Aug. 1, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - News and notes from the UCF football team for Monday, Aug. 1. With C-USA Media Day complete, the Knights now focus on the first week of preseason camp which starts Thursday.
News
-UCF certainly served as one of the busiest programs during C-USA Media Day in Memphis Sunday. Head coach George O'Leary was available for an hour of sit-down interviews and his table was constantly filled with reporters. He then fielded several questions during his formal press conference, before he joined senior defensive end Darius Nall for TV interviews with FOX Sports Networks, CBS Sports Network and CSS.
-UCF Director of Athletics Keith Tribble also was on hand during C-USA Media Day.
-O'Leary touched on a variety of topics surrounding UCF and the college football landscape Sunday. One area he discussed was recruiting and how he focuses on players that fit his system. He added, "That's where I think a lot of coaches make mistakes. They just go grab kids (but) they don't fit into the system they have." O'Leary stressed how much time he spends with high school coaches to let them know what he's looking for and that they aren't just a big name, but a player that fits with UCF.
Web Links
-Hattiesburg America: C-USA Quarterbacks - Click Here
-Orlando Sentinel: Notes from C-USA Media DAy - Click Here
-Orlando Sentinel: NCAA Reform - Click Here
-Orlando Sentinel: Q&A with O'Leary - Click Here
UKNIGHT and Get The "PATCH" Player Profile
#18 - Kemal Ishmael
Defensive Back - 5-11/211 - Junior
Miami, Fla./North Miami Beach
-Allowed UCF fans to breathe a sigh of relief when he knocked down a Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the game to help the Knights defeat Georgia, 10-6, in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
-The free safety grabbed a spot on the All-C-USA First Team for leading UCF with 93 tackles, while also collecting two interceptions and five break-ups.
-Of all returning players, leads the team with a current streak of 23-straight starts.
-In two years as a Knight, has three picks, 163 tackles (including 70 as a true freshman) and two forced fumbles.
Quote of the Day
-"We have a conference that puts points on the board, and (all 12 teams) have quarterbacks that can make plays. But I still think that you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run to win championships. I'm not about to change (my philosophy), and I think the big thing is that there are a lot of good coaches in this conference that know how to attack defenses. A lot of attention should go to how they get that done because you have a lot of coaches that are very unique in how they go at defenses." - UCF head coach George O'Leary.
What to Look For
-John Denton will be sharing a lot more from C-USA Media Day in the near future, while he also will have plenty of in-depth coverage on UCFAthletics.com as we close in on Sept. 3.
UCF football season ticket packages can be purchased online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000. 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.