In case you missed it, the Tuskers lost the UFL title game against the Las Vegas Locomotives 23-20 while the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 21-18 for the CFL title.

Former UCF football player Keith Shologan finished out his season with Saskatchewan at defensive tackle, making 30 tackles and recording three sacks. Former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson and former Florida quarterback Chris Leak saw playing time this season for Montreal.

– Rollins Soccer Caught In Snowstorm –

The most surprising thing about the Rollins College men’s soccer team playing in the Division II National Championship game this past Saturday was not that they qualified in the first place, but rather the weather conditions they were forced to play in. If you’ve yet to see it, check out the video highlights at NCAA. The Tars lost 3-2 to Northern Kentucky in weather more suitable for a football game, of the American kind.

The Rollins College roster featured several local high school alumni, including seniors Chris Cummings (Ocala St. John Lutheran), Stephen Wright (Winter Park), Bradley Welch (Cypress Creek) and Blade Zych (Lake Brantley). Plenty of local talent returns for next season. View the Tars roster at Rollins Sports.

– High School Football Finals Take Shape –

The high school football state finals begin this weekend at the Citrus Bowl with four games taking place between teams in the lower classifications.

Friday’s finals include Warner Christian Academy vs. Glades Day in Class 1B at 1 p.m., and Trinity Christian Academy vs. American Heritage in Class 1A at 7 p.m. On Saturday it’s Trinity Catholic vs. University School of NSU in Class 2B at 1 p.m., and Cocoa vs. Glades Central in Class 2A at 7 p.m.

The marquee prep football game of the weekend, though, is the Class 6A semifinal between favored Dr. Phillips at Seminole on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The state title games for classes 3A-6A take place Dec. 17-18.

A complete lineup is available at FHSAA.

– College Football Bowl Games Announced –

On Sunday the NCAA announced this season’s bowl game matchups, including the opponent for UCF at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. and the matchups for both contests in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

UCF (10-3) is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and will take on Georgia (6-6) on Dec. 31 at 3:30 p.m. The Knights faced the Bulldogs just once before, losing 24-23 in Athens during a regular season game in 1999. UCF Coach George O’Leary previously faced Georgia on seven different occasions as head coach at Georgia Tech. UCF lost its only trip to the Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State 10-3 following the 2007 season.

Florida Citrus Sports chose to pair West Virginia (9-3) against N.C. State (8-4) in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28 at 6:30 p.m., and Alabama (9-3) against Michigan State (11-1) in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

Check back for plenty more coverage of the upcoming bowl season.

– Magic’s Dwight Howard Best In November –

You see where Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November?

He finished fifth in the Conference in scoring (21.8 points per game) and third in the league with a .594 shooting percentage. Howard also ranked fourth in the league in rebounds (12.1) while helping get the Magic off to a 13-4 start. It’s the fifth time in Howard’s career that he’s earned the league’s Eastern Conference monthly honor, also doing do in April 2006, November 2006, November 2007 and December 2007.

Among the highlights for Howard last month were:

Nov. 3 vs. Minnesota: Recorded 18 points, 16 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks in a 128-86 win over the Timberwolves.

Nov. 5 vs. New Jersey: Tallied 30 points and 16 rebounds in a 105-90 victory over the Nets.

Nov. 24 vs. Miami: Registered 24 points to go along with 18 rebounds in a 111-100 victory over the Heat.

Nov. 27 @ Washington: Compiled a season-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and hit the game-winning  shot to defeat the Wizards by a score of 100-99.

– UCF Men’s Basketball Out To Fast Start –

The UCF men’s basketball team is out to a 7-0 start for the first time at the Division I level, meaning the Knights have yet to lose under new head coach Donnie Jones. For their efforts, UCF has received votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls for the first time since 2006.

On Saturday, following the football team’s Conference USA championship win, the hoops team did away with Southeastern Louisiana 74-49.

Sophomore Keith Clanton tied the school record for blocks in a game when he turned away eight shots in the win. Clanton also finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds, which ties his career high. Tony Davis also blocked eight shots on Dec. 1, 2007 against USF. John Friday blocked seven shots in a game twice in January 1987.

The Knights play again on Saturday, Dec. 11 at UCF Arena against Bethune-Cookman at 5 p.m.

– Edgewater & Timber Creek Alumni In D-II Title Game –

Edgewater High School alum Kaleigh Cunningham finished her collegiate volleyball career as an outside hitter with Tampa in the Division II National Championship on Saturday in Louisville.

Tampa (31-4), who went 15-1 in the Sunshine State Conference, dropped the title match 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-10 to four-time defending champion Concordia-St. Paul (32-4). (See footage at NCAA)

Cunningham finished the season with 313 kills, 220 digs and 12 service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Yingling (Timber Creek) finished with 266 kills, 369 digs, 25 aces and 24 blocks for Tampa.

– Former UCF Women’s Soccer Player In D-III Title Game –

Former UCF women’s soccer player Alex Brandt finished her sophomore season at Messiah College with an appearance in the Division III National Championship.

Messiah (24-1) lost 2-1 to Hardin-Simmons (24-0-1). Brandt was credited with her 13th assist on the season with 15 minutes to play, when she set up Alicia Frey just outside the box for a goal. (See footage at NCAA)

Brandt, who was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2009, started in all 25 games this season and scored eight goals as a midfielder. She started 23 games for UCF while finishing the year with two goals and three assists.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

The United Football League’s title game came down to the final play as Florida Tuskers kicker Nick Novak had his 45-yard attempt blocked at the line of scrimmage by Alfred Malone. That gave the Las Vegas Locomotives its second-straight championship with a 23-20 win in Omaha, Neb.

Tuskers WR Calvin Russell eludes a Las Vegas defender while making one of his four catches on the day. Russell finished with 72 yards receiving. (Photo by Scott Miller/UFL PHOTO)

Last year Las Vegas (6-3) defeated Florida (5-4) 20-17 in overtime for the title.

It was two big plays by the Las Vegas defense – a safety and a blocked kick –  which allowed the Locomotives to pull out the win this time around in front of 15,310 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Trailing 21-20, the Tuskers regained possession of the ball on its own 14-yard line with 5:41 remaining. But on the first play from scrimmage, a faulty snap got past quarterback Chris Greisen, who recovered the ball but was sacked in his own end zone for a safety by Las Vegas defensive end Josh Cooper.

With a 23-20 lead the Locomotives managed just one first down after the free kick and the Tuskers took over on their own 10 with 1:45 remaining.

From there, Greisen worked the ball down the field as he hit Cortez Hankton on the tenth play of the drive to move Florida to the Las Vegas 22. After spiking the ball with 17 seconds left, the Tuskers took one shot at the end zone with no timeouts left.

That’s when with his back to the ball, cornerback Coye Francis made contact with Hankton in the end zone before the ball had arrived, but no penalty flag was thrown. Then the Tuskers were late getting the field goal team on the field, causing a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty which pushed back Novak’s attempt in the final seconds.

“We had to burn a couple of timeouts early in the half and that really hurt us on the last drive,” Tuskers Coach Jay Gruden said. “Then we thought we had a PI (pass interference) in the end zone and didn’t get the call. Not sure what the definition of PI is, because usually when the defender has his back to the ball and is tugging on the receiver you get the call, but I don’t know.

“Still, you have to give credit to Vegas, they played a hell of game. We knew it was going to be tight and come down to the end, unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”

Florida's Chris Greisen takes off on a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter before Las Vegas went on to win its second UFL championship. (Photo by Scott Miller/UFL PHOTO)

Both teams piled up big numbers offensively.  Greisen hit 24 of 42 passes for 346 yards and no interceptions while rushing for two touchdowns. Florida also ran for 122 yards and compiled 468 yards of total offense. Chase Clement was outstanding for Las Vegas as he played his best game of the season. Using a variety of rollouts to elude the Tuskers defense, he completed 16 of 25 passes for 237 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Locomotives also rushed for more than 100 yards in the game and compiled 343 yards of total offense.

Novak gave Florida the lead at 10-7 on a 22-yard field goal at the 3:13 mark of the first period. Clement’s 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Wrightster put Las Vegas ahead for the first time at 14-10 with 5:56 left in the first half. Florida marched 74-yards on eight plays to take a 17-14 lead in the third quarter when Greisen scored for the second time on the day. Las Vegas quickly responded, though, when Hakim Hill took a pitchout, got to the outside and ran 37-yards for a touchdown to put the Locos up for good at 21-17.

“Overall, I thought Chris (Greisen) was outstanding. Our line did a decent job of keeping the pressure off, but we made a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes on offense and defense that we haven’t been making the past couple of weeks. A few false starts, a botched snap, and having to use those timeouts early in the second half all factored in,” Gruden said.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Florida’s defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns and Nick Novak drilled two long field goals to lead the Tuskers to a 27-10 win over the Omaha Nighthawks.

With the victory, Florida won its third-straight game and improved to 5-3. The win sends the Tuskers back to the UFL Championship Game for a rematch with Las Vegas. The game will be played at 12 noon on Saturday, Nov. 27 in Omaha.

Omaha, who was blown out of their last two games by a 72-17 count – including a 31-14 loss to Florida two weeks ago – made it tough on the Tuskers, though. The game was 10-3 at the half and the Tuskers did not get any breathing room until Calvin Russell pulled down a 35-yard touchdown reception with six minutes left in the third quarter to finally give Florida a two-score lead.

“It was exactly what I expected,” Tuskers Coach Jay Gruden said. “Omaha had nothing to play for, but I know they have a lot of NFL vets on that side that would have liked nothing better than to spoil our day. It was a credit to their players and coaches that they fought so hard.”

Still, the Tuskers would finish the season on a roll. After Omaha cut the lead to 20-10 in the fourth, Keiwan Ratliff intercepted DJ Shockley and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown to ice the game.

“We were far from perfect tonight. We turned the ball over on the goal line, allowed too many sacks and took some bad penalties” Gruden said. “But we made some plays when we had to and we won the battle of field position. It would be hard for me to call a 17-point win a sloppy win. Our guys played hard and once again our defense was outstanding.”

In finishing with three-straight wins, the Tuskers have allowed just 31 points in the three games – an average of 10.3 per game.

Chris Greisen, who engineered all three wins, completed 17 of 26 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown.  For a third consecutive game he spread the ball around, hitting nine different receivers.

Florida will now spend the week in Omaha preparing for the Locomotives.

“We were 6-0 last year and didn’t finish,” Gruden added. “We fought our way back to the championship and we’re thankful to get the chance to avenge last season’s loss.”

It took the Tuskers less than two minutes to get on the board in the game and that was without the benefit of the offense. Cornerback Darrius Vinnett stepped in front of a Jeff Garcia pass on the third play of the game and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 at the 13:20 mark.

The Tuskers had a chance to jump out to a two-score lead on its next possession, as a 44-yard pass from Greisen to Brian Clark set them up with a first-and-goal on the Omaha 3-yard line. A run by Dominic Rhodes run put the ball on the one, but on Florida’s next play, Greisen failed to handle the center-quarterback exchange cleanly and the Nighthawks recovered the fumble on the 4-yard line to stop the drive.

After that early excitement, both defenses tightened up and Florida held on to a 7-0 lead after one period of play.

The Tuskers offense finally got on the board at the 7:01 mark of the second as Novak booted a 47-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 game. The key play on the drive was a 4-yard pass from Greisen to Maurice Price on a fourth-and-2 play to keep the drive alive. It was Novak’s ninth consecutive field goal on the season.

Omaha finally started to show signs of life in the waning moments of the first half. After Maurice Clarett picked up the team’s initial first down with six minutes remaining, Garcia picked up two more quick first downs on back-to-back passes. An 11-yard reception by Devard Darling gave the Nighthawks a first and goal on the Florida three. But the next three plays netted negative-three yards and the Nighthawks had to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Jeff Wolfert to cut the Florida lead to 10-3 at the 1:41 mark.

Florida would up the lead to 17-3 on its third possession of the second half, driving 78 yards on nine plays.  The drive was capped off by a 35-yard touchdown pass to Russell, but two big third down plays kept the drive alive. Those plays included an 8-yard completion to Rhodes, where Greisen avoided a sack and threw high to the running back, who made a sensational catch with a defender hanging on his back. A few moments later, Greisen hit Clark for a 14-yard gain on a third-and-9 play.

Novak would then extend the lead to 20-3, drilling a 51-yard field goal at the 1:22 mark of the third.

On Omaha’s next possession, the Nighthawks would drive the length of the field and take more than six minutes off the clock, only to see Vinnett come up with his second interception of the game in the end zone and kill the drive.

After picking up an initial first down, the Tuskers gave the ball back to Omaha as Rhodes fumbled on the 20-yard line. This time, the Nighthawks finally broke into the end zone as Garcia hit Roy Hall on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Wolfert’s point-after made it a 20-10 game with 6:24 remaining.

Wolfert’s ensuing on-side kick was recovered by the Nighthawks before it traveled 10 yards, giving Orlando the ball at the Omaha 39. The Tuskers would go three-and-out, however, and Omaha got the ball back on its own 12-yard line after the punt.

Omaha was unable to move the ball and when a Darion Scott sack of Garcia forced a fourth-and-20, the Nighthawks punted back to Florida. The teams traded punts before Ratliff locked the game up with his pick-six.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Sometimes things in sports are funny. The Florida Tuskers offered up a couple examples in a recent 31-14 win over the Omaha Nighthawks at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

The last time Tuskers quarterback Chris Greisen started a game was against current teammate Huey Whittaker and the Arena Football League’s Spokane Shock in the National Conference final back in July, as a member of the Milwaukee Iron.

Chris Greisen has led the Tuskers to a pair of lopsided wins in the last two weeks. (Photo Courtesy of Andrew Bershaw/UFL Photos)

As luck would have it, Greisen’s first touchdown pass of the UFL season came on a perfectly executed fade-route by Whittaker, giving the Tuskers an early 7-0 lead over the Nighthawks. Adding to the irony, Greisen’s masterful performance came against an Omaha defense led by his younger brother Nick Greisen who plays middle linebacker for the Nighthawks.

His 215 passing yards and two touchdown passes led the Tuskers to a crucial win in the first start of his two-year UFL career.

“It was awesome playing against my brother,” Chris said after the game. “At one point we were talking and the ref asked if we knew each other so I said ‘yeah, he’s my brother’ but it was just a great experience and to get the win made it even better.”

Greisen was called into action after Brooks Bollinger suffered injuries to his neck, ribs, and finger against the Sacramento Mountain Lions. In that game, the Tuskers faced a situation where all they needed was a field goal to win.

Greisen threw an interception that spelled the end for Florida and left the Tuskers looking for answers.

Head coach Jay Gruden had to make a critical decision to sit his starter in favor of Greisen to give his team their best chance to win in the most important game of the season thus far.

“I have total confidence in Chris to run this offense because on some occasions he is correcting me and I feel like he knows the playbook better than I do,” Gruden said. “He did an excellent job to go out there and help us win… and followed it with another great game against Hartford.”

The Northwest Missouri State product spread the ball to 11 different receivers in the Omaha game and followed that with a 17 for 23 night (73.9%) as he threw for 237 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a 41-7 romp over Hartford. In two games as Florida’s starting quarterback, Greisen has led the Tuskers to a pair of wins while outscoring opponents 72-21, including a 69-0 advantage in the first half.

Greisen comes from a league where he routinely puts up 100-plus touchdown passes per year. He once finished a season with the AFL’s Georgia Force by throwing for 117 touchdown passes, which remains a league record. In college, he led Northwest Missouri State to a national title.

It was that type of performance that has the Tuskers riding a wave of confidence heading into the last game of the season.

“Heading into this season, I promised Chris a chance to compete for the starting quarterback position, but his arena team made it to the playoffs which put him a week behind and then he got hurt the first day of camp and got another week behind,” Gruden said.  “So we always had a lot of confidence in his ability and it’s nice to know you have two quarterbacks you can trust.”

The Tuskers are hoping to ride Greisen’s hot passing attack all the way to an appearance in the UFL championship for a rematch against the Las Vegas Locomotives. To do so, the Tuskers and Greisen must win a rematch with Omaha and his brother tonight on the road.

The situation comes down to this… If the Tuskers (4-3) defeat Omaha (3-3) then Florida returns to the UFL Championship.

As to whether family feelings ever become a factor on the field, Chris says no.

“I love my brother to death, but I can’t stand the thought of losing to them. Especially if it means the winner goes to the title game. I don’t think I would ever hear the end of it.”

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

The Florida Tuskers took advantage of four Hartford turnovers to score a United Football League record 38 points in the first half en route to a 41-7 win over the Colonials on Thursday at the Citrus Bowl.

The win pushed the Tuskers to 4-3 on the season and kept the team alive for a second-consecutive UFL Championship game appearance. If the Tuskers defeat Omaha in Friday’s season finale, the team will qualify for the title game. Hartford (2-5) was eliminated from contention.

In outgaining Hartford 285-120 in the first half, the Tuskers did little wrong as they scored on six of eight possessions.

“There’s not much to say,” Tuskers Coach Jay Gruden said. “It’s tough to point out any one group or individual. Our running backs played well, our offensive line played well, good work from the wide receivers, quarterback, defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs. Heck, even our kicker made a couple of bombs tonight.”

But perhaps more than anything it was the Tuskers defense that stood out. Playing without three key starters who were hurt a week ago, Florida’s defense forced five turnovers, had six sacks, and knocked down six passes in allowing just 242 yards. Only a fourth down scramble for a touchdown kept the Tuskers from recording the first shutout in UFL history.

“It really starts up front,” Gruden said. “For a second straight week, our opponents were having trouble running the ball. That forced them into second-and-long and third-and-long situations which are a lot easier to defend.”

For the second straight week, the Tuskers built huge leads in the first half. The 38-0 first half lead came on the heels of a 31-0 lead the Tuskers took into halftime last week against Omaha. Orlando has outscored its last two opponents by a 72-21 margin. It was a huge turnaround for a team that lost three of its first five games and had given up 84 points.

“We were sitting at 2-3 and I think we were all a little disappointed in it,” Gruden added.  “But we also knew that three wins in a row would get us back to the championship game. We now have that chance next week against Omaha to get there.”

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– Photos by Chris Schubert –

With wins in each of the final two games of the season Florida would secure a rematch with the Las Vegas Locomotives (5-2) in the title game.

Florida hosts the Hartford Colonials (2-4) at 7 p.m. tonight at the Citrus Bowl. They are then on the road against the Omaha Nighthawks (3-3) on Friday, Nov. 19 at 8:30 p.m. to finish out the regular season.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– Photos of Florida vs. Omaha on Nov. 11 by Scott McCall –

Tuskers running back Dominic Rhodes rushed for 111 yards Friday night. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Sports fans had little trouble finding something worthwhile to do with their time on Friday night.

The Orlando Magic hosted New Jersey at the new Amway Center. The Florida Tuskers were caught up in a do-or-die regular season matchup at the Citrus Bowl. Then there was the UCF Knights football team on the road against Houston on ESPN2 while the women’s soccer team hosted the conference tournament semifinals. The men’s soccer team at Rollins College was also involved in a conference semifinal match, in Miami Shores. And it wouldn’t be a Friday night in November without crucial high school football games on the schedule.

While we recover over the weekend, let’s take a quick look back at the busy Friday night that was…

–– High School Football ––

The Florida High School football postseason picture got much clearer on Friday as district titles were won and lost throughout the area.

In the Class 4A-7 title game Edgewater ended the undefeated season for East River 51-13… Olympia came from behind to beat East Ridge 31-24 to finish as Class 6A-5 runners-up behind Apopka… Lake Brantley won 22-20 over Lake Mary to finish as runners-up in Class 6A-3 behind Seminole… Timber Creek won 35-14 over University to finish as runners-up in Class 6A-4 behind Winter Park… With Dr. Phillips having already wrapped up the Class 6A-6 title, Freedom, Oak Ridge and Boone stayed alive for the No. 2 spot. They will decide who gets it on Monday in a tiebreaker… Three teams are still alive for the top two spots in Class 5A-3 as Oviedo, Hagerty and Winter Springs also forced a tiebreaker…

District champs and runners-up advance to playoffs. A complete list of local district standings is available at Varsity Sports. Visit WFTV Channel 9 and Bright House Sports Network for more high school football coverage.

But give it to me straight high school football fans, is there a single team in the state that can mess with the Panthers at Dr. Phillips? Here’s hoping we get to see a postseason matchup between DP and Winter Park, the two unbeaten 6A teams in Orange County.

–– Rollins Men’s Soccer ––

The Tars finished in a tie with Barry at 6-1-1 in the Sunshine State Conference this season but were bounced a day early from the league tournament.

As the No. 2 seed, Rollins was upset on Friday by No. 3 Florida Tech in a match that came down to penalty kicks. A purely miserable way to go out. What makes it worse for the local team is that Stephen Wright put Rollins ahead with a goal in the 25th minute before Florida Tech evened things up in the 53rd minute. And that was while the winning team was playing a man down in the second half. Rollins lost the shootout 3-0.

Surprisingly, Barry was also upset in the semifinals 2-1 by No. 4 Tampa.

Both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Rollins College have been ranked in the Top-10 over the course of the past month. They find out Monday night if they did enough over the regular season to be invited to the NCAA Division II Soccer Championships.

–– UCF Women’s Soccer ––

Hosting a conference tournament for the first time since 2001, the No. 23 UCF women’s soccer team is in position to make this gathering a memorable one.

Following a 2-0 win over SMU in the Conference USA semis on Friday, UCF is now one victory away from winning its first tourney title. Standing in their way, though, is three-time defending champion Memphis. The title game goes down on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. The Knights lost to Memphis in the conference finals in 2007 and 2009.

Senior Kim Newsome scored a goal in the opening minutes of the semifinal match while sophomore Nicolette Radovcic added another in the 29th minute for the Knights.

UCF has won the regular season title four of the past six years and are the No. 1 seed in the field. No. 2 Memphis advanced by defeating Houston 1-0. A loss for the Knights on Sunday would be the equivalent of, say, the football team losing those games to N.C. State and Kansas State earlier this season.

The game will feature C-USA Offensive Player of the Year Tishia Jewell of UCF along with C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Lizzy Simonin and C-USA Midfielder of the Year Vendula Strnadova from Memphis.

–– UCF Football ––

Here’s hoping Top-25 poll voters tuned in for some college football Friday night on ESPN2. The UCF football team made it 11-straight C-USA wins as they improved to 7-2 overall (5-0 in C-USA) with a 40-33 win on the road against Houston.

The win strengthens UCF chances of hosting the conference title game next month. The Knights led by 17 points until the Cougars took a 24-23 lead in the third quarter. UCF would rally, though, then get a defensive stand in the final moments to pull out the win despite giving up 532 total yards to Houston.

UCF quarterback Jeff Godfrey continued his phenomenal freshman season by throwing for 294 yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 19 attempts, while also rushing for 105 yards and another score.

Now, I was one of those guys sticking up for injured quarterback Rob Calabrese earlier in the season, when UCF fans were continuously giving him hell instead of placing blame where it was do – on the offensive line. But that stuff aside, this Godfrey kid is kind of good.

Josh Linam finished with staggering 17 tackles while Bruce Miller (4 tackles) and David Williams (2 tackles) each intercepted passes. Miller took his interception back for a touchdown, for the second time this season, in the first quarter.

UCF hosts Southern Miss (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday at noon in the final regular-season home game at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Knights could be right back there, following two road games to close out the regular season, as hosts of the C-USA title game Dec. 4 against either Houston or SMU.

And for the record, I’m with local columnist Mike Bianchi when it comes to the possibility of UCF joining the Big East. It should either be all the programs getting in, or none at all.

–– Florida Tuskers ––

With backup quarterback Chris Greisen under center the United Football League’s Florida Tuskers kept its postseason hopes alive with a 31-14 win over the Omaha Nighthawks.

An announced crowd of 9,203 was on hand as Florida improved to 3-3 on the year. The Tuskers need wins over the final two weeks to advance to the UFL Championship Game for the second-straight time against Las Vegas.

Greisen, who made a name for himself in the Arena Football League, was taking cues from AFL Hall of Famer and Tuskers Coach Jay Gruden. On Friday he passed for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 23 of 31 attempts in his first processional outdoor start. Dominic Rhodes rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries and Calvin Russell caught six passes for 61 yards and a score.

Patrick Chukwurah finished with two sacks and three tackles. Keiwan Ratliff and Darrius Vinnett each had six tackles. Ratliff also returned an interception back 29 yards for a touchdown.

The final home game of the season for the Tuskers is on Thursday night at the Citrus Bowl against the Hartford Colonials. If the recent trend holds up, there should be another crowd of less than 9,000 in the stands at that gigantic football playground downtown. With a fan base such as this it’s hard to imagine the Tuskers staying in town for too much longer.

–– Orlando Magic ––

Point guard Jameer Nelson suffered a sprained left ankle late in Friday night’s game against the New Jersey Nets at the Amway Center. Before leaving the game, Nelson went 7-for-12 from the field for 20 points and six assists. It was his best effort since the start of the season. He did not play on Saturday night in Charlotte.

Vince Carter finished with 19 points and five rebounds as Orlando won 105-90. Dwight Howard had another huge game as he scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while making 12 of 16 attempts from the free throw line to lead the way.

Game highlights and additional analysis available at NBA.com.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

The former UCF quarterback scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:55 to play to give the Sacramento Mountain Lions a 21-17 triumph. It’s the second time this season that Culpepper had knocked off the Tuskers late in the fourth quarter. He previously threw the game-winning touchdown over Florida on Sept. 30.

The effort this time around helped cap a wild fourth quarter, which followed a defensive struggle for much of the night.

Daunte Culpepper looks downfield Thursday against Florida. (Photo by Chris Schubert)

With Sacramento holding onto a slim 12-10 lead, Florida went ahead with 8:27 to go when Culpepper was intercepted by Tony Taylor, and Dominic Rhodes scored from four yards out on the very next play.

But the Mountain Lions would regroup and piece together a 14-play drive that lasted more than six minutes. The drive ended with a 10-yard quarterback draw on fourth down which sent Culpepper right through the heart of the Florida defense and into the end zone.

“You’ve got to weather the storm,” said Culpepper of rebounding from the turnover on his previous possession. “That put us down five with about eight minutes (to go) and in my mind I’m thinking we have all the time in the world to put a drive together to go down and get a touchdown.”

Trailing 18-17 after Culpepper’s touchdown, the Tuskers would have two more opportunities to respond. The first ended on an interception thrown by backup quarterback Chris Greisen that led to a Sacramento field goal with 38 seconds remaining. Then Rhodes fumbled on the ensuing kickoff to close the book on the night for good. Both teams now sit at 2-3 overall in the five-team league.

The whole experience proved to be somewhat of an overwhelming homecoming for Culpepper.

“All week I had a lot of flashbacks, a lot of memories,” he said of playing his first football game in Orlando since January 1999.

“I was fired up. I had to calm myself down because playing in a familiar place can set you back if you don’t pay attention to what you really got to do.”

Also returning to the venue where they once wore the black and gold of the then-Golden Knights were Sacramento offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek and center Mike Mabry. Kruczek was Culpepper’s head coach from 1995-98 while Mabry played for UCF from 2001-02.

Mike Kruczek and Daunte Culpepper at the Citrus Bowl. (Photo by Chris Schubert)

The three shared in the experience during the week leading up to the game.

“We talked about coming home and just coming out with a victory, no matter how you got to do it,” said Culpepper.

He finished 31 of 49 for 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was also sacked twice in the win.

Culpepper found his rhythm late in the second quarter after an overall slow start by the Mountain Lions. Florida held a 10-0 lead after settling for a field goal on its first possession then getting a touchdown from Rhodes just before the end of the opening quarter.

It would take a couple more drives before a no-huddle approach on offense, directed by Culpepper, finally got the Mountain Lions on the scoreboard. Just before the halftime break Sacramento covered 97 yards over 14 plays, resulting in a touchdown pass from Culpepper to former Tuskers wide receiver Marcus Maxwell.

Long drives such as those, while in the face of adversity, are one example of how the Mountain Lions have rallied around Culpepper in his first season in the UFL.

“They love him,” said Sacramento Head Coach Dennis Green. “He can tell them stories. Daunte’s been there. He’s been to the Pro Bowl. He’s been First Team All-Pro, he’s just done some phenomenal things. We’ve got guys on our team who have been in the NFL and we have guys who have never even been at an NFL training camp, so it’s phenomenal for them to play with a guy like Daunte Culpepper.”

Culpepper’s return to town is not quite complete just yet. He’ll be making his first appearance at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday, where UCF will commemorate his jersey number along with those of Kevin Smith, Joe Burnett and Wayne Densch during the Knights’ Homecoming game against Rice.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

– Photos by Chris Schubert –

Offensively, the Florida Tuskers have had some trouble getting on track this season. After averaging 30.5 points per game a season ago, the team has been averaging just over 24 points per game this time around. And that was after scoring 33 points against Hartford over the weekend.

Tuskers kicker Nick Novak (9) lines up a field goal attempt against the Las Vegas Locomotives Sept. 30. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/UFL Photo)

While the difference could be attributed to a higher overall level of talent and improved defenses in the UFL this year, Florida has struggled to finish its drives. Although that is normally a problem, one player has made it less so.

Kicker Nick Novak, who signed with the Tuskers just one week before the season opener, has been one of Florida’s most consistent weapons.

Against Hartford in Week 4, Novak connected on field goals of 29, 42, 24, and 38 yards, respectively, to keep the Tuskers in the lead. Novak’s four field goals was a single-game United Football League record, as were his 15 overall points.

Thanks to Novak’s accurate kicking, the Tuskers became the first team to score above 30 points in the UFL this season.

“I missed a couple of kicks in the first game, but since then I feel like I have gotten a lot more confident where now I know my kicks are good before I even look up,” Novak says. “I feel like it is an advantage for me to have an experienced long snapper and holder who have done this before.”

Novak made the longest kick in UFL history in Week 1 when he bombed a 54-yard field goal in the first half at Las Vegas. As it stands now, he enters Thursday’s matchup 9 of 12 on field goals and 10 of 10 on extra-point tries.

The Maryland product has knocked around the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, and the Washington Redskins.

He feels like he has found a home in Orlando with the Tuskers after being signed just prior to the start of this season.

“Like a lot of my teammates, if not for this league I would be sitting at home training by myself and going to occasional workouts,” he says. “I am very glad to be able to show that I can still kick this well at this point in my career and show my talent to the coaches, fans, and scouts.”

As with fellow specialists, long snapper Ryan Senser and punter Ken Parrish, Novak realizes that the kicker position goes unnoticed for the most part when a good job is being done. It’s when the kicker fails to do his job that he is likely to be shown the door.

In this case, Novak is being highlighted as a consistent weapon for the Tuskers.

“I’m proud to be able to say I have set records in this league, but I don’t play this game to set records or try to gain attention,” says Novak of his early season success. “Usually when you hear people talking about kickers, they are about to bring in a new guy, but so far I’m having a good year and hopefully I keep helping us win games.”

Head coach Jay Gruden has been outspoken on the struggles of his offense this season. In his first year leading the team, Gruden has led a dinged-up squad to a 2-2 record while playing a brutal schedule through the first four weeks. The trip to Las Vegas to open the season was followed by a trek to Sacramento, a short-week game at home against Vegas, then another road trip recently to Hartford.

A lesser team might be 1-3 or 0-4 after such a schedule, but Gruden’s troops have fought through the aches and pains to remain at .500. Gruden remains confident that his team is on track to make it to a second consecutive championship game and part of that confidence comes from being able to call on his kicker, who has also had to fight off injuries of his own.

“We’ve been very pleased with Nick and the kicking game as a whole,” says Gruden. “He has fought through a groin injury for us and done a great job putting the ball through the uprights when we’ve really needed it.”

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Florida hosts former UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper and the Sacramento Mountain Lions on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Citrus Bowl. The last time Culpepper played at the Citrus Bowl was Jan. 16, 1999 when he participated in the Florida vs. USA All-Star Game. His last game at the stadium with UCF was against New Mexico on Nov. 21, 1998.

Three of the final four games for the Tuskers will be played at home in Orlando.

Trailing 13-10 at the halftime break, Florida outscored the Colonials 23-7 in the final two quarters.

The Tuskers got a big effort from its defense on Saturday as they forced four turnovers and recorded four sacks in the win. Patrick Chukwurah finished with two sacks and a fumble recovery while Darrion Scott and Claude Wroten, who forced a fumble, also reached Hartford quarterback Josh McCown. Dejuan Tribble intercepted a pass and had a tackle for a loss. Fumbles were forced by Odell Thurman, Eric Moore and Darrius Vinnett and recovered by McKinley Boykin and Huey Whitaker.

Despite converting on only 3 of 14 attempts on third down and 3 of 7 tries in the red zone, the Florida offense was well-balanced for the most part. Brooks Bollinger passed for 167 yards on just 16 of 34 attempts and threw for a touchdown – to Jermaine Wiggins – and an interception. He also lost a fumble. Dominic Rhodes rushed for 99 yards on 19 carries and a score. Kicker Nick Novak completed all four of his field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

– Photos of Florida vs. Las Vegas on Sept. 30 by Scott McCall –