Jan. 9, 2012
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By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - As sports fans, part of what we do is debate. We argue with other fans about why our team won or how we could have possibly lost. We play armchair quarterbacks and coaches and always know what the right call would have been. We also compare everything. Who was the better player, better coach, bigger win, toughest loss and best team.
Recently, someone asked me my favorite UCF football team. Like a good Knight, I sat on the fence and said there are many and each has their moments. When he pushed me for an answer I said the 2010 team would have to be the choice. It won 11 games, a conference title, a bowl game and finished nationally ranked. But it did get me thinking about who was the best team and if the best of the best squared off, who would win.
In order to play this scenario out, I needed to pick four teams. From there I would turn to the website whatifsports.com. The site allows you to play simulated games from all sports, including college football and pit teams from years past against teams from the present. The site stores data from teams and plays a simulated game for you and provides stats and game summaries.
In picking the four teams for my tournament I focused on what those teams accomplished on the field and who was playing. Since whatifsports.com has data stored dating back to 1996, all teams had to come that year and forward.
My first choice was the 1998 UCF Knights. That squad went 9-2 and did receive the school's first bowl bid, although it was a conditional bid, with a 9-2 record. That team featured Daunte Culpepper and a few others, but a team that began the true national branding of UCF football.
Second choice was the 2005 UCF Knights that went 8-5. This group won C-USA's East Division title and did play in the conference first title game and the school's first bowl game. It is also a team that saw about a dozen players play in the NFL.
Third choice was the 2007 C-USA championship team. With a record of 10-4, UCF won the league title game and made the school's first of two appearances in the Liberty Bowl. This team featured Kevin Smith's remarkable season of 2,448 yards and a rock solid defense.
Last team in is, of course, the 2010 team and its record for wins and earning the school's first national ranking.
I decided to pair matchups based on limiting players who played on the 2007 and 2010 team to not meeting in the first round. So I pitted the 1998 UCF Knights against the 2007 UCF Knights and then the second matchup finds the 2005 UCF Knights against the 2010 UCF Knights.
I chose to, which the website allows, to pick the weather condition of a clear, warm afternoon at Bright House Networks Stadium. Here's a recap of how the computer played the semifinal games:
1998 UCF Knights 27. 2007 UCF Knights 22
Daunte Culpepper tossed two first quarter touchdowns to Mark Nonsant to grab a 14-0 lead. The lead would stretch to 21-0 when Culpepper found Charles Lee for a 23-yard scoring pass. The 2007 UCF Knights would get a Kevin Smith 5-yard run and a pair of field goals to pull within 21-13 at end of the half. Three more Fred Waczewski field goals in the third and early fourth quarter gave the 2007 UCF team a 22-21 lead. With 4:19 to go, Culpepper began a drive and hit Siaha Burley for a 31-yard play down to the 2007 UCF Knights 48. A few players later, Culpepper converted a third and 12 by hitting Kenny Clark for a 13 yard gain down to the 7-yard line. On third-and-goal at the 3-yard line, Culpepper hit Burley in the back of the end zone for the score. A failed two-point conversion kept the score 27-22 with 1:06 left. Kyle Israel hit Brian Watters on a pass to get to the 1998 UCF Knights 28. However, the next play saw Israel hit Watters at the 16-yard line but he lost the ball trying to get out of bounds and turned the ball over. Culpepper took a knee twice to secure the win. Culpepper was 18-26 for 193 yards and four touchdown passes and Siaha Burley caught 10 balls for 104 yards. Kevin Smith was limited to just 80 yards and a touchdown.
2010 UCF Knights 24, 2005 UCF Knights 13
Early first quarter touchdown runs by Ronnie Weaver and Latavius Murray gave the 2010 UCF Knights a 14-0 lead. Murray's run was a 52-yarder with 1:28 to play in the first quarter for the two score advantage. Freshman Kevin Smith scored from 5 yards out to make it 14-6 Matt Prater missed the extra point. Not my doing. The computer said so. Nick Cattoi made a 25-yard field goal to put the 2010 UCF Knights up 17-6 at the half. Steven Moffett's 41-yard touchdown pass to Mike Walker with 2:08 to play in the third quarter made it 17-13. Jamar Newsome's 18-yard touchdown catch put the 2010 UCF Knights up 24-13 with 11:18 left in the game, in what would be the final score of the game. Latavius Murray ran for 112 yards on just 10 carries for the 2010 UCF Knights. Brandon Marshall and Mike Walker each went over 100 yards receiving in the loss.
So that set us up for a final between the 1998 UCF Knights against the 2010 UCF Knights. And here's out the computer played it out:
First Quarter:
The 1998 UCF Knights went three-and-out and punted on its first possession. The 2010 UCF Knights marched to the 4-yard line before attempting a field goal which was blocked. From there, the teams exchanged punts in a scoreless quarter. 1998 UCF Knights 0 2010 UCF Knights 0
Second Quarter:
Kamar Aiken caught a 12-yard pass for a score to give the 2010 UCF Knights a 7-0 lead with 2:46 left in the half. But Daunte Culpepper got a quick drive going with a 20-yard pass play to Mark Nonsant and 12- yard run by Eddie Mack. Catches by Nonsant and Burley moved the ball to the 3-yard line. Culpepper hit Burley for the score to tie the game at the break. 1998 UCF Knights 7 2010 UCF Knights 7
Third Quarter:
After a punt by the 2010 UCF Knights to start the off, Daunte Culpepper is picked off on a tipped ball by David Williams and returned to the 1998 UCF Knights 14-yard line. On the next play, Ronnie Weaver rips off a touchdown run to put the 2010 UCF Knights up 14-7 with 13:27 to play in the quarter. Both teams would miss field goal attempts before the quarter would end. 2010 UCF Knights 14 1998 UCF Knights 7
Fourth Quarter:
After a missed field goal by the 2010 UCF Knights, Culpepper marched the 1998 UCF Knights down the field with a key 47-yard pass to Siaha Burley before running it in from 7-yards out to cap a 6-play, 67-yard drive and the game is tied at 14 with 3:50 to play. Neither team would get in position to score in the final four possessions and regulation ended tied at 14. 1998 UCF Knights 14 2010 UCF Knights 14
Overtime:
The 1998 UCF Knights got the ball first. Eddie Mack ran for two yards and then Culpepper threw incomplete in the end zone before being tackled at the 22 on a third down run. Fred Waczewski missed a 39-yard field on fourth down. The 2010 UCF Knights took over. After two run plays, a pass interference call on third and 7 put the ball at the 8-yard line. On the next play, Latavius Murray got the handoff up the middle and raced into the end zone for the win. Final Score: 2010 UCF Knights 21 1998 UCF Knights 14
Daunte Culpepper was 21-for-34 for 298 yards. Siaha Burley had seven receptions for 119 yards. Ronnie Weaver ran for 108 yards and Murray had 83 yards and the game winner.
If you don't like the outcome, feel free to go play the rematches yourself. The cool thing is although UCF does not have a long history of great teams, we do have some fun squads that were filled with very talented players. And the beauty of the program's growth is that hopefully the next time we do something like this the tournament will feature eight teams.
Knights notes and more: Big road win for the UCF men's basketball team at East Carolina. The Knights snapped a four game losing skid to the Pirates and played their most complete game. A.J .Rompza was awesome in playing what may have been his best game in a UCF uniform. Rompza's performance since his return has been huge but don't overlook the play of Isaiah Sykes. His 20-point,10-rebound effort was very impressive at East Carolina. Sykes is playing at a different level from last year...At the Charlotte airport on trip back, the highlight was wrestler Rick Flair who was kind enough to pose for some pictures with several players...Final thought: the Charlotte airport features bathroom attendants. For some reason mints, mouthwash, folded paper towels and the expected tip are not that important to me moving from gate to gate.
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.