With a 45-24 thumping, the UCF Knights conclude another season of highs and lows courtesy of a new offensive look that was supposed to open things up a bit, and plenty of talent returning on the defensive side of the ball.

Needless to say, it took some time to get moving in the right direction. Among the early obstacles were a suspect offensive line and inexperience in the defensive backfield. And those deficiencies reappeared at the absolute worst time, against a Big East team that was supposed to be the stepping-stone into primetime for UCF.

UCF's A.J. Guyton (Photo by Scott McCall)

Is it too late for the Knights to accept a bowl bid against one of those other Conference USA opponents? It doesn’t matter much which one. Bring on Ohio, Air Force, Middle Tennessee State, or even a rematch with Nevada, because the Rutgers Scarlet Knights were just too much to handle.

What’s worse, the downfall on Saturday was of their very own doings.

The Knights were held to 35 yards rushing on 30 carries, as those on the offensive line were beat in the trenches time and time again. Six sacks were allowed and the Knights converted only 4-of-15 attempts on third down along with being stuffed short on their only fourth-down attempt.

“Our offense never really got on track the whole day,” said UCF Coach George O’Leary.

They may not have fared much better today or tomorrow, either.

Quarterback Brett Hodges took the brunt of the punishment and was eventually knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter. He finished his last collegiate outing 13-of-28 for 175 yards with two touchdowns, both to Kamar Aiken, and two interceptions in the loss.

“They really did bring the pressure,” said Hodges. “And when you get pressure on a quarterback like that it makes it easier on the secondary and they did what they wanted to do and they succeeded at it.”

The first turnover came on the opening drive of the game, which led to a Rutgers’ score. The other, which came while trailing 21-17, was taken back for a touchdown just before the halftime break and essentially took the Knights out of the contest for good.

“You can’t give a team 14 points. That’s what we did in the first half,” said O‘Leary.

Then the Scarlet Knights returned to the field in the third quarter and took the opening drive in for another score to extend the lead once more.

UCF's Quincy McDuffie (Photo by Scott McCall)

While UCF struggled to move the ball, Rutgers made it look effortless in attacking through the air for 294 yards and two scores. The once feared defense of the Knights repeatedly missed tackles, recorded a mere one sack, and intercepted one pass while allowing 8-of-15 third-down attempts.

“We just gave up too may big plays and you can’t do that against a team like that,” said defensive end Bruce Miller.

So it’s back to the drawing board for the UCF Knights, who following another season of promise and hope have left fans with a bad taste in their mouths all over again. With UCF’s third-straight bowl loss the program’s postseason football record now stands at (or slouches at) 4-7 all-time since 1987.

But as is the old adage – there’s always next year.

“There’s a lot of good players coming back that are only going to get better with maturity,” said O’Leary, while looking ahead.

Among them are many from that group of offensive lineman and defensive backs who will likely be seeing red until the 2010 season comes around and offers up a chance at redemption.

But right now, looking ahead is all anyone can do after high hopes were once again not realized, this time while going for broke over by the bay.

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

1.) Bruce Miller – UCF Knights – After leading Conference USA in sacks and tackles for loss this season, Miller was rewarded as C-USA Defensive Player of the Year by league coaches on Wednesday. The junior defensive lineman ranks fifth in the nation with 12 sacks and 18^th in the nation with 16.5 tackles for loss through 12 games. Miller was part of a UCF defense that led C-USA in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, sacks and tackles for loss. The two-time conference defensive player of the week this season was also named to the All-Conference USA First Team along with teammates Jarvis Geathers, Cory Hogue and Jah Reid. Josh Burnett and Torrell Troup were named to the second team while Derrick Hallman, Brynn Harvey, Brett Hodges, Charley Hughlett and Lawrence Young were all honorable mentions.

2.) Gennelle Chatman – University Cougars – The senior forward pulled down a school-record 24 rebounds last Thursday in a lopsided win over East River. The effort topped her record-tying 18-rebound game in the district finals last year against Colonial, which helped the Cougars win their first district title in school history. Courtney Berry also had 18 rebounds in one game against Gateway in 2003. The four-year varsity player is currently averaging 13.3 rebounds a game and 7.8 points per game this season and is on pace to break the school’s career rebounding record. Chatman is also a member of UHS Student Government Association and National Honor Society.

3.) Austin Rivers – Winter Park Wildcats – The junior was named Most Valuable Player of the Rotary Tip-Off Classic last weekend as he helped lead the Wildcats to a big win in the championship game on Saturday. Rivers scored 28 points against Lake Brantley, 14 against Oak Ridge and went for 20 points and five rebounds in the finals against Winter Springs.

4.) Jim Haslett and Brooks Bollinger – Florida Tuskers – After leading the United Football League’s Florida Tuskers to a 6-0 regular season record, former NFL Coach of the Year Jim Haslett was named UFL Coach of the Year and Brooks Bollinger UFL Most Valuable Player. The Tuskers led the league in both offense and defense. Bollinger was outstanding in finishing with a league-best 1,825 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and 143 completions in an offense put together by former Arena Football League player and coach Jay Gruden.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 12/2/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/25/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/18/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/11/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

1.) Football Team – UCF Knights – They were 0-22 in Top-25 games coming into the weekend but the UCF football team finally did something no other team before them could do as they handed No. 12 Houston a 37-32 setback at Bright House Networks Stadium. Quarterback Brett Hodges went 21-for-25 for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception while running back Brynn Harvey rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

2.) Spencer Shumway – Lyman Greyhounds – In the final game of the state bowling tournament last week at Boardwalk Bowl, Shumway bowled a 268 to take home the individual title for the Greyhounds. The junior helped his team wrap up conference and district titles before finishing the season atop the medal stand in East Orlando.

Chris Johnson

3.) Isaac Sosa – UCF Knights – After scoring a career-high 26 points in a season-opening 84-67 win over UMass last week the sophomore guard was named Conference USA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Sosa shot 9-of -11 from the field, made 6-of-7 shots from beyond the three-point line, pulled in four rebounds and dished out two assists in 33 minutes of work.

Jennifer George

4.) Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – The former Olympia High School star continues to put up big numbers for the resurging Titans. This past weekend against Buffalo he rushed 26 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns and caught nine passes for another 100 yards in the win. Johnson already has rushing efforts of 228, 197, 135 and 128 yards this season.

5.) Jennifer George – Florida Gators – The former Timber Creek and Bishop Moore basketball standout went 7-of-9 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line for 21 points while grabbing five offensive rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes of play during her collegiate debut, an 85-62 win over Stetson on Saturday.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/11/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

Bruce Miller takes Case Keenum to the ground as Darius Nall closes in. (Photo by Scott McCall)

What a Saturday afternoon it was for UCF football fans.

By holding on for a 37-32 win against No. 12 Houston the Knights got their first win over a Top-25 team. They became bowl eligible for the third time by improving to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in Conference USA. And they kept a fan base from completely jumping ship on a season full of uneasy surf.

Darius Nall chases down Case Keenum in UCF's big win. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Head coach George O’Leary opted to talk more about the upside of getting another conference win afterwards instead of what college football fans across the nation were likely fixated on – the fall from grace for the ranked Cougars and highly-touted quarterback Case Keenum.

The win gives the Knights an outside chance to snag a spot in the C-USA Championship Game as they sit in a second-place tie in the East Division with UAB and Southern Miss, each just a game behind East Carolina.

Problem is that the Knights have lost to both ECU and Southern Miss with only two games remaining on the schedule. The good news is the Knights play host to Tulane (3-7, 1-5) on Saturday at 2 p.m. and then travel to UAB (5-5, 4-2) on Nov. 28 for the season finale at 1:30 p.m. Both UAB and Southern Miss must go to East Carolina over the next two weeks with the Golden Eagles first hosting Tulsa this weekend.

Until things get settled and the divisions are decided for the championship game on Dec. 5, UCF mid-as-well soak up this accomplishment for as long as they can.

Brynn Harvey gets through the Houston defense for a 41-yard touchdown. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Wearing an alternative black jersey with white helmets and white pants, the Knights broke an 0-22 streak against ranked opponents despite falling behind 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and going down 17-3 midway through the second quarter.

Little did the crowd of 34,437 know that history would be made. UCF hogged the ball for nearly the entire second quarter and cut into the Houston lead when Jonathan Davis scored on a 4-yard run with just over a minute to go in the half.

Brynn Harvey pointed to that moment as the change in momentum for the team. He then got in on the action with two touchdown runs of his own in the third quarter to help UCF take the lead 23-17 after three quarters. The home team never trailed again.

Justin Boddie (23), Michael Greco (2) and Kemal Ishmael (18) get defensive. (Photo by Scott McCall)

–– The game plan worked to perfection ––

UCF mixed up a successful blend of run and pass which drained the clock and kept the high-powered Houston offense, featuring Heisman-hopeful Keenum, off the field for much of the day to the tune of 39.5 minutes for UCF and 20.5 minutes for the Cougars.

“That’s probably the best avenue to beat them,” said O’Leary after the game.

Brett Hodges (Photo by Scott McCall)

And that’s what shook things up in favor of the Knights in the second quarter, where Houston had control of the ball for just a minute and a half in all.

Quietly leading the UCF attack was quarterback Brett Hodges (who O’Leary called “a warrior out there”) and Harvey out of the backfield. At one point the senior signal caller completed 12 straight passes before finishing 21-for-25 for 241 yards with a highlight-worthy touchdown pass to Quincy McDuffie and one interception.

Quincy McDuffie holds on for a touchdown. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Harvey rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

While the offense controlled the clock by converting 7 of 15 attempts on third down, converted its only attempt on fourth down, and scored on all four chances in the red zone, the UCF defensive eagerly awaited their opportunity to contribute.

And did they ever. Bruce Miller and Jarvis Geathers each sacked Keenum, Derrick Hallman and Michael Greco both forced fumbles and Justin Boddie picked off a Keenum pass in the win.

Then O’Leary said all the right things in terms of winning a conference game and becoming bowl eligible. But there must be something more to be said about a win of this magnitude.

“Sometimes you use that to catapult your program and catapult your school,” he said. “It was a well-fought win.”

Maybe he’ll show a little more excitement if UCF notches another first in program history by winning whatever bowl game they get a bid to later on this year.

Just maybe.

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

AJ Turman of Boone (Photo by Chris Schubert)

1.) AJ Turman and Skyler Skersick – Boone Braves – Both had huge nights from the opposite sides of the ball last Friday for the Braves as they went on the road and kept their postseason hopes alive with a huge 48-6 win over Oak Ridge. Turman averaged 15 yards per carry out of the backfield while tallying up 210 yards on 14 carries and scoring four touchdowns. Skersick sacked former teammate Baylin Trujillo six times, including three straight times late in the second quarter. He also managed to block a punt in the process.

2.) Amanda Crowell – UCF Knights – While leading the UCF women’s soccer team into the top-10 Cromwell coached her squad to a regular-season Conference USA title. On Tuesday she was named 2009 Conference USA Coach of the Year for her efforts. Joining her on the all-C-USA postseason list were UCF senior Becca Thomas (Midfielder of the Year) and All-C-USA First Team members Courtney Whidden, Nikki Moore and Aline Reis. “The coach of the year award is really about our whole staff and I’m honored that we were recognized,” said Cromwell. “Donna Fishter and Colby Hale deserve so much recognition as their impact as coaches and leaders has been tremendous and they push me to be a better coach every day.” This was the first conference coaching honor for Cromwell despite being one of the most successful coaches in UCF sports history. In over 11 seasons her teams have gone a combined 156-66-15.

3.) Bruce Miller – UCF Knights – The junior defensive end was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week for his contributions in Sunday night’s come-from-behind 21-20 win over Marshall on ESPN. Miller tallied a team-high 10 tackles, including three for a loss and 2.5 sacks. The key play though came when he stripped the ball from Marshall quarterback Brian Anderson with 2:12 to play. That gave UCF (5-3, 3-2 C-USA) one more possession, which led to the game-winning touchdown pass from Brett Hodges to Rocky Ross. Miller now leads C-USA in both sacks (9) and tackles-for-loss (11.5). Teammate Jarvis Geathers in second in C-USA sacks with sevens and third in tackles-for-loss with 9.5 in all.

Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

4.) Dwight Howard – Orlando Magic – Howard was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the eighth time in his career by helping the Magic start the season 3-0. He averaged 21.7 points, 16.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over that stretch in wins over Philadelphia, New Jersey and Toronto. The 6-11 center posted double-doubles in all three games, including a 20-point, 22-rebound performance on the road against the Nets. That followed a 21-point, 15-rebound outing in the season opener and was preceded by a 24-point, 11-rebound effort against the Raptors.

5.) Men’s and Women’s soccer – Rollins Tars – The men’s team claimed a share of the 2009 Sunshine State Conference Championship along with Tampa and set a new school record for wins in a season by going 16-1-1 overall and 7-1 in the SSC. The 16 wins eclipses the 15 wins previously earned back in 1994. The title is the third for Rollins and head coach Keith Buckley since 2004. The women’s team, ranked No. 8 in D-II with a 13-1-2 overall mark and 7-0-1 conference record, wrapped up their second-straight Sunshine State Conference regular season championship and are hosting the conference tournament semifinals and championship match this weekend starting Nov. 6.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

Over 48,000 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium look on as Miami's Mike james goes up for a ball against UCF freshman Kemal Ishmael. (Photo by Scott McCall)

As darkness descended upon Bright House Networks Stadium for the most anticipated UCF game since the stadium’s home-opener against Texas in 2007 (with all apologies to USF) many of the record 48,453 fans in the stands were hoping to witness the first Top-25 win for the Knights after dropping the past 20 attempts against such competition.

A bitter chill swirled the stadium for much of the night as temperatures hovered in the 60s. That only amplified the cold reality that these two teams are in two different leagues as UCF missed out on big opportunities and showed little progress offensively.

On a positive note, Saturday night was what the gameday atmosphere at UCF is supposed to look like. A packed stadium. Exuberant crowd. Some true spirit in the stands that began with the opening kick and carried on undeterred, as opposed to the brand of first quarter comatose that spectators seem to fall into each week.

Darius Nall and the UCF defense sacked Jacory Harris six times on saturday night. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Sophomore defensive end Darius Nall was the early fan-favorite after taking down quarterback Jacory Harris on a third-down sack during the first possession for Miami. Junior Kamar Aiken followed that effort up on offense with a 35-yard reception along the home team’s sideline. The drive ended in a 32-yard field goal attempt though that sailed to the left of the upright.

Despite the way that drive ended suddenly the home crowd was thinking, “Damn, maybe the Knights can play with these Hurricanes.”

Those in attendance leaned in either one of two directions – you either believed a blowout of UCF was evident or you were optimistic that an upset could be realized.

With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter all of that began to change with a big-time catch made in the end zone by a Miami receiver. The Hurricanes followed that up with a third-down sack of UCF quarterback Brett Hodges to force a punt to end the first quarter, foreshadowing how many of the drives would end for the Knights on this night. Miami would post three more points in the second quarter to take a 10-0 halftime lead that would hardly be challenged.

Sophomore wideout A.J. Guyton looks for more room to run on Saturday against No. 9 Miami. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Of the 10 drives for UCF – before their final effort ended with the play clock to close out the fourth quarter – seven ended in punts, one in a crucial interception on a drive that started two yards away from the end zone, another in a touchdown pass from Hodges to Rocky Ross in the third quarter, and that aforementioned missed field goal attempt in the first quarter.

Not only did the Knights lose the game on the scoreboard but they lost the battle for first downs (26-11) and also finished just 1-for-3 on scoring chances in the red zone.

The Knights did sack Harris six times and successfully shut down the Hurricane running game to the tune of 1.5 yards per carry. But the sophomore quarterback managed to do damage through the air by completing 20 of 26 passes for 293 yards. UCF could muster just a 13 of 31 passing effort for 176 yards while being held to 53 yards on 24 carries out of the backfield.

Junior wide receiver Jamar Newsome hauls in a pass in UCF's 27-7 loss to the Hurricanes. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Junior defensive back Justin Boddie led the Knights with 10 tackles while senior linebacker Cory Hogue had eight tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Bruce Miller, David Williams and Jarvis Geathers joined Nall by each recording sacks in the loss.

No matter the weather, most of Miami’s rabid following stayed until the final tick of the clock while UCF fans folded with less than 11 minutes to go in the game. The constant (and loud) cheers from the visiting Hurricane followers lasted until the team exited the field for good afterwards while the home crowd was run off in a flushing instant following the final Miami touchdown on the night.

The recent setback leaves the Knights riding a familiar path. This season has been filled with its share of ups and downs week in and week out, in the same way as the tenure of head coach George O’Leary year in and year out since 2004. One bad season then one good season. Repeat. One good week then one bad week. Repeat.

At least UCF fans got a chance to see an elite team pay a rare visit to the Bright House. Only it resulted in another footnote alongside an 0-21 all-time streak against Top-25 competition and an 0-9 losing streak against the other Division I teams in Florida.

Sure, this recent cold front is expected to quickly move along but it could be a cold winter for the Knights should they stumble too many more times with six more games remaining on the schedule.

Then down went senior tight end Corey Rabazinski.

Junior Ricky Kay (#43) and teammate A.J. Guyton celebrate the go-ahead touchdown against Memphis. (Photo by Scott McCall)

So senior quarterback Brett Hodges was left to turn to junior receiver Jamar Newsome, sophomore receiver A.J. Guyton and unheralded junior halfback Ricky Kay – when sophomore Brynn Harvey wasn’t taking one of his 42 carries for 219 yards – to help get the job down in a 32-14 Conference USA win.

Newsome hauled in five balls for 58 yards and a score, Guyton caught four passes for 50 yards, and Kay caught four passes himself for 52 yards, including a crucial touchdown to end the third quarter which put the Knights up for good, 15-14.

“I got a chance, got an opportunity, and just ran with it,” said Kay of being involved in the passing game.

While Memphis refused to cover the flats Hodges continued to find Kay, which resulted in the go-ahead touchdown from seven yards out as three seconds remained in the period.

The 6-3, 239-pounder out of Deltona was just glad to be given the chance to step in and earn some quality playing time after walking-on in 2007 and primarily playing special teams and fullback over the past two seasons.

Ricky Kay makes his way past defenders after hauling in a pass. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Through 25 games over that stretch he had caught 13 passes for 97 yards while focusing mostly on his blocking assignments. He pulled in four passes for 35 yards in a win against Memphis his freshman year then caught the only touchdown of his career last year against the Tigers. His four catches earlier this month were his first of the season.

“Life’s just a game of chances and whatever opportunities present itself you got to just go with it and play as hard as you can, and that’s basically what I did,” he said.

Ross leads UCF (3-2 overall, 1-2 C-USA) this season in receiving with 17 catches for 220 yards and one score followed by Guyton (15 for 193 yards), Newsome (15 for 131 yards and two touchdowns) and Aiken (11 for 198 yards and two touchdowns).

Ricky Kay moved up the depth chart because of injuries and scored a touchdown in the third quarter on Saturday. (Photo by Scott McCall)

Head coach George O’Leary had been preaching “one more step” throughout the week, with the message being that his players needed to move their feet a little more while blocking and making tackles. He reminded them of that during the halftime break while trailing 7-3. The extra motivation paid off as the Knights appeared to wake up from whatever daydream they had been in since the start of the game.

The first half featured too many incompletions, too many missed tackles, and too many empty seats at Bright House Network Stadium. In the stands fans were disconnected and quiet. The inept showing on the field brought the pre-game buzz of the home crowd back to earth. Not even the remnants of quality tailgating time in sunny Orlando could ward off the effects of some stiff play on the football field. You could be anywhere in the stadium with your eyes closed and not even know there were others around you during portions of the first two quarters.

Then the excitement eventually came. Four field goals were kicked by Nick Cattoi and a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brett Hodges to Ricky Kay with three seconds to go in the third quarter gave the Knights the lead for good, assisted in large part by the finishing touches of the UCF defense.

Josh Robinson eludes a defender at Bright House Networks Stadium. (Photo by Scott McCall)

But for the most part it was ugly. Again. Ugly like when Hodges threw a pass into the chest of a defensive lineman while at the Memphis 20-yard line with 1:22 to go in the second quarter. Sounds like a fitting play between two mediocre teams. With the loss Memphis dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Conference USA.

The scoring didn’t even get started until UCF moved the ball inside the red zone early in the second quarter and settled on a 24-yard field goal from Cattoi. Memphis replied by going 85 yards, 63 of which went for a touchdown on third down, on nine plays to take the lead. A little over 10 minutes later the Knight went into the locker room down 7-3.

Then the third quarter explosion began. Well, we’ll call them “fireworks” instead. Following an interception by Cory Hogue the Knights were forced to settle for a 46-yard field goal from Cattoi because of a penalty and a dropped pass along the sideline. Cattoi was called upon again the very next drive to boot a 42-yarder to give the Knights the lead, 9-7, with 3:58 to go in the period.

Brynn Harvey scores the final touchdown of the game on Saturday. He ran for 219 yards in UCF's 32-14 win. (Photo by Scott McCall)

A quick five-play drive from Memphis followed that put the visiting team in the end zone, and put the Knights in a hole, 14-9. Six plays later the third quarter ended when Hodges connected with Kay for the go-ahead score. By this point the crowd was waking back up, just in time for the grand finale. There was a missed field goal by Memphis, a 92-yard touchdown drive from UCF, an interception by Josh Robinson, another field goal from Cattoi, a fourth-down stop by the UCF defense, and finally, a Brynn Harvey touchdown run that put the running back over the 200-yard mark for the day.

Most important, it all led to a much-needed conference win. And now, the Knights enter the bye week in preparation for a rematch at home on Oct. 17 against the nations No. 11 Miami Hurricanes.

UCF head coach George O’Leary couldn’t remember another time one of his teams in Orlando had fought back from a 10-point deficit. But that’s what they had to do after going into the half down 17-7 before rebounding and managing to pull out a 23-17 win.

If the first half nearly put fans to sleep, the second half kept fans on the edges of their seats. The excitement came courtesy of a defensive unit that took advantage of a tiring Buffalo team down the stretch and – as O’Leary figured it – began making plays when they had to make plays, including getting in the face of the opposing quarterback.

After being chewed out in the locker room at the break, the Knights emerged like the sleeping giant UCF has long since described its program as and reminded us all what made their defense one of the best in the country a year ago.

“We were late in tackling and really not tackling very crisp,” said O’Leary of the first half. “The coaches made the corrections they had to make and they went out in the second half and tightened the coverage up.”

That was after the fiery coach gave an ultimatum to his team.

“He told us if you don’t want to go out there and finish this game then don’t follow him out of the locker room,” recalled junior safety Derrick Hallman. “Nobody was going to back down from that challenge.”

After giving up 203 yards and a combined 6 of 12 plays on third and fourth down to the Bulls in the first half, the Knights completed the final two quarters by creating turnovers and putting on the pressure at the line of scrimmage.

It helped that the players on the offensive side of the ball capitalized on those efforts, too.

“We just kept cheering each other on when we came to the sideline and fed off each other’s energy,” said Hallman of both units.

The turnaround got started once Hallman forced a fumble, which was recovered by junior Bruce Miller early in the third quarter. That resulted in a 4-yard touchdown run by Brynn Harvey. On the very next possession Jarvis Geathers forced a fumble, which was recovered by sophomore Darius Nall, as he knocked down Buffalo’s quarterback. The turnover this time led to the game-tying 44-yard field goal by sophomore Nick Cattoi.

Cattoi went on to kick field goals of 22 and 42-yards following a defensive stand that forced a punt, then UCF’s first interception of the season by none other than Hallman. Assisting the Knights defense both mentally and physically were the long, and at times impressive, drives by the offense (led throughout the night by redshirt senior quarterback Brett Hodges) during the latter half.

In the final minutes of the game as Buffalo attempted its final comeback it was Geathers that recorded back-to-back sacks, the last of which resulted in a fumble that was recovered by senior Torrell Troup with just 26 seconds left to play. That cemented the win in a way unattainable last week while at Southern Miss, during a 26-19 Conference USA loss.

Over the course of those final two quarters of play on Saturday night though the doldrums that have accompanied UCF football in their very own stadium had dissipated. The ever-so-brief echoes of the still-mint structure were awakened to actually find out what the ruckus was all about.

It was O’Leary’s Boys answering the call at halftime and thickening the plot on a season still featuring stiff intra-conference competition and a visit from an in-state opponent that’s already defeated two Top-25 teams.

At 2-1 overall and 0-1 in C-USA the season has all the makings of a made-for-TV comeback story. Or so for a few hours it seemed.

– Moving the chains:

The Knights recorded 14 first downs against Samford and just 11 against Southern Miss while allowing 16 first downs in Week 1 and 23 on Saturday on the road.

– Running the ball:

As sketchy as things looked for UCF on the offensive line against Samford (41 rushes for 125 yards) they turned out to be even worse at Southern Miss as only 15 net yards were racked up on 27 carries. Sophomore Brynn Harvey has been the go-to guy in 2009 as he’s rushed for 156 yard on 45 carries (3.3 per rush) and two touchdowns. The defense gave up 78 yards on 30 carries in Week 1 and held a lethal running game on Saturday to 156 yards on 40 carries.

– Throwing the ball:

UCF has yet to pass for 200 yards in a game this season, going for 157 yards against Samford and 179 against Southern Miss. Senior Brett Hodges has proved to be most efficient, completing 58-percent of his passes for 287 yards and three scores. In comparison, sophomore Rob Calabrese has gone 5 of 11 for 49 yards in less than two games of work. The UCF quarterbacks have been sacked four times thus far. The Knights allowed 208 yards passing to Samford and 253 yards passing to Southern Miss.

– Catching the ball:

Senior Rocky Ross has hauled in 10 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Knights over the course of two games while junior Kamar Aiken has caught six passes for 95 yards and a score.

– Getting after the ball:

Senior Cory Hogue leads the team in tackles with 16 (two for a loss) followed by junior Lawrence Young with 15 tackles (four for a loss). Junior Bruce Miller and senior Jarvis Geathers have each recorded sacks while junior Reggie Weems has recovered a fumble.

– Kicking the ball:

Relative newcomers at the kicking position have made for unsteady production in that department. Freshman Jamie Boyle had a field goal blocked and missed another attempt against Samford. Sophomore Nick Cattoi connected on attempts of 28 and 50 yards on Saturday. Punter Blake Clingan has averaged 37.9 yards per boot on 12 attempts with three landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

– Turning over the ball:

UCF was picked off during the opening game when Hodges threw to a Samford defender and had the pass taken back 41 yards the other way for a score. The Knights have also put the ball on the ground six times this season with three of those fumbles being recovered by the opposing team. In comparison, the team has managed just one takeaway (fumble at Southern Miss) thus far.

– Returning kicks:

Ross has averaged 13.9 yards per punt return with a long of 39 yards. Kick returns have already become a source of big plays with freshman Quincy McDuffie and junior Darin Baldwin leading the way. McDuffie took a kick back 95 yards for a score in Week 1 and is averaging 16.2 yards per return on four tries. Baldwin has a long of 72 yards and is averaging 33.7 yards per return on three attempts. Junior Jamar Newsome has one kick return for 89 yards to his credit.

– Penalty flags:

The Knights were penalized six times for 55 yards against Samford and five times for 49 yards against Southern Miss, while their opponents have combined to rack up 10 penalties for 63 yards.

More UCF Football coverage –

Team statistics at UCF Athletics

UCF at Southern Miss game recap at News & Observer

UCF at Southern Miss game recap at Orlando Sentinel

More commentary at Orlando Sentinel