Nov. 28, 2011
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By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Assuming UCF will be playing in the same league in 2012, the Knights ability to contend for a conference title might come down to one position, not on UCF's roster but elsewhere.
While the guessing game as to who will be under center for UCF next season is one fans will play in the coming weeks, it's who is not under center in 2012 around the league that is the bigger story.
Barring a seventh season of eligibility, Houston's Case Keenum is gone. Southern Miss veteran Austin Davis moves on. G.J. Kinne at Tulsa is a senior this year. J.J. McDermott at SMU and Dominique Davis at East Carolina are also done with their college careers.
Whoever is at the position for UCF, that player will have experience in the system and give UCF something those other schools lack for the moment.
There are other positions UCF has to feel good about as they look to 2012. At wide receiver, UCF returns four solid pass catchers. Veteran Quincy McDuffie showed tremendous growth as a solid option. J.J. Worton set a school record for receptions for a freshman and made the unreal seem normal at times with his ability of making catches in traffic. Josh Reese showed great promise with a strong second half of the season and speedster Ranell Hall has a huge upside moving into his second season.
There is depth at running back and Latavius Murray seems poised for a big senior season. The offensive line needs to replace two starters and has several options to choose from among players who have been in the system for a couple of seasons.
George O'Leary wants a meaner attitude on defense next season. The line returns several players including Victor Gray who continued to make plays as the year went along. But UCF must recapture its pass rush that it has been known for.
Lots of young players saw time at linebacker and Troy Gray, Terrance Plummer and Leilon Willingham need solid off seasons to come back bigger and stronger. Willingham appears to be sticking with the defensive end spot he played the last few games of this season.
UCF's secondary should be solid with the return of Josh Robinson and Kemal Ishmael. Clayton Geathers had a solid season and UCF will get some help with several players who missed all or part of last season to injury.
Part of the frustration this year was the close games UCF lost, frustrating because UCF was in all but one game this season. Yet the difference in winning titles and not is making those plays that can determine the outcome of a game.
UCF and a few fellow league members will again be targets by opponents because of rumored conference movement, so the attitude opponents have about beating UCF will not change. A non-conference schedule for the moment features a road trips to Akron and Ohio State to start the season. Barring a bizarre scheduling move by the league, UCF will get home games with Southern Miss and East Carolina but will have to play at an improving Marshall squad.
The guess is prognosticators will tab Southern Miss as the choice in the east because they do return a lot from this year's division champion roster. Marshall will get some consideration as well with many players returning. But UCF will also get some votes because of its high number of returnees and the fact it will be one of the few contending teams with experience under center.
Knights notes and more: More than a dozen seniors played their final game at UCF this past Friday. Each has their own story and I have gotten to know a few of them over the years. Ronnie Weaver will always be one of my favorites because he represents what a true college football is. Weaver just wanted a chance to play and when he got that chance, he made the most of it by doing anything and everything he was asked...What a holiday weekend for Donnie Jones' basketball team in the Bahamas. Despite losing the title game in the Battle 4 Atlantis to unbeaten Harvard, UCF posted the biggest win in school history by knocking off fourth-ranked UConn, the defending national champions. The Knights are 4-2 and although it's still so early in the season, UCF's RPI as of Sunday night was 13th and its strength of schedule was third All three opponents UCF played are likely to play postseason ball and all three may be in the NCAAs...Final thought: Part of the holiday weekend at my house included my youngest daughter claiming she heard a noise in a plastic plant in our living room. She wondered if it was some sort of animal. Being the father and leader of the family, I grabbed the plastic plant and provided safety for my family. At that moment a dinosaur size object, at least that's what I thought, leaped from the fake plant and ran towards a dining room chair. Looking like a creature from Jurassic Park, I did what most men like me would do. I ran to get something to corner it and prepared to take it down. When I returned from the kitchen with a Tupperware bowl, what did I find? My wife had successfully captured the three-inch lizard and gently placed it outside. That my friends is a true story.
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 Radio 1080 in Orlando.