July 15, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO - Anticipation for the 2011 football season at UCF is higher than ever following the finest season in school history in 2010.
The Knights are coming off an 11-3 season in which they won both the Liberty Bowl and the Conference USA championship. UCF defeated Georgia 10-6 in Memphis on Dec. 31 for the school's first bowl victory.
UCF also entered the national rankings for the first time ever last season and finished ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Also, the Knights were No. 21 in the Associated Press poll and hope to begin next season in both national polls.
With the opening of training camp coming soon and the Sept. 3 opener at Bright House Networks Stadium against Charleston Southern approaching, UCFAthletics.com's John Denton will take a look at various players to watch this season leading up to the start of camp on Aug. 4.
PLAYER: A.J. Bouye
POSITION: Cornerback
HEIGHT, WEIGHT, CLASS: 6-0, 179, Junior
HOMETOWN: Tucker, Ga.
BEST ON-FIELD TRAITS: Bouye, already a two-year letterman, is thought to be by many as a rising star in the UCF secondary because of his nose for the football and his ability to make big plays.
2010 STATISTICS: He made the first two starts of his college career last season and even in limited duty he had 26 tackles, three stops for losses, seven pass breakups and an interception.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Bouye has split time at both safety and cornerback at UCF, but he'll head into this fall camp as the starter at corner opposite of Josh Robinson. Bouye's football smarts and ability to break on the ball could give UCF one of the nation's top corner duos along with Robinson, a preseason All-American pick by some media outlets. Bouye has to prove that his slight build can withstand the rigors of a long season.
WHERE HE'S BETTER: Bouye should be fully healthy now after missing spring practice following surgery on his shoulder. That injury limited him late in the season and kept him out of the 10-6 AutoZone Liberty Bowl victory against Georgia. He proved himself last season to be a playmaker, recording seven tackles against Houston in his first start, and registering three pass breakups against NC State. Now, he'll get every chance as a full-time starter to blossom into a star defensive back for the Knights.
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.