tough catches and certainly fast enough to run away from defenders in coverage. O'Leary has made it a point to get the ball into McDuffie's hand more - via passes and reverse runs - because of his blinding speed and big play abilities - and the junior will need to respond with his finest season as a receiver.
UCF 2011 football season ticket packages can be purchased or renewed online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000. Home games include Charleston Southern [Champions UKNIGHT (Sept. 3)], Boston College [Hall of Fame Weekend (Sept. 10)], Marshall (Oct. 8), Memphis [Alumni UKNIGHT - Homecoming 2011 (Oct. 29)], Tulsa (Nov. 5) and UTEP [Senior Day (Nov. 26)]. Should UCF host the C-USA Championship Game for the fourth time in seven years, it would be played on Saturday, Dec. 3 and season ticket holders will receive the first shot at the best seats.
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.