Oct. 22, 2012
="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported"> ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported"> UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - A pair of seniors helped UCF maintain a perfect record in league play in the 35-17 win at Memphis, and they were rewarded for their efforts Monday. Conference USA named running back Latavius Murray as the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, while cornerback A.J. Bouye received C-USA Defensive Player of the Week status, the league office announced.
The accolades were the first C-USA weekly awards for both Murray and Bouye in their careers. Earlier this season, senior Quincy McDuffie was the league's Special Teams Player of the Week for his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against East Carolina Oct. 4 (he also had a 64-yard touchdown reception).
Murray received the start for the first time since suffering an injury in the opener at Akron, and proceeded to have one of the best rushing performances by a UCF running back. He gashed Memphis for 192 yards on a career-high 23 carries with a pair of touchdowns. It was the 12th-most rushing yards in school history (Murray owns fourth on that list with 233 vs. UTEP in 2011), while the two touchdowns allowed Murray to move into a tie for third on the UCF all-time chart with 27.
The New York native also produced rushes of 50 and 83 yards, with the 83-yard touchdown burst being the second-longest since the program's inception in 1979 (Kevin Smith had an 87-yard touchdown run vs. Marshall in 2007). Murray, who has just eight starts since joining UCF in 2008, entered the game vs. Memphis boasting a career-long rush of 46 yards before topping that twice against the Tigers. For the season, he is averaging 6.7 yards per rush, and has 382 yards and five touchdowns in just four contests.
After missing the final five games of 2011 with an injury, Bouye quickly worked his way back and has started all seven games this year. Taking on Memphis, he was part of a secondary that limited the Tigers to 121 passing yards, but had two key plays that enabled the Knights to hang on for the victory. Holding a 14-10 third-quarter lead, Bouye intercepted a Jacob Karam pass near the UCF goal line and returned it 32 yards to the UCF-39, which would lead to a UCF touchdown three minutes later.
Now ahead 21-10, Bouye put the game out of reach by scooping up a Memphis fumble as it drove inside UCF territory and ran it back 79 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest fumble return for six points in school history. In 2012, Bouye is tied for the team lead (Kemal Ishmael) with two interceptions while also notching 32 tackles, a forced fumble and four break-ups.
On Sunday, the College Football Performance Awards selected Murray (all-purpose), Bouye (defensive back) and senior Jamie Boyle (punter) to the honorable mention list for its national weekly awards. Boyle had a 48.0 average on six punts, which was the ninth-highest average in UCF single-game history, and he also placed three inside the 20-yard line.
The Knights now have shifted focus to a huge contest in West Virginia as they clash with Marshall Saturday at 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Marshall (3-4, 2-1) is just one game behind UCF (5-2, 3-0) in the loss column in the C-USA East Division.
UCF football single-game tickets start at just $25. Order today by calling the UCF Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com. Attending a UCF football game is a great way to celebrate birthdays, corporate outings or any special occasion. Please ask about group packages today.