Nov. 21, 2012
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF assistant head coach and offensive line coach Brent Key was selected as one of 29 national nominees for the 2012 Broyles Award. The honor goes to the top assistant college football coach in the country.
"This is a very humbling honor," said Key, who also is the UCF recruiting coordinator. "I am so grateful to be a part of UCF and head coach George O'Leary's staff. I have one of the most respected head coaches to learn from and I cannot thank him enough for the opportunities I have received. And I have been very fortunate to have had an incredible group of players each season. It's really rewarding to teach them on and off the field, and they make this job fun every single day."
The five finalists for the Broyles Award will be announced Nov. 26, and the winner will be selected Dec. 4 in Little Rock, Ark. It is presented by The Rotary Club of Little Rock, and established in 1996 to honor legendary Arkansas head coach Frank Broyles.
For more information, visit BroylesAward.com or search for Broyles Award on Facebook and Twitter.
Key, who is the only coach from Conference USA named as a nominee for the award, was promoted before the 2012 season to assistant head coach. He is currently in his eighth season at UCF, venturing to Orlando in 2005 as a graduate assistant, which was the first year the Knights went to a bowl game. Since then, Key spent time with the tight ends and special teams before taking over the offensive line in 2009.
Since that first season in 2005, UCF has qualified for five bowl games in eight years with Key on the coaching staff, including 2012 which has witnessed the Knights post an 8-3 record and stand one win away from capturing the C-USA East Division title.
This year's offensive line already has paved the way for 25 rushing touchdowns, and that stands as the fifth-most in UCF history, and the Knights have amassed at least 20 rushing scores each year with Key leading the offensive line. Overall, UCF is averaging 400.5 yards of total offense per game, a season after posting a 406.8-yard average. The last time the Knights finished with back-to-back years of 400 yards of total offense was 1998-99. In the middle of it all in 2012 has been senior captain Jordan Rae, who began his UCF career as a defensive walk-on before switching to offense in 2010 and has been the starting center under Key ever since.
A right guard for Georgia Tech from 1997-00, Key helped UCF improve from 229.5 yards per game in 2008 to 340.8 in 2009 in his first year with the offensive line. A year later, four linemen received all-conference recognition in 2010, including Jah Reid who was ultimately taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft by Baltimore. That feat was duplicated in 2011 when four of Key's linemen picked up all-conference accolades.
UCF football single-game tickets for the regular-season finale vs. UAB Nov. 24 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.