Dec. 10, 2012
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The 2012 UCF Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Media Guide is now available online, and includes official game notes, the Knights' postseason history, updated bios and much more. UCF will be taking on Ball State in St. Petersburg on Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m.
2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Media Guide
Game Details:
Friday, Dec. 21 - St. Petersburg, Fla. - 7:30 p.m.
2012 Records:
Ball State - 9-3 Overall, 6-2 MAC
UCF - 9-4 Overall, 7-1 C-USA
Stadium:
Tropicana Field (28,000)
Series:
BSU leads, 2-1
Live Coverage:
740-AM - Orlando
540-AM - Maitland
1350-AM - Clearwater
1340-AM - Daytona Beach
770-AM - Fort Myers
UCF Bowl Central
Twitter.com/UCF_Football
National Television and Radio:
ESPN/ESPN Radio
Team Notes
(More notes can be found in the link to the media guide above)
BOWLIN' ON THE BAY
? Ticket information is available by calling (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com.
? The Knights will be playing in their fifth bowl game in the last eight seasons.
? UCF' bowl game results:
Year - Bowl Game - Opponent - Result
2005 - Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Nevada - L, 48-49 (OT)
2007 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Miss. St. - L, 3-10
2009 - St. Petersburg Bowl - Rutgers - L, 24-45
2010 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Georgia - W, 10-6
? The Beef `O' Brady's Bowl is one of 10 this year which features two teams with at least nine victories.
? UCF and Ball State last met as members of the MAC - a 21-17 BSU win in 2004 in Muncie. Overall, the Cardinals are 2-1 in the series including a 2-0 record at home, while UCF is 1-0 at home.
? The Cardinals won the turnover battle in 1996 (+2), the Knights won it 1998 (+2) and it was even in 2004.
? Ball State has been held to under 175 passing yards in every meeting with the Knights.
? UCF holds a 1-5 record vs. teams from the Hoosier State.
? Ball State has won six-straight games to bring its record to 9-3 this year, and it finished 6-2 in the MAC highlighted by a victory at then-No. 25 Toledo.
? BSU is tied for 14th in the FBS with just six fumbles lost.
? Junior quarterback Keith Wenning boasts a 65.5 completion percentage, and started 33-straight games until missing the regular-season finale with an injury.
? Senior MLB Travis Freeman leads all active players in the country with 455 career tackles, including 119 in 2012.
? The offensive line is tied for eighth in the FBS by allowing only .83 sacks per game.
MEMORABLE EVENTS AT TROPICANA FIELD
? Along with UCF's 2009 bowl game vs. Rutgers, here are a few key moments that have taken place at Tropicana Field:
-March 3, 1990 - Opened to the public as Florida Suncoast Dome
-Aug. 11, 1990 - Largest crowd in building history as 47,150 appeared at a concert featuring The New Kids on the Block
-Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 1990 - The 79th edition of the Davis Cup draws 53,150 attending the three-day event
-June 19, 1993 - Arena League's Tampa Bay Storm shattered their own attendance record for a regular season game with 28,746 vs. the Orlando Predators
-Oct. 9, 1993 - Stadium renamed ThunderDome
-April 23, 1996 - A then-record NHL crowd of 28,183 attended Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers
-Oct. 4, 1996 - Renamed Tropicana Field
-March 31, 1998 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays host the Detroit Tigers for their first MLB game in front of a capacity crowd of 45,369
-March 27-29, 1999 - The 1999 Final Four, featuring Duke, Ohio State, Michigan State and eventual-champion Connecticut, drew capacity crowds of 40,632 and 39,113
-Aug. 7, 1999 - Wade Boggs records his 3,000th career hit and becomes the second player in MLB history to hit a HR for hit No. 3,000
-Oct. 22, 2008 - The Tampa Bay Rays host Game One of the 2008 World Series
-July 26, 2010 - Matt Garza pitches a no-hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays
DIVISION TITLES
? During its tenure in Conference USA, UCF claimed four East Division titles in eight seasons (2005-12).
? UCF's division titles:
Season - Overall Record - Conference Record
2005 - 8-5 - 7-1
2007 - 10-4 - 7-1
2010 - 11-3 - 7-1
2012 - 9-4 - 7-1
NO. 200
? The Beef `O' Brady's Bowl marks George O'Leary's 200th career game as a head coach.
? Coach O'Leary stands at 111-88 overall, including a 59-55 record in nine years at UCF and a 52-33 mark in six seasons at Georgia Tech.
? He will be coaching in his ninth bowl game this year, and has the second-most wins by a UCF head coach (Gene McDowell had 86 from 1985-97).
Offense Notes
FIRST TIME SINCE 2007
? UCF's offense placed two players on the All-C-USA First Team this year when running back Latavius Murray and center Jordan Rae earned the honors.
? The last time the Knights had two offensive players on the first team was 2007 (RB Kevin Smith, OL Josh Sitton and OL Kyle Smith).
POINTS KEEP COMING
? UCF has scored 458 points for an average of 35.2 a game, which ranks 27th in the nation.
? The Knights have registered at least 40 points in a game five times. The school record for 40-point games in a single-season is six set in 2007.
? The 35.2 scoring average currently stands as the fifth-best mark in UCF history.
Season - Points-Games - Scoring Average
1) - 1992 - 373-10 - 37.3
2) - 1994 - 399-11 - 36.3
3) - 2007 - 502-14 - 35.9
4) - 1998 - 393-11 - 35.7
5) - 2012 - 458-13 - 35.2
? With this year's 14-game schedule, UCF is on pace to score 493 points, which would be second all-time trailing the 2007 season of 502 points.
SCINTILLATING SOPHOMORE - Blake Bortles
? Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles has amassed 22 passing touchdowns this year, which are tied for the seventh-most in single-season history.
? The last UCF QB to have 20 passing TDs or more was Steven Moffett (22) in 2005.
? This year marks the 10th time a UCF QB had at least 20 passing touchdowns in a season.
? Bortles now has 28 career passing touchdowns, putting him in seventh place on the all-time list.
? The Oviedo native has a passing touchdown in seven-straight games, and in 12 of 13 games in 2012.
? Bortles has thrown two or more touchdowns nine times this year. Ryan Schneider was the only other UCF quarterback to have nine games in which he threw at least two touchdown passes in the same season (2002).
? UCF quarterbacks overall have combined for 25 passing touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
? Best TD-INT ratio in school history:
Season - Touchdowns - Interceptions - Ratio
1) 1998 - 29 - 7 - 4.14
2) 2012 - 25 - 7 - 3.57
3) 2005 - 24 - 9 - 2.67
? Blake Bortles was voted on to the All-C-USA Second Team, marking the first time in school history in which a UCF quarterback was voted on to an all-conference first or second team (dating back to UCF's first year in a league when it was a member of the MAC in 2002).
? Earlier this year, Bortles tied Daunte Culpepper for the second-longest streak without throwing an interception as he had 147 attempts between picks.
? Since that streak ended at Marshall, Bortles has put together another one, this time a stretch of 141-consecutive attempts without an INT.
? Longest UCF streaks without an interception:
Player - Attempts - Dates
1) Vic Penn - 162 - 10/2/99-11/6/99
2) Blake Bortles - 147 - 9/15/12-10/20/12
2) Daunte Culpepper - 147 - 11/1/97-9/19/98
4) Blake Bortles - 141 - 10/27/12-current
? This season is the first time in program history that UCF as a team had not thrown an interception in five-straight games.
? In the first half vs. Missouri, Bortles completed 12-straight passes, which tied for the second-longest streak in program history.
? Consecutive pass completions:
Player - Number - Opponent
1) Daunte Culpepper - 15 - Samford, 10/11/97
T2) Blake Bortles - 12 - Missouri, 9/29/12
T2) Daunte Culpepper - 12 - EKU, 8/31/95
T2) Daunte Culpepper - 12 - UAB, 11/9/96
T2) Ryan Schneider - 12 - No. Ill.,10/7/00
T2) Brett Hodges - 12 - Houston, 11/14/09
MR. VERSATILE - Quincy McDuffie
? Not only is he the 2012 C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year, senior Quincy McDuffie accomplished a feat no other wide receiver has done in school history, which was rush for three touchdowns in the win over UAB.
? It was the 26th time overall that a Knight had at least three rushing touchdowns in a game.
? McDuffie entered the day with just one rushing touchdown for his career.
? The Orlando native became the first UCF wide receiver in school history to have 100 rushing yards or more when he netted 132 in 2011. Now in 2012, he has topped that with 162 yards.
NORTHERN ANIMAL - Latavius Murray
? A product of New York, All-C-USA First Team running back Latavius Murray has eight-career 100-yard rushing games, which are tied for the fifth-most in UCF history.
? Murray is sixth all-time at UCF with 2,353 rushing yards, and teammate Brynn Harvey is fifth with 2,444.
? In 44 games, Murray has 36 career rushing touchdowns to rank third all-time.
? Most rushing TDs in a single-season:
Player - Season - Rushing TDs
1) - Kevin Smith - 2007 - 29
T2) - Latavius Murray - 2012 - 14
T2) - Marquette Smith - 1995 - 14
T2) - Brynn Harvey - 2009 - 14
? Meanwhile, Murray's 5.45 career average currently ranks third on the UCF all-time chart.
? He also ranks first in C-USA with 103.5 rushing yards per game this year.
? Murray has racked up at least one rushing TD in each of the last eight contests. He is the first Knight in school history to have eight-straight games with a rushing touchdown.
? Playing a big role in this year's effort in ball security, Murray boasts a streak of 386-consecutive carries without losing a fumble (Memphis in 2008). He did not fumble at all in 257-straight carries from the FIU game in 2011 to the C-USA Championship in 2012. Those were the only three fumbles as a Knight since 2008.
IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND
? Total offensive touchdowns scored in UCF history:
Season - Games - Offensive Touchdowns
T1) 2012 - 13 - 56
T1) 2007 - 14 - 56
3) 1990 - 14 - 54
? Total touchdowns scored in UCF history (includes defensive and special teams scores):
Season - Games - Total Touchdowns
T1) 2012 - 13 - 62
T1) 2007 - 14 - 62
3) 2010 - 14 - 60
? UCF has 25 passing touchdowns, which rank ninth on the single-season chart (record is 31 set in 2002).
? Meanwhile, the Knights have 31 rushing touchdowns, good for fourth on the team record book.
? Most overall rushing touchdowns in a season:
Season - Games - Rushing Touchdowns
1) 2007 - 14 - 41
T2) 2010 - 14 - 36
T2) 1990 - 14 - 36
4) 2012 - 13 - 31
Defense Notes
THREE FIGURES
? Three different Knights have amassed at least 100 tackles this year: Kemal Ishmael (116), Clayton Geathers (107) and Terrance Plummer (102).
? The 2003 Knights were the last UCF team to have three players with triple-figure tackles.
? This season, Jonathan Davis (94) and Ray Shipman (91) also have more than 90 tackles.
? The only other campaign where UCF had five players with 90 tackles or more was in 1987, which also was the only time the Knights had four student-athletes with at least 100 tackles.
TACKLES ADDING UP
? In the C-USA Championship Game at Tulsa, a total of six different Knights finished with 10 tackles or more, led by safeties Kemal Ishmael and Clayton Geathers who each had 14 tackles.
? UCF had not witnessed that many players with double-digit tackles in a game since Oct. 19, 2002, vs. Toledo, when seven Knights had at least 10 takedowns.
? Senior linebackers Jonathan Davis and Ray Shipman set career-highs with 17 and 15 tackles, respectively, at Tulsa Nov. 17.
? It was the first time that two Knights had at least 15 tackles in a game since linebackers Stanford Rhule amassed 20 and Chad Mascoe collected 15 in that contest with Toledo in 2002.
SIMPLY THE BEST - Kemal Ishmael
? Ranking third all-time at UCF with 360 career tackles and first among UCF defensive backs, senior free safety Kemal Ishmael was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year by the league's head coaches.
? He leads the team in tackles for the third-straight year with a personal-best 116, and ranks tied for first in C-USA with three fumble recoveries as well as tied for fifth with three interceptions.
? His 116 tackles are the most by a Knight since Stanford Rhule had 127 in 2002. Ishmael needs five more tackles to place in the UCF single-season top 10.
? If he finishes with the team lead again, Ishmael would become just the third player in UCF history to lead the Knights in tackles three times (Bill Giovanetti did it in 1979, 1980 and 1982, while Rick Hamilton accomplished it each year from 1990-92).
? On his final snap at Bright House Networks Stadium, Ishmael notched his first-career sack in the win over UAB. He also produced one of the top moments in stadium history when he intercepted a pass in double overtime to seal the victory against Southern Miss.
? Ishmael has started 48-straight games since his true freshman campaign in 2009.
? Longest FBS active streaks of consecutive starts:
Player, Position - School - Starts
T1) T.J. Johnson, OL - South Carolina - 52
T1) Chris Barker, OL - Nevada - 52
3) Scott Vallone, DT - Rutgers - 50
T4) Will Pericak, DE - Colorado - 49
T4) Kawann Short, DL - Purdue - 49
T6) Kemal Ishmael, DB - UCF - 48
T6) Brad Bednar, OL - Miami (Ohio) - 48
T6) Dalton Freeman, OL - Clemson - 48
T9) Manti Te'o, LB - Notre Dame - 47
T9) Jonathan Cooper, OL - North Carolina - 47
DEFENSIVE BACKS ENTER THE RECORD BOOKS
? In back-to-back weeks, cornerback A.J. Bouye had a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown at Tulsa and safety Lyle Dankenbring ran back a 78-yard interception for six points vs. UAB.
? Longest INT returns by a Knight:
Player - Opponent - Yards
1) Jordan Ozerities - Tulane, 11/20/10 - 100 (TD)
2) Rick Hamilton - W. Ill., 9/26/92 - 97 (TD)
3) Ray Irvin - B-CU, 9/15/90 - 95 (TD)
4) Donnell Washington - N. Mex., 9/14/96 - 80 (TD)
5) Lyle Dankenbring - UAB, 11/24/12 - 78 (TD)
6) A.J. Bouye - Tulsa, 11/17/12 - 76 (TD)
? It is the first time in school history UCF had two interception returns for touchdowns that went at least 50 yards in the same season.
? Bouye, who had a 79-yard fumble return for six points at Memphis, is one of only three UCF players to record an interception return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the same season (Donnell Washington in 1996 and Jerry Nemethy in 1981).
FACING FOURTH DOWNS
? Opponents are 12-for-31 (39 percent) on fourth downs this year vs. the UCF defense.
? Akron, UAB and Tulsa in the C-USA Championship went for it on fourth down five times, as the Golden Hurricane were just 1-for-5 in those attempts.
? Only San Diego State has had opponents go for it on fourth down on more occasions.
? Most times facing opponents going for it on fourth down in 2012:
School - Attempts Faced - Conversion %
1) San Diego State - 34 - 50.0
T2) UCF - 31 - 38.7
T2) Stanford - 31 - 51.6
? Those 31 attempts are the most by UCF opponents in the FBS era (since 1996).
Special Teams Notes
SPECIAL TEAMS CONTINUES TO GET AWARDS
? Kick returner Quincy McDuffie received a spot on the All-C-USA First Team for the second time in his career, while punt returner J.J. Worton also was voted on to the squad.
? The last time a school had both its kick returner and punt returner named to the All-C-USA First Team was in 2008 when UCF's Joe Burnett was voted in both spots.
? One day after being selected to the first team, McDuffie was honored as the C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year. He was the first UCF player to earn the accolade since Burnett in 2008.
DOUBLE DARE YOU TO KICK TO DOUBLE TROUBLE
? UCF features a scary double dose of kick returners this year. Senior Quincy McDuffie is first all-time at UCF in returns (90), yards (2,501) and touchdowns (six), while sophomore Rannell Hall is seventh in yards (1,061) and ninth in returns (40).
? McDuffie tied an NCAA record, and set a C-USA and UCF record, with two kickoff returns for a touchdown at Marshall. It has now happened just 17 times in NCAA history. He earned his second C-USA weekly award of the season for his effort.
? Among qualified players, McDuffie stands at first in the nation in 2012 with a 34.24-yard average per kick return. That also is first in UCF single-season history.
? Where McDuffie ranks on the C-USA career charts:
Category - Rank - Stat
KO Return Yards - 6th - 2,501
KO Return Touchdowns - 2nd - 6
KO Returns - 10th - 90
KO Return Average - 2nd - 27.79
? McDuffie also ranks tied for first in UCF single-season history (Todd Cleveland in 1994) with three returns for touchdowns this year.
? UCF, Kansas State and Louisiana Tech are the only three teams to have a KO return for a TD every year since 2007.
A SINGLE-SEASON RECORD
? Sophomore placekicker Shawn Moffitt has set a UCF single-season record with 56 extra points made.
? Most point-after touchdowns in a single-season:
Player - Season - Stat
1) Shawn Moffitt - 2012 - 56
2) Michael Torres - 2007 - 50
Academic Notes
PLENTY OF HONORS
? Senior defensive back Lyle Dankenbring was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
? Dankenbring was the only C-USA student-athlete selected as a semifinalist.
? He also would be honored as a Capital One Academic All-American, serving as one of just two players from C-USA and two from a college in Florida who received the accolade.
? UCF's Academic All-Americans:
Player - Team - Season
Ricot Joseph - Second - 2001
Keith Shologan - First - 2007
Rocky Ross - Second - 2009
Lyle Dankenbring - Second - 2012
? The native of Palm City received his bachelor's degree in political science in 2011, and has registered four-straight 4.0 semesters while working on his master's degree in social science education.
? Dankenbring entered this season with 44 career tackles and one interception, but in 2012 alone he has 45 tackles and two interceptions.
? His 78-yard pick-six vs. UAB ranks as the fifth-longest interception return in UCF history.
SHIPMAN SHINES
? Already boasting his bachelor's degree, UCF senior linebacker Ray Shipman was voted on to the Conference USA All-Academic Team. The native of Miramar carries a 3.43 cumulative grade-point average while enrolled in UCF's graduate school of communication.
? The Knights have earned seven spots on the C-USA All-Academic Team under head coach George O'Leary: Sha'reff Rashad (2006 and 2007), Keith Shologan (2007), Rocky Ross (2009), Josh Linam (2010 and 2011) and Shipman.
? Shipman, who received his bachelor's degree in May 2012, has broken out on the defensive side of the ball. A starter in 12 games, he has more than doubled his tackle total with 91 this season, while also notching 2.5 tackles for loss.
ONE OF THE BEST AMONG BOWL TEAMS
? UCF's success in the classroom ranks among the best of the 70 programs competing in bowl games.
? UCF tied for eighth in graduating African-American football student-athletes (78 percent) and tied for 11th in graduating all football student-athletes (81 percent), according to a report by Richard Lapchick, director of UCF's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
? The UCF football program's Academic Progress Rate of 974, one of the NCAA's key measures of academic success, tied for 13th among the 70 teams.
? In all three categories, UCF ranked first among the three Florida teams competing in bowl games.