July 18, 2011
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By David Buchman
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The final road game of the regular season brings the Knights to Greenville, N.C., to play East Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Conference USA matchup at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports Network, while the kickoff time is to be announced.
In 2010, ECU had an up and down season. Under the direction of first-year head coach Ruffin McNeill, the Pirates began the season with a 5-2 record. After being defeated by the Knights on Oct. 30, ECU went on to finish out the regular season winning just one of its last four games. Ending the regular season 6-6 earned the Pirates a school-record fifth-consecutive bowl appearance. The bowl game (Military Bowl) didn't quite go their way, as they lost 51-20 to Maryland. The Pirates finished 6-7, and had their first losing season since 2005. ECU's most notable win of 2010 came against in-state rival NC State. The Pirates won on an overtime touchdown run by quarterback Dominique Davis after kicker Mike Barbour hit a 31-yard field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Offensive Player to Watch
ECU quarterback Dominique Davis has the ability to take games over by himself. His ability to run and throw makes him tricky for defensive coordinators to solve. He threw 37 touchdowns last season (ranked sixth all time on the C-USA single-season passing touchdowns list) and had 393 completions (ranked second all-time on the C-USA single-season completions list). On the ground, Davis was able to net 141 yards and score nine rushing touchdowns. While most affective through the air, his mobility is a major part of his success.
Defensive Player to Watch
Junior defensive lineman Michael Brooks is a star on the ECU line. Against the Knights last season, he had a career-high eight tackles, seven of which were solo hits, and also had two tackles for a loss. During the UCF matchup, Brooks suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Pirates struggled in his absence. In just seven games last season Brooks made 29 total tackles, three and a half tackles for a loss and recorded one interception.
Local Ties
Dominique Davis was born and raised in Lakeland, Fla., and his parents still reside there. Offensive lineman Jordan Davis is from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and is going to compete for a starting spot on the ECU offensive line this season. Two other Florida players on the ECU roster are freshmen offensive linemen Mack Helms and Drew Gentry, both from Tallahassee.
Placekicker/punter, David Bohner is from Matthews, N.C., and is the only Knight from North Carolina.
UCF offensive linemen Chris Martin and Jordan Davis both played at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and played on the offensive line together while in high school.
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.