ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Former Knights and current staff members swarmed Rio Pinar Country Club for the annual UCF Football Lettermen's Golf Tournament Friday. More than 20 groups were signed up to compete for several UCF prizes, along with a little bragging rights.

The format was an 18-hole, four-person scramble, and afterward there was a lunch reception where the winners were announced, along with who had the longest drives of the day. The winning group of Tyson Hinshaw, Stuart Stipe, Jason Thorpe and Mary Vander Heider carded a 58.

This year's event took place a day before the UCF Spring Football Game which is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium.

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Plan your game days with the Knights, and experience one of the best schedules in program history in the best available seat locations at Bright House Networks Stadium. 2013 season tickets start at $99. To secure your UCF football season tickets, visit UCFAthletics.com or call 407-UCF-1000. 

Although signing day is just around the corner, three members of the Knights' 2013 recruiting class have already been on campus since January. Quarterbacks Pete DiNovo and Justin Holman as well as defensive back D.J. Killings have gotten a head start on the process by enrolling early for the spring. 

UCFAthletics.com caught up with fellow early enrollees Breshad Perriman, Joey Grant, Justin Tukes as well as director of player personnel Drew Hughes as they spoke about the advantages as well as the challenges of enrolling early.

A reminder the UCF Signing Day Show is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb 6, in the Bright House Networks Stadium recruiting lounge from 5:45-6:45 p.m. More information on the day's events can be found at here.

One comment former Rhode Island center Matt Greenhalgh is still trying to get used to hearing is "you saved my life." That's what UCF graduate and longtime Knights season ticket holder Kenneth Nuckols tells Greenhalgh every time he sees him.

Back in December 2010, Nuckols was diagnosed with leukemia and his best chance of survival was to find a bone marrow donor. Nuckols and his doctor looked at a list of bone marrow donors and Greenhalgh's name came up as a match. Nuckols had no clue at the time that Greenhalgh was an athlete in his favorite sport, nor did Greenhalgh know how big a college football fan Nuckols was.

"I had no idea. They told me it was an anonymous donation," Greenhalgh said. "All they could do was give me his age and his illness and I said 'alright sign me up.'"

The former URI football player recently graduated and was one of the many Rhode Island football players who were registered as a bone marrow donor. The entire team decided that was something they wanted to do after head coach Joe Trainer presented the idea to the team. Every year since 2009, the team and Trainer have run a bone marrow drive, in association with "Be the Match", to try and get students to become donors.

By rules of the donor list, both Nuckols and Greenhalgh had to wait one year after the donation was made to meet each other. Both met this past summer over the phone and hit it off right away talking about college football.

"That was probably the coolest part of the whole thing is finding out that the guy who saved my life by giving me his bone marrow was a college football player himself," Nuckols said. "That gives us more of a connection with the sport."

"Once Ken called me it was unreal," Greenhalgh said. "I saw a number I don't usually see on my cell phone and I picked it up and it was Ken and we talked for about a half hour and just kept our relationship from there."

When Nuckols found out UCF was going to stay in Florida for its bowl game, he decided he would spend the money he set aside for travel expenses on a plane ticket for Matt to fly down to Orlando for the game.

"The thought occurred to me that since Matt was graduating maybe he would be able to come down," Nuckols said. "Instead of me spending the money to travel, I chose to bring him down for the game. It's just my way of saying 'thank you.'"

The two spent hours talking about college football during their couple days at the bowl game and Greenahlgh said he enjoyed learning everything Nuckols taught him about the Knights. Greenhalgh said he wants to continue to stay involved with the National Bone Marrow Foundation and wants to use his position as a former college football player to get people to donate.

In early December, Greenhalgh's brother donated his bone marrow and a total of four people from the drives he helped run have already donated.

To find out more, see the video above.

On a night when 20 seniors set a school record for the most victories by a senior class in school history, it was an underclassman who shined for the Knights. Sophomore quarterback and Oviedo native Blake Bortles recorded 350 total yards and four total touchdowns in UCF's 38-17 win over Ball State in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.

The 6-foot-4 gunslinger tied a Beef O'Brady's bowl record with three passing touchdowns and had 271 passing yards. Bortles also ran for a career high 80 yards and one score on the ground. Many of the seniors said they were impressed by his performance.

"Superman," senior linebacker Ray Shipman said. "He made a lot of plays. Being the humble guys he is he's always preaching about the offensive line, but he was huge in the game."

"Blake played like the quarterback we know he is," senior full back Billy Giovanetti said. "Blake was taking over and he was putting the ball in our receivers' [hands], but he played great. You can't ask for anything more from our quarterback."

Bortles finished the season with 3,059 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 285 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

With only a few hours till kickoff, UCF Knights are ready for the Knights to hit the field and take on Ball State in the 2012 Beef O'Brady's Bowl. Remember to check back at UCFAthletics.com after the game for complete post game coverage of the game.

Finish. It has been the motto of UCF Athletics all year, and it's exactly how the Knights want to wrap up their 2012 season. The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl is very familiar to UCF after its previous visit in 2009. To get you ready for the showdown with Ball State at the Trop, get all your facts with the bowl edition of 10 Tweetable Tidbits.

The Golden Knights Club helps the donors get ready for the Beef O'Brady's Bowl and there are plenty of pregame festivities for the fans to take part in before UCF's game against Ball State. Continue to follow UCFAthletics.com for complete coverage on the Knights.

The Knights took part in their final event before the Beef O'Brady's Bowl and received a visit from a former Heisman Trophy winner. The Marching Knights took part in the "Battle of the Bands" against Ball State and UCF fans got to experience George O'Leary's radio show from Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill during the Bowl Block Party. Continue to check UCFAthletics.com for more information on the Knights.

The team captains make a visit to the All-Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg to put a smile on some faces. The Marching Knights load up and head to the bowl game. This afternoon the band will take part in Battle of the Bands at the Sirata Beach Resort. Continue to check UCFAthletics.com for more coverage of the Knights and more episodes of "Bowlin' On The Bay".

For this edition of Bowlin' On The Bay, UCFAthletics.com speaks with Special Assistant to the Head Coach Manny Messeguer, and looks ahead to Thursday's events. It will be another big day for the Knights, including their second practice at Tropicana Field.

The Knights spent some time on the beach at the beach bash, which was held at the Sirata Beach Resort. UCF also held its football banquet where five players received multiple awards. Watch this episode of "Bowlin' On The Bay" to find out more and continue to check UCFAthletics.com the rest of the week for more updates on the Knights.

The Knights complete their first practice on Tropicana Field as they continue their preparation for the Beef O'Brady's Bowl against Ball State. Also, find out what goes into hosting a football game at a baseball stadium. Continue to check the Knights all week at UCFAthletics.com and for more updates on the football team as well as more episodes of "Bowlin' On The Bay".

After a fun night on the player VIP cruise, the Knights get ready for the first practice inside Troicana Field. Beef O'Brady's Bowl Executive Director Brett Dulaney says he is very happy to have the Knights in St. Petersburg. Continue to check UCFAthletics.com all week long for more updates on the Knights during their week at the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.

The Knights arrived at their home for the next four nights at the Vinoy Resort and Golf Club. The Knights also take part in their first event at this year's bowl week in the players VIP cruise. Continue to check UCFAthletics.com for more information and updates on the Knights throughout the entire week.

It's the day the Knights head to St. Petersburg in this edition of "Bowlin' On The Bay". On Tuesday morning, UCF will have its final practice before hopping on the bus and heading to the Beef O'Brady's Bowl to take part in all of the bowl's activities by the bay. For many of the underclassmen and newer Knights it's their first bowl with UCF, and all of them have enjoyed the bowl experience so far. Continue to check UCFAthletics.com all week for more updates on the Knights and "Bowlin' On The Bay" daily updates.

The Knights finish up their final afternoon practice in Orlando on a warm Monday evening. After a team dinner, the players received their bowl gifts for the Beef O'Brady's Bowl and continue to get excited to head to St. Petersburg. Continue to follow UCFAthletics.com for complete coverage of the Knights' bowl trip and for daily updates on "Bowlin' On The Bay".

In this edition of "Bowlin' By The Bay", many members of the UCF football staff including the athletic trainers and equipment managers talk about what they have to do to prepare for the bowl. On Tuesday, the Knights will leave Orlando and head to St. Petersburg for the Beef O'Brady's Bowl against the Ball State Cardinals. Continue to follow UCFAthletics.com for complete coverage of UCF's bowl trip and daily "Bowlin' By The Bay" Reports.

It's a huge week for UCF athletics. The action begins on Tuesday when the Miami Hurricanes basketball team brings a 6-1 record to the UCF arena to take on the 6-2 Knights. It's the first meeting between the two since UCF knocked off the Canes' 84-78 in 2010 in a game in Sunrise, Florida. The victory gave UCF a 10-0 start to the season.  Donnie Jones' team will hit the hardwood again on Thursday when rival Stetson visits. UCF has won 12 straight over the Hatters.

The basketball win at Old Dominion gave UCF a glimpse of how good junior guard Calvin Newell can be. After struggling in his first game of the season against Bethune Cookman, Newell hit his first shot at ODU and scored 17 in the big road win. The Knights are among the national leaders in field goal percentage and sophomore Kasey Wilson has quickly become one of the better shooting forwards in the nation.

The big week of sports is highlighted by Friday's Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg. UCF faces off against Ball State, who is seeking the school's first ever bowl win. The Knights are focused on a 10^th win and the school's second bowl win.

Follow me on twitter @UCF_MarcDaniels for notes, news and more and get all your UCF sports news at www.ucfathletics.com

When it was finalized that the football team would be making the trip to St. Petersburg for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, the thoughts of sunny weather and white sandy beaches were engrained in my mind. When the staff made the two-hour drive to scope out all of the destinations for bowl festivities this past Thursday, it became apparent that St. Pete is the perfect bowl destination.

Location, Location, Location

It's mid to late December. Everywhere on television are shots of snow here and windy/cold temperatures there. In St. Pete this past week? It was 82 degrees with barely a cloud in the sky.

The first stop on the site visit brought us to the Sirata Beach Resort smack dab on the Gulf of Mexico. This bustling hotel will be home to the beach bash and battle of the bands that are set to take place on Dec. 19 from 3-6 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. on Dec. 20, respectively.

With acres upon acres of white sand on the No. 1 beach in the U.S. according to TripAdvisor, it will be quite the setup for both UCF and Ball State players, coaches, support staff and fans to thoroughly enjoy themselves. I heard the 2009 belly flop contest was quite the competition, and I can only imagine what this year's showdown will have in store.

Party Headquarters

Many Tampa Bay Rays fans are probably familiar with one of the best places to go 81+ times a year pre and postgame during the months of April-October. Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill will be home to the bowl block party on Dec. 20 beginning at 5 p.m. the night before the big game.

I've experienced this place first-hand gameday, and I must say the atmosphere is phenomenal. If you are looking to sit down inside, enjoy a drink out on the massive covered patio or head upstairs and enjoy a view of Tropicana Field while you enjoy a meal, then Ferg's has you covered. Speaking of covers, there is also a tunnel under the highway directly to the Trop to ensure everyone in your party arrives safely.

Unique Experience

Anyone can play a bowl game in a football stadium, but what Tropicana Field brings to the mix is a unique venue combining America's pastime with the most popular sport of my generation. It is just one of three bowl games to be played in baseball-only stadiums (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco and the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium).

The setup works well with the field arranged along the first-base line all the way from home plate to the right-field bleachers. This allows fans to be as close to the action as possible, especially in the end zones.

Taking the baseball/football combination to a whole new level, I'm petitioning the bowl's administrators for a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to be sung in between the third and fourth quarter. I'm pretty sure that timeframe matches well with what would be the seventh-inning stretch.

One For The Road

The best part of the site visit? I'm going to have to go with the Sirata game room. Some of the all-time greats were assembled in this building. You had the Rush 2049 driving simulator, Golden Tee, Bags (corn hole) and last, but certainly not least, a combo of Ms. Pac Man and Galaga.

There are many can't misses on this bowl trip, and this certainly is one you can't pass up. For a trip down memory lane with Ms. Pac Man, check out the video below.

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com

UCF will begin preparation for their game with Ball State in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg on December 21^st. The Knights will try and post their 10^th win of the season, something a UCF team has done only three previous times. The Cardinals bring a six game win streak into the contest and seek the school's first bowl win. Ball State is 0-5 in bowl games, their last game against Tulsa in the 2009 GMAC Bowl.

Here are some non-football facts about UCF's bowl opponent you may not know. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana and has an enrollment of just over 22,000. The school was originally known as Indiana Normal Institute before it was bought by a group of five brothers, the Ball Brothers. Glass manufacturers, the Ball Brothers were philanthropists who are responsible for much of the early industry and social programs around Muncie, Indiana.

The football team's first conference title came in 1942 when Ball State won the Indiana Intercollegiate Conference title. It has won five MAC titles with the most recent being in 1996. The team was ranked as high as 12^th in AP Poll in 2008 when current Michigan Coach Brady Hoke led the team.

Among the famous alums who went to Ball State include David Letterman, Joyce DeWitt who starred in the sitcom Three's  Company, Stedman Graham who is most know as Oprah Winfrey's longtime boyfriend, Jim Davis who created "Garfield" the cat and his cartoon character and sports columnist Jason Whitlock.

Basketball returns this week as Donnie Jones' team faces Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday night before the team's first road game out of state at Old Dominion on Friday.

Major props to all parties involved on moving the basketball game against Stetson to December 20^th so fans can attend that game before heading to St. Petersburg for the bowl game the next day.

Follow me on twitter @UCF_MarcDaniels for notes, news and more and get all your UCF sports news at www.ucfathletics.com

Whenever student- athletes accomplish something on the field fans, coaches and teammates celebrate the achievement. The same can be said for the Knights' accomplishments in the classroom.

For the first time in the fall semester, the UCF Academic Services for Student-Athletes held "A Knights Celebration". The event recognized all of the senior student-athletes who graduated this past semester. 13 Knights were recognized at the event in front of athletic administrators, academic advisors, coaches and other members of the UCF family.

"To actually see it all together at an event like this, I think the students really appreciate this," Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services Kimya Massey said. "Also it's really exciting for us because we hope to inspire them, but they really inspire us to do our jobs on a day to day basis."

"It's amazing when you think about the people that are dedicated to their success," continued Massey. "Between the trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, academic advisors, sport administrators and campus folks. We're really all there for them and we're very passionate about their success."

This past spring semester, the Knights held this same type of celebration for all of its graduating student-athletes. Massey said there were between 70 and 80 student-athletes that were recognized and this is a new tradition the ASSA is going to continue.

St. Petersburg native and women's soccer player Andrea Rodrigues was recognized at the celebration and was a member of this year's Conference USA Tournament Champion women's soccer team. She and her teammates got a lot of recognition for winning that championship, but she's enjoyed the recognition she received at the celebration for her accomplishments in the classroom.

"A lot of people think that athletics is just about what you perform on the field and your championship and everything, but it's about getting an education and being able to balance a lot of your life," Rodrigues said.

Massey says this is a celebration he's seen at many other universities and hopes it will help the student-athletes stay connected to the university after they graduate.

"I think it's really critical in those first couple of years," Massey said. "I think that's when some universities lose some students who sort of go their own way, but we really want to keep in touch with them and make them feel connected."

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com

UCF will play in its fifth bowl game in school history when it faces the Ball State Cardinals in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg on December 21st. The Knights accepted the bowl bid after the tough overtime loss in Tulsa in the Conference USA title game.

The overtime championship game was the first in league history. Much has been made about the fourth quarter punt return by Tulsa's Trey Watts and what did or did not take place on the field. If you missed the many replay angles on Coach O'Leary's weekly television show, the show is available online. Despite the bizarre play, Coach O'Leary points out both teams had chances to win and Tulsa made a few more plays. So congrats to the Golden Hurricane and the same to UCF who won a conference division and has a shot at a 10th win with a bowl victory.

It will go down as one of my favorite plays of the football season. Despite the loss, Rob Calabrese's play to track down a Tulsa player after a blocked extra point is a play I won't soon forget. For someone to go through everything Calabrese did and show the effort and speed to track down a player that looked like he had two easy points should be used by UCF to future teams in regards to never give up on a play. Calabrese's effort was special and should be remembered for a long time.

Don't forget, Donnie Jones' team returns to the court for a December 12th game against Bethune Cookman. Jones may finally have a full roster of players and should be excited about his team. UCF fans saw a glimpse of the future with the debut of freshman Matt Williams who scored 21 points in 13 minutes with seven three-pointers in the win over Florida Tech. Calvin Newell is set to make his debut after the semester ends and the Knights should be a fun team to watch.

Follow me on twitter @UCF_MarcDaniels for notes, news and more and get all your UCF sports news at www.ucfathletics.com

The Knights touched down in Tulsa around 2:30 p.m. central standard time for the final time this season and for the final time as members of Conference USA.

Saturday will be the third time the Knights will meet the Golden Hurricane in the Conference USA Championship game, but it will be the first at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Just two weeks ago, UCF lost to Tulsa in the regular season 23-21 and missed out on earning home field advantage for this championship contest.

Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles will look to improve from his last contest at Tulsa when he completed 13-of-31 pass attempts for 169 yards and one touchdown. The Oviedo native has had a solid season compiling 2,593 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Bortles continues to be one of the most efficient signal callers in the conference with a 145.2 rating, which is ranked second in C-USA.

Senior running back Latavius Murray finished the regular season ranked first in C-USA with 107.1 rushing yards per game and tied for first in scoring averaging 10 points per game. Murray is coming off a 95 rushing yard and one touchdown performance against the UAB Blazers.

The UCF defense looks to improve from its last performance against Tulsa, where the Knights gave up 461 total yards. Senior linebacker Jonathan Davis had a career performance with 17 tackles in that game. Defensive back A.J. Bouye also had a game changing 76-yard interception return for a touchdown as well.

The Knights are 2-4 all-time against the Golden Hurricane. This will be the first C-USA Championship away from home for the Knights. Since the start of the conference championship game, road teams are 3-4 overall.

Weather Report

Saturday's forecast calls for it to be mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain. The projected high is 72 degrees and a projected low is 55 degrees.

Game Notes

Want to go in-depth to learn more about UCF and Tulsa and their matchup tomorrow? Click on the links below for the media notes, distributed by the communications staff of both squads.

UCF Game Notes

Tulsa Game Notes

Links/Media Coverage

UCFAthletics.com - BLOG: Knights Ready For Rematch In Tulsa

UCFAthletics.com - BLOG: O'Leary - "Those are the games you remember"

UCFAthletics.com - BLOG: On The Verge Of History, Focused On The Present

UCF Athletics.com - Looking Back on UCF's C-USA Championship Games

Orlando Sentinel - Friday morning round-up: UCF, Tulsa ready for C-USA championship showdown

Orlando Sentinel - Current, former UCF players say championship week is unique

Orlando Sentinel - UCF  Breakdown: Key matchups and statistical comparison for the C-USA championship at Tulsa

Tulsa World - TU Football Notebook: UCF Rivalry

Radio/TV/Video

Kickoff is set for noon eastern standard time and 11 a.m. central standard time. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Network and the UCF-IMG College Radio Network. At the top of this blog is a quick preview of Saturday's game with "The Voice of the Knights" Marc Daniels and UCF color analyst Mike Gruttadauria.

It is a pretty fitting ending for UCF's run in Conference USA to be facing Tulsa in the title game Saturday at noon. The two teams have met twice for the right to represent the league in the Liberty Bowl, and the rubber match promises to be another dandy. UCFAthletics.com has you covered once again with 10 Tweetable tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers for the championship game.

The Knights have had a football program for 33 years and on Saturday UCF will play its final game in Conference USA before it begins a new chapter in the Big East Conference next season.

One of the reasons the Knights are able to make that move to the Big East is because of all of the success they've had during their short history as a football program. Saturday's Conference Championship game against Tulsa will give the Knights a chance to write more history against the Golden Hurricane.

A win would give the Knights a Conference USA record third championship and the squad will go down as one of the greatest teams in school history.

"It means a lot," senior fullback Billy Giovanetti said. "I feel like we're not so much focused on the history that it's creating, but more the task at hand right now and how much another championship would mean. We're out there, we're working hard and you can't ask for anything more than what the team is giving. We're ready to play."

Just two weeks ago the Knights were in Tulsa and came up short against the Golden Hurricane 23-21. That result has been plenty of motivation for the squad.

"It's all business right now," senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael said. "We owe these guys and that's how we're taking our action."

"All of us came here and signed a letter of intent to win," junior offensive lineman Justin McCray said. "That's what we're trying to come out and do."

All season long UCF head coach George O'Leary talked about the goals the Knights set for themselves and what they want to accomplish in their final season in Conference USA. On Saturday, UCF will have a chance to accomplish one of their major goals, which is to win its third conference championship.

"They have a chance to reach that and that's all that really needs to be said because their goal meant something when they made it," O'Leary said during his weekly press conference. "It's important because you only get to play for a certain amount of championships, especially if you're a college player."

For the third time in the conference championship game the Knights will take face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, but it will be the first time UCF will play the game at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Just two weeks ago, the squad traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a regular season match up and came up short 23-21.

A win in the game will not only give the Knights a conference record third championship, but also a trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. Last time UCF went to that bowl the squad came away with a historic 10-6 win over current SEC power house Georgia.

"The only thing we talk about as a football team is getting to Memphis," O'Leary said. "We never really discussed anything else."

Last contest against the Golden Hurricane, the Knights gave up 461 yards of total offense to the run heavy Tulsa offense. The defense has been working hard to improve their performance from that contest and seniors like Kemal Ishmael and Troy Davis are two of the many players O'Leary wants to see above average performances from.

"The good ones play big in big games. The average guys who are role players need to play good. That's the difference between winning the conference championship and losing it," O'Leary said. "You expect your players to play well, plus the average guys have a role on the team. That's what separates winning and losing conference games."

Coach O'Leary has always stressed to his players people remember the championship games and Saturday's match up will give this year's Knights a chance to be remembered forever in the program's final game in Conference USA.

"It's another game. It's another championship," O'Leary said. "That's the goal and I think since we're leaving the conference it would be a good way to say goodbye. I like Conference USA. They've treated us very well and I appreciate what they've done for our program and to get us started."

"Those are the games you remember," O'Leary continued. "You don't remember some of the other games, but you do remember the championship games."

It's rare that a football team faces the same team twice in one season. Not only will the Knights do that this upcoming weekend in the Conference USA Championship game, but they will play the same team in the span of three weeks.

Two weeks ago, UCF fell to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 23-21 in a battle for home field advantage in the C-USA Championship game. Now the Knights return to Tulsa, Oklahoma to try and win its third and final Conference USA Championship before moving to the Big East Conference next season.

"It is in the back of your mind. That's why we had to win that last game because we wanted to get back out there and have another shot at Tulsa," Senior captain and offensive lineman Jordan Rae said. "Our goal is still in front of us and that's to win the conference championship and that's what we're working for this week."

The squad is coming off a dominating 49-24 victory over division rival UAB. That was a game that clinched the fourth Conference USA East Division for the Knights. UCF is hoping to carry some of that offensive momentum into their final game in C-USA.

"Last time we played them they did play faster than us and harder than us," Rae said. "We're able to look at this film and find out where they attacked us and where our weakest points were."

"When it all comes down to it we have to block people and that's all that really matters," Rae continued

The defense made some key plays in the last contest against Tulsa, which included two blocked field goals and a 76-yard interception return by senior cornerback A.J. Bouye. Fellow senior captain Kemal Ishmael made a few key interceptions during the regular season and would like to make one in his final game against Tulsa. The Miami native says making plays will make the difference in this championship contest.

"It's just going out there and competing," Ishmael said. "Both teams know what to expect from each other and it's just going to be who is going to be more successful and more physical on the field."

"They know our personnel and we know their personnel," Ishmael continued. "We know what to expect from them and what they're trying to do. We just have to go out there and compete right now. It's all about who is going to be more successful on the field."

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com

UCF will play in its fourth CUSA Championship game in its eighth season in the league. The Knights 49-24 win over UAB earned the return trip to Tulsa, where UCF fell 23-21 two weeks ago.

Among the UAB win highlights were the fact that the 20 seniors closed out their home careers at Bright House Network stadium with a win. That group posted a 21-5 record playing at home and earned their 33^rd overall win and becomes the all-time leader in wins with one more victory in their final two games.

Quincy McDuffie dazzled those at the game with three rushing touchdowns including UCF's final score on a beautiful 43-yard run to the end zone. It was also fitting for Lyle Dankenbring, as the former walk-on picked off a UAB pass and went 78-yards for the touchdown.

Now on to Tulsa again, where UCF can say it did not play its best game of the season yet still had a chance to win. Tulsa enters the game off a 35-27 loss to SMU in Dallas. The Golden Hurricane ran 103 plays and had 32 first downs to the Mustangs 12.

This will mark the second time Tulsa has hosted the CUSA title game.  In 2008, East Carolina beat Tulsa 27-24. The visiting team has won three of the previous seven conference championship games.  Houston and Southern Miss have faced each other twice in the title game, while UCF and Tulsa will face off for the third time in the game.

Follow me on twitter @UCF_MarcDaniels for notes, news and more.

Radio coverage, on the UCF/IMG Radio Network, for UCF and Tulsa begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Kickoff from is set for noon.  

Since the beginning of the season, UCF head coach George O'Leary said he wanted his team to play for a championship and the Knights will get a chance to do that after a 49-24 victory over the UAB Blazers. Many of the seniors played a huge role in the Senior Day win that clinched the Conference USA East Division for the UCF and a trip back to Tulsa, Oklahoma to face the Golden Hurricane in the C-USA Championship game.

"It's mainly for the seniors, but our main goal all year has been to get to the conference championship and to win it," sophomore receiver J.J. Worton said. "To get a second chance at Tulsa is definitely something we're looking forward to."

"It's like a sense of urgency now," senior receiver and Orlando native Quincy McDuffie said. "We now clinched the division and now we got a chance to go back to Tulsa and get out revenge in the conference championship, which is our main goal."

Last week, UCF went to Tulsa and lost 23-21. That game has been on the squads' mind all week as motivation to bring UCF its third Conference USA Championship.

"This is definitely a big win," Worton said. "It carries [us] right into it (C-USA Championship game), but we also know what happened last time we were there and we're not going to forget about that."

Senior Latavius Murray had another solid performance in his final game at Bright House Networks Stadium rushing for 94 yards and one touchdown. Quincy McDuffie came into this contest with only one career rushing touchdown and ran for three scores and had 140 total yards.

The defense had some seniors who shined on the field as well. Palm City native Lyle Dankenbring returned an interception 78 yards for a score to help the Knights pull away from the Blazers. 

"It's coming down towards the end of the season and most guys won't play at the next level," senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael said. "This is going to be their last game at home, so we just had a lot to lose this game and everybody just took it seriously and knew we had to get back to Tulsa and handle business."

On what looks to be "Chamber of Commerce Weather" at Bright House Networks Stadium, the Knights will look to send off the senior class with a victory over UAB in what will be the Conference USA home finale for UCF. The Knights will also be looking to improve their all-time record against the Blazers to 8-2 and UCFAthletics.com has you covered once again with 10 Tweetable tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

"Finish" has been the theme for the Knights (8-3, 6-1) all season long and the players and coaches have been reminding each other of that quite a bit this week. UCF head coach George O'Leary certainly reiterated that to the media during his Tuesday press conference.

"We have to finish," O'Leary said. "That's the marketing term that we've used and I think it's a good term and that's what we need to do is Finish."

The UAB Blazers (3-8, 2-5) travel to Orlando this weekend for the Knights' regular season finale. A UCF win or an ECU loss will clinch the Conference USA East Division for the Knights and a trip back to Tulsa, Oklahoma to face the Golden Hurricane in the conference championship game.

 "Very few teams still have a chance to play for two championships," O'Leary said. "This game coming up gives [us] the division championship, where we can go out there and win that one, and that gives you another chance to go back for the conference [championship]."

This will be UCF's final season in conference USA and the Knights have already won three division titles and two conference championships in C-USA. This contest against the Blazers gives the Knights a chance to get more than just another win.

"We have the opportunity and we have to take advantage of it," O'Leary said. "The opportunity is there and now we need to grasp it."

Saturday is also senior day and 20 seniors will be honored before the contest at Bright House Networks Stadium. A win that day will also tie this senior class for the most victories over a four-year stretch with 32. As pleased as Coach O'Leary is with what his seniors have accomplished during their tenure at UCF, he wants them to concentrate on the task at hand.

"In my opinion they wouldn't have accomplished anything unless we win Saturday," O'Leary said. "That's the feeling I've let them know as far as all of the good you've done. People remember what you do in November, not in September. That's how I look at those things and you're remembered for your last game, your last at bat, your last shot, whatever it is and that's what I told them."

On Saturday the Knights (8-3, 6-1) will have a chance to earn a trip back to Tulsa for the Conference USA Championship game with a win against the UAB Blazers (3-8, 2-5). Last week's loss against the Golden Hurricane was a tough one for the Knights, by the squad knows it needs to move on and it can still accomplish its goal of winning a division and conference championship in the Knights' final season in Conference USA.

One area the Knights are hoping to improve on from last week is the running game. Senior back Latavius Murray ran for just 60 yards in the game, which ended a streak of four consecutive 100+ rushing yard games for the New York native.

"We need to establish this run game again and get it going," senior offensive lineman Jordan Rae said. "Looking back from the last two weeks we made a lot of mistakes up front, stupid little mistakes that we shouldn't have."

"Everything is not as crisp as it should have been so the coaches have been making it an issue to get back to the fundamentals of base blocking and getting up to the backers and stuff like that," continued Rae.

The Blazers will arrive at Bright House Networks Stadium with an offense led by freshman quarterback Austin Brown. UCF head coach George O'Leary said during his weekly press conference that the young signal caller has improved in every game he's played. Brown has thrown for 2,470 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael says this isn't your typical 3-8 squad.

"They have good skill position kids," Ishmael said. "They just have a lot of speed on their team. Give credit to their offensive coordinator and their coach for putting together their schemes well and making plays in space."

Making plays is something the Knights hope to do against the Blazers. Last year, making plays was what helped UAB defeat UCF. The Blazer made a 40-yard field goal with only 21 seconds remaining in the contest to knock the Knights out 26-24.

"We keep it in the back of our head, what happened last year," Murray said. "We know what's most important and we know what we have to get done."

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com

UCF can clinch the east division of Conference USA before taking the field Saturday.  If Marshall wins at East Carolina, UCF wins the division. The Thundering Herd has much to play for as a win would make Marshall bowl eligible. If East Carolina wins, UCF can still advance to its fourth conference title game with a win over UAB.

A.J. Bouye might want his dad to keep coming to road games. After witnessing his son return a fumble for a touchdown at Marshall, his son returned an interception 76-yards at Tulsa.

UCF is 6-1 in its last seven regular season finales. Saturday's game also marks the fourth time UCF will play UAB in final game of the regular season since both joined Conference USA.

A total of 20 seniors will be honored before Saturday's kickoff.  The group has a chance to be the most successful class in UCF history. The Knights are 32-18 the last four seasons. The 32 wins ties the mark for most wins over a four-year period.

UAB Garrick McGee is in his first season as head coach of the Blazers. He was an assistant at Arkansas prior to taking the job.

This week's interesting fact about UCF's opponent is golfer Graeme McDowell, winner of the 2010 US Open, played on the UAB golf team from 1998-2002.

Follow me on twitter @UCF_MarcDaniels for notes, news and more.

Radio coverage, on the UCF/IMG Radio Network, for UCF and UAB begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Kickoff from is set for noon.  

Saturday's historic conference matchup against Tulsa (9-2, 7-0) presented a chance for the Knights (8-3, 6-1) to accomplish some of the goals they set out for this season. After a 23-21 loss against the Golden Hurricane, UCF will have to wait one more week until it has a chance to check some of those goals off its list.

Tulsa's win against the Knights clinched the Conference USA West Division for the Golden Hurricane as well as home field advantage in the C-USA Championship game. Hosting the conference championship game was something the Knights worked hard for all season long. Even though the players are upset about the result, they are going to use this as motivation for the rest of the season.

"No doubt about it that it was a big loss, but we have to take care of the next game which is UAB and if we beat UAB we still have a chance to achieve our goals," sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles said. "We just have to get ready for Saturday."

On Saturday the Knights will play their regular season finale against the UAB Blazers. UCF will secure the C-USA East Division with a win or an ECU loss. If that happens, the following week UCF will travel back to Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricane in the conference championship game.

Sophomore wide receiver J.J. Worton had two receptions for 12 yards against Tulsa. He says experiencing that environment will make the Knights even more prepared to face their conference foe again.

"We're going to use it to our advantage," Worton said. "We played here and now we know what it's like. It's nothing we can't win and this is definitely a team we can beat, but right now our focus is on UAB."

Even though the chances of the Knights playing the Golden Hurricane again is all but imminent, the seniors will make sure no one forgets about this week's game against UAB.

"We just have to come ready to work on Monday," senior running back Latavius Murray said. "We'll find out what corrections we need to make and put the game behind us and just look forward to the games we have left."

The Knights (8-2, 6-0) have arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for their final road game of the regular season after a two and a half hour flight from Orlando, Florida. Saturday's match up against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2, 6-0) will be the latest the leaders of both divisions have squad off since Conference USA began divisional play in 2005.

A win for UCF will clinch the C-USA East Division and will also secure home field advantage for the Knights in the conference championship game. The Knights have won three C-USA division titles and two conference championships since joining conference USA.

UCF sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles and senior running back Latavius Murray have paced the Knights on offense all season and look to have another strong performance against the Golden Hurricane. Last week against UTEP, Bortles ran for two touchdowns and threw for 213 yards and a score. On the season, the Oviedo native has thrown for 2,199 yards and 17 touchdowns. Borltes has also ran for six scores. Murray has ran for over 100 yards in four consecutive weeks. Last contest against the Miners, the fifth year back ran for 117 yards and the game winning touchdown. The New York native leads UCF in rushing with 810 yards and 11 touchdowns.

On defense, the Knights remain ranked first in the conference in scoring defense (21.2 points per game), passing defense (191.6 yards per game) and total defense (343.9 yards per game). UCF will face the top rushing offense in the conference on Saturday. Tulsa has ran for 2,446 yards on the season. The majority of those yards have been split between the Golden Hurricane's Ja'Terian Douglas (808 yards), Trey Watts (645 yards) and Alex Singleton (572 yards).

Weather Report

Saturday's forecast calls for zero percent chance of rain with a projected high at 64 degrees and a projected low at 36 degrees.

Game Notes

Want to go in-depth to learn more about UCF and Tulsa and their matchup tomorrow? Click on the links below for the media notes, distributed by the communications staff of both squads.

UCF Game Notes

Tulsa Game Notes

Links/Media Coverage

UCFAthletics.com - Blog: Knights Know What's On The Line

UCFAthletics.com - Blog: George O'Leary - "I love games like this"

UCF Athletics.com - Blog: Making Sure Hard Work Pays Off Against Tulsa

Orlando Sentinel - UCF defensive line faces must-win challenge up front against Tulsa

Orlando Sentinel - Tulsa QB Cody Green talks about UCF defense, development of first-year starting QB

Tulsa World - TU will face complete team in UCF 

Tulsa World - TU football notebook: No holding back

Radio/TV/Video

Kickoff is set for noon eastern standard time and 11 a.m. central standard time. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Network and the UCF-IMG College Radio Network. At the top of this blog is a quick preview of Saturday's game with "The Voice of the Knights" Marc Daniels and UCF color analyst Mike Gruttadauria.

You couldn't ask for a more meaningful late-season matchup in Conference USA. Actually, the league has never seen two 6-0 teams in conference play go head-to-head, but when UCF meets Tulsa, a lot is on the line in the high-noon showdown. UCFAthletics.com has you covered once again with 10 Tweetable tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

Every team in the nation sets goals for itself each season. Some squads achieve those goals and others fall short.

On Saturday, the Knights (8-2, 6-0) have a chance to accomplish some of their goals when they take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2, 6-0).

A win will clinch the Knights' fourth Conference USA East Division title and also home field advantage in the C-USA Championship game. An opportunity like this is what the players and coaches have been working towards ever since last season ended.

All of the hard work UCF has done is what makes this week's game against Tulsa more than just another game. It represents what the Knights want to accomplish this season.

"In all of the hard work we put in the offseason we know how much this game means and we don't want any of that to go to waste," senior running back Latavius Murray said. "We know how important this game is and this game sets us up closer to our goal and being able to have home field advantage [in the conference championship game] here at home."

 "Our slogan this year is 'finish' and wanting to write our own destiny," senior linebacker Ray Shipman said. "Basically this game is another stepping stone for us to writing our own destiny. If we don't win this game it doesn't mean anything because we didn't finish. Now is the time to finish."

Since George O'Leary became the head coach at UCF (8-2, 6-0) he's taken the Knights to three C-USA Championship games and won two. The longtime head coach would like to take the Knights to another Conference USA Championship game in the squad's final season in C-USA. The Knights have a chance to do that this week against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2, 6-0).

A win will not only clinch the Conference USA East Division for the Knights, but it will also clinch home field advantage in the conference championship game.

"I think it's a big game because it's the next game and the players probably understand that," O'Leary said during his weekly news conference. "This group of kids probably understands it more than some other groups of kids that I've had."

"Basically it's another conference game, but it's what goes with it," O'Leary continued. "We both still have to win games to win the division. No one has secured that yet."

For the second week in a row, the Knights will travel out to the Midwest for a conference contest and will have the challenge of dealing with a time zone change and a change of environment. Last week, UCF came away with a 31-24 victory in El Paso against UTEP.

"I think anytime teams have to travel from west to east or east to west, about 30 percent of all of the teams win when you look at all of football," O'Leary said. "That's because of time change. That's because of distance. It's because of focus. A lot of things come into play."

O'Leary says he loves coaching in these types of games because these are the kind of matchups you train all season for. The ninth year UCF head coach says his team will have to bring its "A" game if the squad wants to accomplish its goals and continue its road to a conference championship.

"This game is basically going out and getting your job done in all three phases," O'Leary said. "I think practice so far this week has been one of the better weeks we've had as far as contact, speed and doing the things you need to do to prepare to win."

This weekend's contest against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2, 6-0) will be one of the most significant regular season games the UCF Knights (8-2, 6-0) will play this season and in program history. For the second week in a row, the Knights will travel west to a different time zone, will play for the C-USA East Division title and will play for home field advantage in the conference championship game.

On top of all of that, the Knights are facing the C-USA West Division leader and a team with the exact same record as them. This will also be the latest the two leaders in each division have faced each other since Conference USA went to divisional play in 2005.

"It's a big game for us," senior safety Kemal Ishmael said. "Just having home field advantage for the conference championship [game] is going to be huge. We'll be playing our part."

"We have a lot of seniors who all want to achieve the same goal, great coaches, the offense is playing well, the defense is playing well," Ishmael continued. "It's everybody doing their part and just getting the job done."

No team in the conference has been able to take down the Knights this season. UCF head coach George O'Leary said since C-USA play began the Knights have been a completely different team and have matured into a dominant squad since the beginning of October.

The Knights will have to use that maturity and experience against the Golden Hurricane this weekend in Tulsa. Both UCF and Tulsa are ranked in the top three in Conference USA in scoring offense, rushing offense, scoring defense, rushing defense and total defense.

"I love the challenge and the whole offense loves the challenge," senior running back Latavius Murray said. "We know how hard we have to work during the week to go out there and make the yards we need to make."

"We have our work cut out for us and we're working hard to improve," senior center Jordan Rae said.

One player UCF is going to rely on in this historic conference matchup is Murray. The New York native has played very well in the past four games, running for 620 yards and 10 total touchdowns. Murray's contribution -- as well as stopping Tulsa's trio of running backs -- will play a key role in the game, according to the seniors.

"We have to be able to run the ball, but that's every week and we definitely have to make sure we do it this week to open up the rest of the offense," Murray said.

More than 1,700 miles separates Orlando, Florida from El Paso, Texas, which is where UCF conference foe UTEP is located. That was the furthest distance the Knights football team had to travel for a road contest this season.

Because the game was so far away the UCF ticket office had some leftover tickets in the Knights' seating section. It didn't take the department too long to put those tickets to use.

UCF Director of Ticket Sales, Torey Brewer, has a brother stationed in the Army at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, who was planned to going to the UCF game since the beginning of the season. What Brewer didn't plan on was bringing a good portion of his army friends with him.

Major Breck Brewer decided to email his army colleagues that UCF was donating tickets for them to come out to the Sun Bowl to cheer on the Knights. Brewer got about 150 replies in two days.

"We really appreciate the University of Central Florida helping us with this and giving these guys a good weekend in celebration of the troops that are doing their part to preserve the countries freedom," Major Brewer said.

"I was really happy to be a part of that and help deliver some tickets to these guys just so they can come out here and have fun tonight and cheer for the Knights," Brewer continued.

Captain Joseph Breig is a West Palm Beach native and is stationed with Brewer in El Paso. He said cheering for the Knights on Saturday made him feel like he was back in college again.

"I loved it," Captain Breig said. "I haven't been to a college game since I was in college."

Other members of the army said it was great to spend time with their friends outside of work and cheering on the Knights.

"It's great seeing people from work here," First Class Sergeant Annette Cisneros said. "It's nice they did this for the soldiers."

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com

UCF has its first six game win streak since the 2007 Conference USA title run. That season, UCF won seven in a row with that seventh win coming against Tulsa in the conference championship.

Most impressive pass at UTEP? The most likely answer was the 56-yard pass from Bortles to Ranell Hall late in the 3rd quarter which set up a Bortles touchdown run to put the Knights up 24-10. But considering the wind he was throwing into, the best pass of the night was Blake's roll out on the opening drive of the game and throwing across his body on a 3rd down and eight. Bortles hit Jeff Godfrey for a 46-yard score into a 20 mile-an-hour wind.

A huge play that should not be overlooked in UCF's win at UTEP was Jamie Boyle's recovery of the ball after his punt was blocked. Boyle dove on the ball at the one-yard line. With the score tied at 7, the UCF defense stopped the Miners on three straight plays and forced a field goal. Boyle could have easily lost the ball and UTEP may have scored a touchdown.

Saturday's game at Tulsa marks the latest in a season where Conference USA will have two teams unbeaten in league play square off. In addition, Saturday there are two games possible in college football where teams unbeaten in conference play can play and will play. While UCF and Tulsa are both 6-0 in the league, Louisiana Tech and Utah State are perfect in WAC play this season and will play Saturday.

In the last three seasons, UCF and Tulsa have won 22 league games, the best among all Conference USA teams. Both the Knights and Golden Hurricane are 22-8 in regular season league games since 2010.

In four of the five games UCF and Tulsa have played, the winning team has scored 44 points or more in the game.

This week's interesting tidbit about UCF's opponent is Tulsa has just over 4,000 students while UCF has over 60,000.

Follow me on twitter @UCF_MarcDaniels for notes, news and more.

Radio coverage, on the UCF/IMG Radio Network, for UCF and Tulsa begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Kickoff from Tulsa is set for noon.  

All season long, the Knights' (8-2, 6-0) defense has been ranked as one of the top units in Conference USA. Saturday's performance against UTEP (2-8, 1-5) proved to be another reason why UCF's defense is one of the best in the league.

Multiple times during UCF's contest against the UTEP Miners, the Knights were put in difficult situations defensively and the team came away with minimal damage. When UTEP began a drive on the UCF 1-yard line in the second quarter, the Knights held the Miners to only a field goal. In the third quarter, the Miners' offense had the ball at midfield and drove down to the Knights 29-yard line only to miss one of its two field goal attempts on the night.

The Knights also held the Miners to only 346 totals yards of offense in the contest.

"You can't praise the defense enough," senior fullback Billy Giovanetti said. "They played great and that's a testament to the leaders on the defense."

Once of those leaders is Miramar native and linebacker Ray Shipman. He led all defenders with 14 tackles. This fifth year senior says he's been pleased with the attitude and effort all of the defensive players have shown this season.

"We preach bend, but don't break," Shipman said. "Plays are going to happen and some people are going to make mistakes. We want to play perfect, but no one has ever seen a perfect game. That's what we're striving for every game."

The 31-24 final score in El Paso was a bit closer than the Knights hoped to record. UCF has won its last three contests by an average margin of 27 points. The Knights will work hard to continue their dominate performances in the final two games of the regular season.

Next week, UCF will travel back out to the Midwest for a showdown against the C-USA West Division leading Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-2, 6-0).

"We're a better team than what we played today, but we got the win and we did it in a different environment," Shipman said. "Every game is important, no matter what their record is, our goal is to get a win. That's what we did. Survive and move on."

"We didn't come out and do what we normally do," senior offensive lineman Jordan Rae said. "But a win is a win and we have some stuff to improve on for next week, but we're going to get ready for Tulsa."

After a nearly four hour flight from Orlando to El Paso, Texas, the UCF Knights (7-2, 5-0) are getting ready to play the UTEP Miners (2-7 1-4) at the Sun Bowl for the second time in program history.

UCF is 2-1 all-time against the Miners. The two wins for the Knights came in Orlando, including a 31-14 victory last season at Bright House Networks Stadium. In the contest, running back Latavius Murray ran for a career high 233 yards and two touchdowns.

Murray has been on fire the past few games and UTEP head coach Mike Price said in his weekly press conference that Murray should be a first round pick in the NFL Draft. On the season, Murray has ran for 693 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the last three games, the New York native has ran for 513 yards and nine total touchdowns.

On defense, the Knights have given up no more than 17 points in each of the last three contests and UCF remains in first place in Conference USA in scoring defense, giving up an average of only 20.9 points per game. Senior defensive end Troy Davis continues to have a standout season. Last week, he was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week for his two sacks and five tackles against SMU. The Georgia native leads the Knights in sacks with 6.5.

The Knights currently remain in first place in the Conference USA East Division by one game ahead of East Carolina. The only other undefeated team in C-USA is Tulsa at 5-0 and next week UCF will travel to H.A. Chapman Stadium to face the Golden Hurricane.

Weather Report

Saturday's forecast calls for a 10 percent chance of rain with the projected high at 76 degrees and the projected low at 44 degrees.

Game Notes

Want to go in-depth to learn more about UCF and UTEP and their matchup tomorrow? Click on the links below for the media notes, distributed by the communications staff of both squads.

UCF Games Notes

UTEP Game Notes

Links/Media Coverage

UCF Athletics.com - BLOG: Learning From The Last Trip To El Paso

UCF Athletics.com - BLOG: Knights Ready For Tenth One-Game Season

Orlando Sentinel - Few UCF players were part of last loss at UTEP

Orlando Sentinel - UTEP head coach Mike Price won't say who will start at quarterback against UCF

El Paso Times- UTEP Football: Sullivan prepares for more action

Radio/TV/Video

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Fox College Sports and the UCF-IMG College Radio Network. At the top of this blog is a quick preview of Saturday's game with "The Voice of the Knights" Marc Daniels and UCF color analyst Mike Gruttadauria.

Saturday's contest at UTEP marks the first of back-to-back road trips to the farthest teams in Conference USA for the Knights. Owning a 2-1 overall lead in the series, UCF will look to keep its perfect record in C-USA play intact against the Miners. UCFAthletics.com has you covered for this weekend's showdown in the Lone Star State with 10 Tweetable tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

Follow the action all game long with updates from @UCF_Football and @UCF_Athletics on Twitter. Don't forget to "Like" the Knights on Facebook as well. For the stat buffs out there, follow on Gametracker.

Ever since the beginning of the season, UCF head coach George O'Leary has been telling his team it's going to play 14 one-game seasons this year, 12 in the regular season and two in the post season.

This week, the Knights (7-2, 5-0) will play their tenth one-game season against the UTEP Miners (2-7, 1-4) at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. This is a city few members of the team have ever visited. As much as O'Leary wants to players to enjoy seeing a new area of the country, he wants to make sure they're focused and ready to take care of business come kickoff.

"Anytime you're in a strange environment and everything is new it's more of a sightseeing tour for some of these kids," O'Leary said. "I think the big thing is that you have to get their minds right, especially when you have three games left and each and every one of them is equally important."

Last season in Orlando, the Knights defeated UTEP 31-14 and running back Latavius Murray had a career day running for 233 yards and two touchdowns. The New York native has been on fire the past three games running for 503 yards and seven touchdowns.

"Anytime you run the ball the offensive line is getting the job done," O'Leary said during his weekly press conference. "I think they've gotten a lot more aggressive as in staying on blocks and getting the line of scrimmage moved. When you can do that, a good running back will make the line look good too."

The Knights have the third ranked rushing offense in Conference USA and the running game has played a big role in UCF's success all season.

Just like O'Leary, UTEP head coach Mike Price is in his ninth season as the Miners' head coach. The long time UCF head coach had high praise for Price's coaching style when he talked about UTEP's play on the field.

"I have a great respect for Mike Price and his coaching staff," O'Leary said.  "I know their record is 2-7, but to keep his team playing with the great effort they've been playing with and to keep them upbeat with a lot of enthusiasm, it's a heck of a job that he's done. If you look at the schedule he's had them play, he's had a tough schedule."

The last time the Knights (7-2, 5-0) traveled to El Paso, Texas the squad experienced one of its worst losses in the last five years losing to the UTEP Miners (2-7, 1-4) 58-13.

Even though a good majority of the current Knights weren't on that trip or even on the team at that time, the seniors played in the game will be doing what they can to come away with a big victory in the Lone Star State.

"That was my first start and it was embarrassing," senior and wide receiver Rob Calabrese said. "There were a couple guys here on that trip. Again we want to go back there and get a win this time and make it a lot better trip."

Fellow seniors Latavius Murray and Brynn Harvey also played in that game. Calabrese said he and Harvey have talked about the disappointing loss a few times this week and are using that as motivation for this year's trip to El Paso.

"It's something we don't want to look back at, but we have to and we're ready to play this week," Calabrese said. "You always want to forget a game like that, but you have to learn from it."

One area the Knights are hoping to have success in is the offense. UCF has averaged 43.7 points per game in the last three contests. The squad will face the Miners' fifth ranked scoring defense in Conference USA.

In the non-conference portion of their schedule, UTEP has faced teams from the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten conferences. Despite its 2-7 record, the Knights know they have their work cut out for them.

"They're a lot better than their record says they are," Calabrese said. "Defensively, they play with great effort and they do a lot of different things. It's something we need to work on this week in practice and more importantly in the film room."

"It's hard not to look at the other scores, but you can't really tell how good a team is by how they played someone else," Garvy said. "We may match up to a team differently than an East Carolina or a Southern Miss. We always have to focus on ourselves first."

Before the season began, the UCF Knights (7-2, 5-0) were picked as one of the favorites to win Conference USA. Saturday's 42-17 victory against SMU (4-5, 3-2) continues to prove that this year's Knights squad is a championship caliber team.

UCF remains in first place in the Conference USA East Division and if the squad wins out, they will host the Conference Championship game at Bright House Networks Stadium. If the Knights continue to play the way they have the past few weeks they should earn their fourth trip to the C-USA Championship game.

In the last three weeks, UCF has outscored Memphis, Marshall and SMU 131-51. Senior running back Latavius Murray has been on fire as well. The New York native has accounted for 503 rushing yards, 96 receiving yards and 9 total touchdowns in those three contests.

Even though the scoreboard has shown a great bit of dominance by the Knights during that stretch, the players feel their dominance has shown on the field since the beginning of the season.

"I feel like we do that every week," senior defensive end Troy Davis said. "As the season has gone on we've gotten better and better. That's what you're seeing with the result of hard work."

"That's what we're capable of if we go out there and execute the game plan," senior center Jordan Rae said. "We have to continue to get better and we're looking forward to next week."

That week the Knights will face the UTEP Miners for the final time as a Conference USA opponent. Senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael feels things won't slow up for the Knights in their final three games of the regular season.

"Chemistry has been picking up real well," Ishmael said. "We've been running the ball well, throwing the ball well, playing good defense and just getting the ball in the end zone."

Movie Knight, Comedy Knight, Skit Knight, Spirit Splash and the parade -- all of the great Homecoming traditions at UCF lead up to the battle on the gridiron. This year, UCF looks to keep its Conference USA record unblemished while pacing the East Division when it takes on SMU at 7 p.m. UCFAthletics.com has you covered for this weekend's Homecoming contest with 10 Tweetable tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

During George O'Leary's weekly press conferences this season he's had a lot of positive things to say about this year's squad. He's pleased with the effort his team has shown, he's pleased with the way the Knights have prepared for each game and of course he's pleased with the squad's undefeated record in conference play.

UCF (6-2, 4-0) became bowl eligible after last week's convincing win against Marshall and continues to control its own destiny in Conference USA. Confidence is one of the many reasons the Knights have accomplished everything they have this season and O'Leary sees confidence and energy flowing through all of his players during practice.

"I think when they practice well they know they're going to play well," O'Leary said. "They've been practicing better than I thought. We're banged up a little bit, but I think they're going after each other in practice and they're competing, which I think is the key... Sometimes you start not competing and you get relaxed in some things."

The Knights have been confident all season with the success they've had, but O'Leary feels the team's confidence has gone to another level after UCF's 54-17 blowout win against the Thundering Herd in Huntington, West Virginia last weekend.

"I think the big thing is when you get a game like that I think it's great for the locker room and great for morale," O'Leary said. "Again, they treat every game like it's a one game season and that's what I like about this squad. They're not talking about anything, but SMU right now."

The Mustangs will be the first team from the Conference USA West Division the Knights will face this season. UCF is still just one game ahead of the Pirates in the East Division for first place. In order for the Knights to continue to control their own destiny and earn a berth in the Conference USA Championship game they will need a win against SMU this weekend.

"It's a very big conference game because of the implications with losses," O'Leary said. "East Carolina is still sitting there with one and we have to control our own destiny each week. Again, it will be a big game as far as we're concerned."

Playing a complete 60 minute game of football has been what UCF head coach George O'Leary has been preaching to the team since the beginning of the season. Last week, during the Knights' 54-17 blowout victory over Marshall, UCF (6-2, 4-0) played its most complete game of football all season.

The squad accumulated 568 yards of total offense and held one of the nation's top offenses to 364 total yards and only two touchdowns. The Knights also accounted for 213 yards and two touchdowns on special teams by Orlando native Quincy McDuffie.

For as much success as UCF had against Marshall, the Knights don't expect that performance to be the peak of their season.

"There's always room for improvement," senior h-back Dontravius Floyd said. "Coach always preaches about staying consistent. We were pretty consistent last game and we want to keep it up."

"We want to play a complete game, offense, defense and special teams," senior h-back Brendan Kelly said. "That's what we're going to strive for each week."

UCF has four games left this season. This weekend the Knights will take on the SMU Mustangs (4-4, 3-1), who have scored 116 points in the last two games. The Mustangs will have to take on the Knights' top ranked defense in Conference USA. UCF continues to lead the conference in total defense (354.2 yards per game) and scoring defense (21.4 points per game).

SMU's run defense is first in the conference giving up 119. 1 yards per game, but this weekend the Mustangs will face one of the hottest players in the conference in senior running back Latavius Murray. In the past two weeks, the New York native ran for 348 yards and scored six total touchdowns.

"Latavius is a triple threat," Floyd said. "He brings a new element to the offense. I love playing with him."

"Tay has always been the guy. He's matured a lot, especially after being injured and on the sideline," Kelly said about Murray returning from the shoulder injury he sustained in the season opener. "There have been times he's been in the yellow jersey because he can't do much, but then he takes it off and showed that he's a leader out there and he's willing to stick it out for the team."

UCF has four games left in the regular season and the Knights know consistency and playing 60 minutes of football every week will help them accomplish their goals in the squad's final season in Conference USA.

"Every game from here on out is important, not just SMU," Floyd said. "From here to the end of the season it's important if we want to reach our goal of getting to the championship game."

Over the past few days, parts of the northeast United States have experienced damage like never before from Hurricane Sandy. Much of New York City is under water and cities along the coast are looking at weeks or months before things will be back to normal.

The UCF football team has a handful of players on its roster from the Empire State. Head coach George O'Leary is also a New York native. Throughout the past couple days, their thoughts and prayers have been with their family members and friends up north.

"My mom lost power and she was flooded quite a bit," senior H-back and Shoreham, N.Y. native Brendan Kelly said. "I'm on the north shore of Long Island, which got hit hard. But for the most part the storm has cleared out and now it's a lot of cleaning up.

"I stayed in touch with her as much as I could," Kelly continued. "It's scary. We're not used to hurricanes. I know Florida people are used to it, but we don't get that too often. It's scary stuff, especially being surrounded by water, too."

Fellow Knights Rob Calabrese, Troy Green, Latavius Murray, Jamie Boyle and Kevin Miller are from either New York or New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy has been the main topic of conversation among those Knights for the past couple of days.

"We were looking at photos and we're all very fortunate we're down here now and not around that," Kelly said.

Coach O'Leary has brothers and a sister in New York. UCF's head coach was able to talk to his sister about the storm. According to Coach O'Leary, the reports he received were not good.

"I think it's the worst they've had as far as level of water, but they'll work through it," O'Leary said. "They're resilient people up there and they'll get through it."

For the second time this season, the Knights (6-2, 4-0) scored more than 50 points per game and remain undefeated in Conference USA after beating the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-5, 2-2) 54-17.

Saturday's game may have been UCF's best overall performance of the season accumulating 568 yards of total offense and 213 yards on special teams. The Knights said the squad played well in all three phases of the game.

"I think we really put it all together tonight," senior running back Latavius Murray said. "We came together as a team. We knew we had to play well tonight and we did that."

"We don't know what our full potential is, but the team did a really good job today on offense, defense and special teams," senior offensive lineman Thoe Goins said. "All of them scored a lot of points and made things happen."

One of the players who sent a jolt of excitement to the sideline a few times was senior wide receiver Quincy McDuffie. The Orlando native returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including one during the opening kickoff of the second half.

"He's unbelievable, but he doesn't do it by himself," sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles said. "That unit has been great all year and a kid with speed and vision like Quincy is hard to stop."

From special teams to the offense, Latavius Murray had another big game for the Knights accumulating 195 total yards and four touchdowns. This was also the second week in a row that the New York native had a touchdown of 75 or more yards.

Following the contest, the humble senior had a lot of high praise for the offensive line.

"I have to give credit to the line," Murray said. "It starts there and the yards that needed to get them I made sure I got."

The Marshall offense came into this game as the top ranked offense in Conference USA, but the Knights defense was able to hold them in check Saturday. Before MU played UCF it averaged 568.4 yards per game. Against the Knights the Thundering Herd had only 364 yards.

Saturday's contest is considered one of the best games, if not the best game, UCF has played all season. But many of the seniors feel the squad can still get better.

"We don't know what our full potential is," Goins said. "We will judge that at the end of the season, but the team did a really good job today on offense, defense and special teams. All of them scored a lot of points and made things happen."

The Knights (5-2, 3-0) are on the road for the second consecutive week and look to stay undefeated when they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-4, 2-1) Saturday night at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

The contest will be a matchup of the top offense and the top defense in Conference USA. UCF is first in total defense (352.9 yards per game) and scoring defense (22 points per game). On the flip side, Marshall owns C-USA's top spot for total offense (568.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (43.1 points per game).

UCF sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles continues to prove he's one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the conference. On the season, he's completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,598 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Oviedo native hasn't thrown an interception in the last four games and is ranked third in the conference with a passing efficiency rating of 141.9.

In the running game, senior Latavius Murray ran for a season high 192 yards and two touchdowns against Memphis. On the season, the New York native is averaging 95.5 rushing yards per game with five touchdowns. Sophomore Storm Johnson continues to lead the team in rushing with 469 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, senior Kemal Ishmael and sophomore Terrence Plummer are two of the top tacklers in the conference. Ishmael is ranked ninth in the conference with 59 tackles and Plummer is tied for tenth with 58 tackles. Last week against Memphis, Ishmael recorded double-digit tackles for the second time on the season with ten. The first time he recorded double-digit tackles was against Ohio State.

All-time in Huntington the Knights are 3-2. The last time UCF played Marshall in Huntington was in 2010. The Knights won the lightning-delayed contest 35-14.

Weather Report

Saturday's forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain with the projected high at 54 degrees and the projected low at 42 degrees.

Game Notes

Want to go in-depth to learn more about UCF and Marshall and their matchup tomorrow? Click on the links below for the media notes, distributed by the communications staff of both squads.

UCF Game Notes

Marshall Game Notes

Links/Media Coverage

UCFAthletics.com - BLOG: Taking it One Game at a Time 

UCFAthletics.com - BLOG: Another Step Towards the C-USA Championship

Orlando Sentinel - UCF, Marshall set for what could be final chapter of football rivalry

Herald-Dispatch - C-USA's best to collide

Herald-Dispatch - Strength vs. strength

Radio/TV/Video

Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network and the UCF-IMG College Radio Network. At the top of this blog is a quick preview of Saturday's game with "The Voice of the Knights" Marc Daniels and UCF color analyst Mike Gruttadauria.

Over the eight years in Conference USA, the annual meeting between UCF and Marshall has become quite the rivalry game. Prior to the Knights joining C-USA in 2005, they had never defeated the Thundering Herd. Now, UCF is looking to finish the series a perfect 8-0 in C-USA and UCFAthletics.com has you covered for this weekend's contest up in Huntington, W.Va., with 10 Tweetable tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

Follow the action all game long with updates from @UCF_Football and @UCF_Athletics on Twitter. Don't forget to "Like" the Knights on Facebook as well. For the stat buffs out there, follow on Gametracker.

Throughout Conference USA play, the Knights (5-2, 3-0) have been the opponent every team has wanted to beat. UCF started the season as the favorite to win Conference USA and so far the Knights have been living up to expectations. UCF is undefeated in conference play and control their own destiny as they look earn a berth in the Conference USA Championship game.

This Saturday, the Knights will take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-4, 2-1), which boasts the top-ranked offense in C-USA. The Knights know this is an important game as it pertains to the division race. But UCF is going to treat this contest in Huntington like business as usual.

"It's a big game for us, but every game is a big game," UCF head coach George O'Leary said. "I think this will be a major game up in Huntington as far as Marshall's attitude and our attitude."

The Knights have won seven consecutive games against Marshall. UCF would like to keep that streak alive, but O'Leary knows heading into Joan C. Edwards Stadium can be a challenge for many teams.

"I enjoy going up there and competing," O'Leary said. "It's a conference game and it's a big game as far as they only have one loss in conference [play]. So we have to stay one game ahead. I think we're at the stage where we have to control our own destiny as far as what's taking place."

This is the second to last C-USA East Division game the Knights will play, the next divisional opponent will be on the final day of the regular season against UAB at Bright House Networks Stadium.

As far as the notion of this contest being a rivalry game, O'Leary feels every game is a rivalry game. O'Leary also says UCF has become the team every opponent in Conference USA has targeted because of the Knights' success.

"Our players understand what's ahead of them and what we have to do to get it done," O'Leary said. "We're on everybody's high list right now."

The Knights (5-2, 3-0) will play their second Conference USA road game of the season when UCF travels to Huntington, West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-4, 2-1) Saturday night at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

UCF continues to lead the Conference USA East Division by one game over the ECU Pirates and Marshall sits in third place the division.

The Knights are 7-3 all-time against the Thundering Herd and are 3-2 when the game is played in Huntington. Last time the Knights traveled to the Mountain State UCF defeated Marshall in a lighting-delayed contest 35-14.

"Every time we go to Marshall it's a tough environment to play in, but we have to go there as a team and a family and stick together," senior defensive back Lyle Dankenbring said. "That's how you get through things like that."

A win would put the Knights at 4-0 in the conference and would keep them in a position to control their own destiny and a potential berth in the Conference USA Championship game.

"We know that our goal is to win the conference championship and we need to win this game to do that," Dankenbring said. "It's a big game for us. We try and treat every game as a big game, but this is a big game."

"Any conference game is a big game, but especially conference games in the east division," senior offensive lineman Phil Smith said. "You have to win those games in order to go to the conference championship."

The Thundering Herd comes into this contest with the top ranked offense in the conference scoring 43.1 points per game and averaging 568.4 yards per game.

"We need to be able to play with their tempo," Dankenbring said. "They're a fast tempo team. Probably the fastest we've played against all year. We just need 11 guys running to the football. Play smart and play fast. That's how we do it."

Thundering Herd sophomore quarterback Rakeem Cato is in his second season as a start for Marshall. The UCF defense will have the challenge of defending his 379.7 passing yards per game and Knights will do all they can to put pressure on the young gunslinger from Miami.

"We need to get our hands on guys at the line of scrimmage," Dankenbring said. "If we do that we give the pass rush time to get to the quarterback. Pass rush and coverage go hand in hand. People say the best coverage is a good pass rush so we need to get our hands on people and slow them down."

NFL Player Engagement recently caught up with UCF Director of Player Development Kristy Belden for a Q&A session. The very informative piece discusses how the Knights grow off the football field and what type of challenges they face.

All season long, the Knights have ranked towards the top of Conference USA in every major defensive category. Saturday's first conference road game against the Memphis Tigers continued to show how dominate UCF's defense is.

UCF head coach George O'Leary said after the game the defense made the difference the Knights' 35-17 victory over Memphis in the Liberty Bowl.

UCF forced three turnovers in the contest. Two fumble recoveries and one interception by senior defensive back A.J. Bouye.

Senior safety Kemal Ishmael made many key tackles in the game and said after the contest focusing in on UM quarterback Jacob Karam made a big difference for UCF.

"Just getting the pass rush and containing that quarterback," Ishmael said. "They were getting us with the run game and we just have to stop that early in the game."

The Knights held the Texas native to only 121 passing yards in the game. UCF also held its opponent to 4-of-16 on third downs.

UCF didn't allow a touchdown on defense for the first 59 minutes of the match up, before the Tigers scored on a quarterback keeper by Karam with 39 seconds left.

Many of the seniors on the squad were upset they let Memphis score that late in the contest, even though that play didn't have any effect on the outcome. The Knights plan to use that as motivation to improve an already stellar defense.

"We're Coach O'Leary players," senior linebacker Ray Shipman said. "We have to play perfect for the full 60 minutes. We feel we're a team that is capable of playing 60 minutes of football. That's what makes us mad. There is still a lot of room for improvement."

"We're a good defense, but we can be much better," Ishmael said.

The Knights are currently ranked first in Conference USA in total defense giving up an average of only 352.9 yards per game.

On Saturday, the UCF Knights (4-2, 2-0) will try and remain undefeated as they take on the Memphis Tigers (1-5, 1-1) at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. This will be the Knights' third trip to the Liberty Bowl in the last three seasons for the Knights. The last time the squad traveled to Memphis it defeated Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl 10-6.

The Knights are 7-1 all-time against the Tigers and UCF is 7-0 against Memphis since O'Leary became the head coach. That only loss came during UCF's first season as a FCS program. This will also be the first future Big East member the Knights will face this season. UCF and Memphis are in their final season in Conference USA. Both will head to the Big East in 2013.

Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles will lead the UCF offense into the River City. In the last five games, Bortles has thrown for a career high in passing yards. Last week against Southern Miss, the Oviedo native threw for 272 yards. On the season, the 6-foot-4 gunslinger has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,476 yards and 10 touchdowns.

On the ground, sophomore running back Storm Johnson is coming off a career-high 94 yard and one touchdown performance against the defending Conference USA Champion Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Johnson leads the Knights in rushing this season with 464 yards and four touchdowns.

This is the first of two consecutive road trips for the Knights and four of the next five games will be away from Bright House Networks Stadium.

Weather:

Saturday's forecast includes a zero percent chance of rain and it's expected to be sunny all day. The forecast high is 70 degrees and the low is 50 degrees.

Game Notes:

Want to go in-depth to learn more about the matchup between UCF and Memphis? Click on the links below for media notes, distributed by the communications staff of both squads.

UCF

Memphis

Articles:

-UCFAthletics: BLOG: Knights Working Hard and Improving at Halfway Point

-UCFAthletics: BLOG: The Knight In Shining Armor

-Orlando Sentinel: UCF is Huge Challenge for Rebuilding Memphis

-Orlando Sentinel: UCF Stresses Lessons Learned from Overtime Game as it Prepares for Memphis

-Memphis Commercial Appeal: University of Memphis football team bracing for tough home test vs. UCF

Radio/TV/Video:
Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. eastern standard time. The game will be broadcast on CSS/Bright House Sports Network and the UCF-IMG College Radio Network. At the top of this blog is a quick preview of Saturday's game with "The Voice of the Knights" Marc Daniels and UCF color analyst Mike Gruttadauria.

"It's everywhere you want to be." Remember that Visa credit card slogan from back in the day? If not, check out the vintage VISA commercial circa 1987:

These days, Visa commercials have taken things to a whole new level. Mixing sports and comedic relief in their latest ad is a win-win formula. But having Morgan Freeman voiceover a commercial that features current San Francisco 49ers fullback and former UCF defensive end Bruce Miller? To borrow a line from another credit card company, that's "Priceless." 

In the video above, Miller is in the spotlight a ton next to quarterback Alex Smith and linebacker Patrick Willis, all while showing off his impressive beard and receiving encouraging words from one lucky fan. There is even a glimpse of the back of his No. 49 jersey in a shot that shows the entire huddle. 

The final scene in the commercial has to be one that Miller's friends and family, and all UCF fans, can appreciate as he walks side-by-side with head coach Jim Harbaugh in slow motion. By his prominent role in the Visa ad, it appears that Miller's infectious personality that won over his teammates and an entire fan base at UCF has spread to the Bay Area. 

Now in his second year, Miller continues to spearhead of the NFL's leading rushing attacks that features Pro Bowler Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. Tonight offers a chance to see Miller in the national spotlight once again when the 49ers host Seattle at 8:20 p.m. on the NFL Network.

Kemal Ishmael's game-ending interception against Southern Miss has gone down as one of the top moments of the 2012 season so far. The clutch play didn't just prove how valuable the Miami native is to the Knights, but UCF head coach George O'Leary spoke highly of how important the talented defensive back is to UCF during his weekly press conference Tuesday.

"I think he's a great competitor," O'Leary said. "When you look at a guy and you talk about winners, everybody wants to win but there aren't many that work to win. He works to win every day in practice."

Ishmael is currently second on the team in tackles with 49 halfway through the regular season. His talent and leadership is one of the many reasons the Knights are ranked toward the top of every major defensive category in Conference USA.

"He's contagious out there and he's well respected, not because he talks a lot, because of what he does," O'Leary said. "He's always where he belongs. He understands his responsibilities. You never see him shrugging off any duties as far as special teams, defense or whatever it may be."

O'Leary says Ishmael's effort stays constant throughout the entire week and that's why he's had a successful football career at UCF.

"You can take practice and make it game-day for him," O'Leary continued. "Others it's not the case, but he plays in practices the same way. I think that's what separates him from a lot of players. They're going to play alright on Saturday, but they'd play a lot better if they practiced like him during the week."

The Miami native is ranked in the top 10 in school history with 293 tackles. By the end of the season, he has the potential to be ranked in the Top 5, if he continues to put up the type of numbers he has this season.

O'Leary says Ishmael's work ethic and dedication is what has made him one of the best defensive players in UCF history.

"That's something you hope the young players can carry over in a contagious type of way," O'Leary said. "He's what you want your football team to look like on the defensive side of the ball. He can do a lot of things for you and he's a quick study."

For as much success as the 5-foot-11 safety has had on the field, he has been just as good a role model off the field.

"I have nothing but great praise for the way he handles himself off the field, on the field and pretty much within the whole program," O'Leary said. "He's been a pleasure to be around and I know he is one of the most respected kids on the team."

With half the regular season complete, the UCF Knights (4-2, 2-0) are pleased with what they've accomplished so far. But they know there is more work to be done. The Knights have won both of their conference games to this point and are preparing to play their first road contest in Conference USA play this weekend against the Memphis Tigers.

UCF head coach George O'Leary is hoping by the end of the season the Knights will have another C-USA Championship trophy to display. The Knights have put themselves in a position to accomplish that. UCF currently has a one-game lead in the C-USA East Division and they control their own destiny, with the hope that the destination will be hosting a game on championship weekend in December.

This past weekend, UCF defeated the defending Conference USA Champion Southern Miss Golden Eagles in an intense, double-overtime contest. Senior safety Kemal Ishmael ended the game with his fifth career interception. The Miami native feels the Knights learned a lot about their team on Saturday.

"We found out who our character guys are and who's going to keep pushing," Ishmael said. "We're just grateful for everything. You have to look towards the negatives and fix the negatives because the positives will always be there. We just have to get the little things right so we can be a complete team."

Making those adjustments is what the Knights are hoping will take them to another level. One area where they feel they have made steady progress  is on the offensive side of the ball. Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles has thrown for a career-high in passing yards in five consecutive games.

The Oviedo native has already surpassed many of his offensive numbers from last season. He has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,476 yards and 10 touchdowns.

"I feel Blake has matured a lot," senior wide receiver Quincy McDuffie said.

Bortles has gotten the ball to many of the Knights' playmakers this season and that's one of the many reasons why UCF is undefeated in Conference USA. Five wideouts have at least 99 yards receiving on the season.

"They can't key in on one person, because we have so many weapons," McDuffie said. "All of us bring something different to the table. We try to put ourselves in positions to make plays and just execute the game plan and go from there."

In the running game, Storm Johnson has improved during each game of his first season of eligibility for the Knights. He's the team's leading rusher with 464 yards and four touchdowns. Last week, he ran for a career-high 94 yards and a score.

"I'm impressed because he's quick and he's shifty," McDuffie said. "I like what he brings to the field. He can make guys miss and he's a very powerful running back. I like the way he plays."

McDuffie speaks to the team's mindset as they prepare for their first road trip since early September.

"Obviously there are things we have to work on, but the talent and everything is there," McDuffie said. "We just have to continue to push and move forward."

It was a game of firsts for the UCF Knights against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. It was the team's first overtime victory. It was the first time since 2007 UCF defeated Southern Miss and it was the first time the Knights defeated the Golden Eagles at Bright House Networks Stadium.

For close to a decade, the Knights' foe from Mississippi has caused many problems for UCF. Heading into Saturday night's contest, the Knights were 1-6 all-time against the Golden Eagles. UCF capped off its four-game home stand with its most thrilling game of the season, defeating Southern Miss in double overtime 38-31.

All of the players and some of the coaches on the squad had never defeated the Golden Eagles.

"It feels good," senior running back Latavius Murray said. "Being a senior, it was definitely something I wanted to get accomplished and tonight is satisfying."

"For some reason we always have trouble with Southern Miss, but they're a pretty good team," senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael said. "I'm just happy for the win."

The win not only accomplished one of the senior class's goals, but it also makes the Knights 2-0 in Conference USA play. UCF defeated both ECU and Southern Miss in the past two weeks. That is also another first for the Knights, since no team in program history has ever beaten both the Pirates and the Golden Eagles in the same season.

"It's a huge accomplishment to take the two of them out," sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles said. "ECU was 2-0 in the conference when we beat them and then to come back and play Southern Miss, who is a rival, was a great W."

Even though the defending Conference USA Champions arrived in Orlando with an 0-5 record, the Knights expected a difficult challenge against the only winless team in the conference.

"They came out and played the way we thought they would and they played hard," Murray said. "We knew it was going to be a dog fight. We were prepared for that, just had to stick it out at the end."

The four-game homestand for the Knights comes to an end on Saturday as they welcome one of their peskiest opponents in Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles have been a thorn in the side of UCF, owning a 6-1 edge in the all-time series. As the Knights look to extend their lead in the C-USA East Division, UCFAthletics.com has you covered with how to follow all of Saturday's action, including 10 Twitter tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

Follow the action all game long with updates from @UCF_Football and @UCF_Athletics on Twitter. Don't forget to "Like" the Knights on Facebook as well to see pictures from the season opener. For the stat buffs out there, follow on Gametracker.

It may be a bit of a surprise that the defending Conference USA Champions started the season 0-5, but that doesn't give UCF head coach George O'Leary any reason to take the Southern Miss Golden Eagles lightly in this weekend's contest.

The Knights' head coach said he is focusing the same amount of energy on this game as he does any other because every game is important.

"I have a great respect for Southern Miss and how they play the game," O'Leary said. "I think they're a contact football team and I think we've always had a great rivalry and respect for each other from that stand point. I anticipate a whale of a ball game Saturday night."

The Knights have had many close and exciting contests against the Golden Eagles and O'Leary expects to see much of the same when the lights come on in Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday night. Last year's contest came down to the wire. The Knights went for the win on a 2-point conversion down by one, 30-29, and unfortunately came up short.

That memory is still etched in the Knights' minds. UCF would like nothing more than to earn its second Conference USA victory to close out a four game home stand.

"It's a team that you throw records out the window," O'Leary said. "What I see on film is they do a lot of things that can cause defensive problems or can cause your offense problems. I think they're well coached."

O'Leary is familiar with the new look Golden Eagles Coaching staff led by first year head coach Ellis Johnson. The two coached against each other more than 15 years ago when O'Leary was the head coach at Georgia Tech and Johnson was the defensive coordinator at Clemson.

"I think Ellis Johnson has done a good job with the squad he has," O'Leary said. "He has some young quarterbacks and he's trying to find the right mix. A lot of the names I see and the players I see on the field are a lot of the same ones from last year."

This will be the Knights' final battle with the Golden Eagles as a member of Conference USA. The last time UCF defeated Southern Miss was back in 2007, which was the first time the Knights won a Conference USA Championship. It was a 34-17 victory in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Then senior running back Kevin Smith ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the historic victory.

"I think they have the same respect for us as far as contact, speed and a tough line of scrimmage game," O'Leary said. "It's a team we've played good football [against]."

The Knights are preparing for their second Conference USA contest of the season this Saturday against Southern Miss. A victory against the Golden Eagles would mark the second time in school history UCF has beaten its division rival.

UCF and Southern Miss have had many close contests in the past, including last year's game when the Knights scored with no time remaining to pull within one point, 30-29. UCF went for the win on a 2-point conversion attempt, but didn't complete the pass attempt.

None of the of the Knights on the current roster have taken part in a victory against Southern Miss. UCF would like to change that this weekend.

"For me, it's definitely something I want to get accomplished while I'm here," senior running back Latavius Murray said. "I definitely remember back in 2010 when we were ranked and they knocked us out of the polls. We're not going to take them lightly. We've been practicing very hard this week, just like we do every week."

"Last year, we had the chance to beat them and came close, but I'd like to leave here with a win over Southern Miss," senior defensive lineman Cam Henderson said. "They're a great team. We have to take care of business on Saturday."

Southern Miss is 0-5 and is coming off a 40-14 loss against future Big East member Boise State. But the Knights know that record is immaterial when 8 p.m. Saturday rolls around.

"0-5 doesn't really mean anything. We have to come out and play like any other game," Henderson said.

The Knights have face the Golden Eagles every year during their tenure in C-USA and are very familiar with the Golden Eagles' style of football. That knowledge of the program will keep them engaged in their preparations this week.

"We're very motivated," Murray said. "Just for me and overall as a team, we just know we have to go out there and get this win."

"They have a lot of athletes and almost their entire secondary coming back," Murray continued. "We just can't take them lightly and have to go out there and play hard every week just like we have been doing."

When East Carolina went up 14-0 early in the Knights' Conference USA opener Thursday night, the energy in the stadium was in danger of disappearing.

Bright House Networks Stadium received a jolt of electricity, however. On the ensuing kickoff, senior receiver Quincy McDuffie took it at the 1-yard line, made a couple Pirates miss and was off to the races. His 99-yard return for a touchdown sparked the offense and defense.

"It definitely got the morale of the team up, having a quick score like that and putting an actual touchdown on the board," sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles said. "It definitely did help out."

"It gives you momentum, especially in rivalry games," senior defensive lineman Troy Davis said. "It swings momentum and it gets the sideline going."

The kickoff return wasn't the only big play McDuffie, an Orlando native, made. In the third quarter he caught a pass from Bortles for a 64-yard touchdown. It was a short screen pass that McDuffie took down the sideline.

"He's unbelievable," Bortles said. "He's one of the fastest kids I've ever seen and that was a great block out there on the perimeter and it was a great play call too. They brought the house on a blitz and played man coverage and Quincy got in the hole and took off. Once he gets into the open field there aren't too many people who can catch him."

McDuffie finished the game with 195 total yards and he only touched the ball four times, including that long touchdown catch-and-run in the second half. 

"I saw nothing but daylight," McDuffie said. "I put my foot in the ground and just tried to get to the endzone. I knew how bad we needed it and I was very determined to get into the endzone."

For years Kimmy Trivett has supported the UCF Knights. During this past year, the Knights have returned the favor, supporting Kimmy during her fight with breast cancer.

It's a guarantee that Kimmy and her husband Lynn will do all they can to attend every single UCF athletic event possible. Last year was no different. They traveled to every away football game. This Thursday's game against ECU is Knights for Pink, which supports the fight against breast cancer. Shortly after the season ended, Kimmy was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I went to see the surgeon and he told me 'We have found something. We just want to do a biopsy," Kimmy said. "Of course, I've been there before and had problems, but everything was fine... In the end of January when we went back to the surgeon we walked back into his office and he said 'Well I hate to tell you this, but you have breast cancer.' It was something I never would have expected."

Kimmy had to go through 30 radiation treatments to fight off the cancer. Just this week, she completed her final treatment. It was obviously a difficult time for both Kimmy and Lynn. One of the things they were most disappointed about was the disease kept them from attending many of the Knights' away basketball and baseball games.

While the Trivetts weren't in attendance at some games, they were never forgotten. During her fight with cancer, many of the UCF teams did everything they could to show the Trivetts they were in their prayers. Kimmy recalls one moment with former UCF basketball player A.J. Rompza.

"We came over for the football signing party and he just said 'I have a card for you and I hear you're going to be on campus,'" Kimmy said. "We were in the big part of the arena and A.J. came in with this beautiful card and then in his other hand he had 18 long-stem roses. Needless to say, I got very emotional."

Another unexpected surprise from the UCF staff came during last year's ECU basketball game. Lynn won courtside seats for the game at a silent auction for Kimmy's Valentine's Day gift. Neither of them knew that game was breast cancer support night.

This show of support included a signed jersey by every player and coach.

"It was just a wonderful evening and after the game every player came across the court and gave me a hug," Kimmy said. "That was so encouraging and loving. That was one of the best nights of my life."

"We had a lot of support and a lot of that support came from UCF," Lynn Trivett said. "We didn't realize it at the moment, but it didn't take long to find out about it. Not only from friends and acquaintances, but from a lot of the athletes. We received cards, text messages and words of encouragement from every aspect of the athletic department."

UCF head coach George O'Leary had made it clear the Knights are willing to play anyone in the nation when it comes to the non-conference schedule. That's why he scheduled the likes of Ohio State and Missouri this season. Unfortunately, the Knights came up just short in both of those games.

"The team is disappointed because close doesn't count except in horse shoes," O'Leary said during his Monday press conference. "You have to win these games... But you can't give up the big plays and that's what we did and that's what made the difference in the game Saturday."

While non-conference games are important, the next eight games carry even more weight. Thursday night marks the beginning of conference play for UCF when the East Carolina Pirates come to town and every game counts if the Knights want to win a Conference USA Championship.

"Everything right now is for a conference championship and we're playing a team that's 2-0 in conference that's in our division," O'Leary said. "Every game is critical ... as far as our goal is concerned for Conference USA."

O'Leary says the Knights' goal is to win Conference USA.

"They understand that we expect to play 14 games this year. I told them that Sunday night," O'Leary said. "That's what our goal is ... to play 14 games and our goal is to win every game we play. Ultimately, we want the conference championship, so East Carolina is in the way."

The long-time UCF head coach has led the Knights to two Conference USA Championships. He understands the hard work and dedication it takes from everyone in the program to win a conference championship. 

"You're in this for competition. You're in it to win and when you don't the old saying 'you die a little' ... it's true," O'Leary said. "You put so much effort into trying to get things done right. I think the kids aren't like that. They're resilient. The senior class had goals they set for themselves and close doesn't count. We have to win."

This year's Knights squad has talked a lot about the 2010 UCF team. That unit went down as one of the greatest in school history. UCF finished the season ranked 21^st in the AP poll, won its second Conference USA Championship and its first bowl game in the Liberty Bowl.

One thing that year's team has in common with this year's squad is both started the season 2-2 entering conference play. What helped the 2010 team do well during that portion of the schedule was its senior leadership. This year's seniors know that will play an important role in the outcome of the rest of the season.

"One thing when you look at the 2010 team is the seniors they had in Bruce Miller and how good of a job they did by leading by example," senior quarterback/receiver Rob Calabrese said. "We learned from them and we're really trying to emulate what they did."

With non-conference play over for UCF, the team is focused on Conference USA play and has already moved on from its loss to Missouri Saturday.

"Coach has been saying all week basically every game from here on out is the conference championship and each game is a must-win, especially conference games," senior punter Jamie Boyle said. "That's our goal every year to win the conference championship, so anytime we have an in-conference team coming to our place we definitely want to get a win."

Thursday night, the Knights will face conference foe East Carolina at home. The Pirates come to town undefeated in conference play at 2-0. The Knights are hoping this quick turnaround can help them get back in the win column.

"It's tough to shake things off from Saturday, but obviously we took the coaching and watched some film," Calabrese said. "Being on a short week we need to prepare for a Thursday game. We went through a Tuesday type practice today (Monday). Our guys have moved on and are ready to play Thursday night."

The Knights will play eight conference games in the regular season and will play two in a row at home.

"You have to be mentally tough to be a football player and you have to take coaching and understand what needs to be done," Calabrese said. "Obviously, this is conference play, so this is the most important thing for us. We're treating every game from now on like the conference championship."

UCF head coach George O'Leary met with the media Monday afternoon at Bright House Networks Stadium for his weekly press conference. He discussed last Saturday's contest against Missouri and looked ahead to the C-USA opener vs. East Carolina in Orlando Thursday.

On his team's performance:

"Just to review the Missouri game, what I said after the game was pretty much accurate. I thought offensively we weren't as physical as we were in the first half, especially on the backside blocking. I thought the quarterback had some throws that he needs to make but I think it's just him being young. Defensively, I thought we played well enough to win except that last series where we missed tackles and gave up a long touchdown run. Every phase of the game had a piece of it. I always say that there are six plays that make a difference in a game, and I think there was three this game. Obviously, the 80-yard touchdown catch where we had a tackle and didn't wrap up and it goes for 80 yards. That sort of gave them life. Next, was the punt return, which we had the whole right side not where they belonged from a contain element. And the fumble, because I really believe driving down 21-16, we have a chance with time on the clock because I thought we have them on their heels a little bit and then we fumbled the ball. ... That was the game, and we covered it on Sunday with them, I didn't spend a lot of time on it, except correcting mistakes so it wasn't one person or one group, every phase as far as special teams, offense and defense had a piece of it. I tell them everything right now is for the conference championship and we're playing a team that's 2-0 in conference play that's in our division, so every game is critical as far as our goal is concerned for Conference USA. Again, it was a disappointing game on Saturday. It's a game within reach and we have to make some plays to come out with a win."

On the tough loss for the players and putting it behind them...

"They understand. It's coaches too. I kick myself right before the half because I've had that happen in my history where I sent the field goal team out and guys upstairs were like 'coach, we can get one more play in.' And I should've stuck to my guns and kicked the field goal and score your points because the inevitable what you don't want to happen, happened. That had nothing to do with the locker room, I just think we went out in the second half and Missouri played like their defense could play. And we weren't as physical or executing offensively like we did in the first half. I think the players understand, I think they took the loss very difficult just like we do any losses. But they (players) understand that we have to get back and get ready for our Conference USA first game, first opponent vs. East Carolina."

On the letdown in the second half...

"Nothing was different, they didn't make any adjustments. Someone said, 'they came out in solid.' They were in solid the second play of the game, so that wasn't the answer. I think basically, it's when you have a chance to make plays, you have to make them. I look at the senior class on offense and they're the ones that have to get going. I talked to them about it, 'hey fellas, not everything is pretty. It's the end result and you have to keep working and working and good things will happen to you.' After halftime, there's nothing that I can say we're doing different, coaches make the adjustments that have to be made based on any changes to their offense and defense and we continue to the field. We got a turnover on the first series there, a pick by Kemal Ishmael and I thought we were on our way again. That was just disappointing."

On the defensive line's performance...

"When you go back to (Troy Davis') sophomore year, (inside is) where he executed the best because he's a very quick individual. I thought the defensive line was the most active they've been all season. They came up with five sacks and could've had two more if the quarterback didn't make them miss on the two. I thought they were more active and if they can continue that pressure, then we'll be fine on defense. I thought we tackled better except for a couple of plays where we tried to throw knockout punches instead of wrapping up and trying to secure the tackle."

What stands out for East Carolina...

"They went to a new defense, more of a 3-4 package now. They ran some of that last year, but now they are a 3-4 team. They have seven new starters out there; they look like they're faster than they were a year ago. Offensively, they seem to have found a running back they're real happy with, a junior college transfer (Cooper No. 21). A lot of their receivers are back from last year. The quarterback is thorough, he manages the game well. It's going to be typical of what we've seen this year, no huddle and a lot of different variations as far as formations. With the short week, today is like a Tuesday and tomorrow is like a Wednesday-Thursday type practice. I understand we had a tough game Saturday, not just contact but the heat. We're in fairly good shape; I thought our guys hung in there pretty well as far as what's taking place. You have to watch wearing them down in practice with a short week."

On running the ball more as the season progresses...

"No I think people are crowding the box with eight guys so were taking what's available. If you look at the conference and the amount of points given up and the amount of points scored, we're right about where we normally are, which I think is the number one thing you look at, as far as what you do when you have the ball in your hands and what they do when they have the ball in their hands. I think the big thing we still have to continue to get better on is ball security on offense and takeaways on defense."

On how Jeff Godfrey has progressed in his different roles on offense...

"Jeff's done a great job, he really has. We still need to find ways to get him the ball more in different situations. I think we try to utilize him as much we can in certain situations, and I've been very pleased with him as far as all that stuff that happened last year and it has been behind him. He's very happy of what he's doing right now and I'm putting him more on special teams. You may see him punt return this week."

On Blake Bortles...

"He's fine. People don't understand. A lot of things that happened to him are the first time it's ever happened. He's hasn't been out there for three years; he's been out there for one year (as a starter), four games, 25 percent of the season. If you get hit a couple of times, all of a sudden you start looking around and start getting a little antsy. Everybody's like that, until they have enough experience to get over that. I have put more pressure on practice this week to get some things done there but I have the up-most faith in him controlling the offense and getting things done right. I think there were times we probably were a little bit out of sync on Saturday. He'll be fine. A lot of the situations he'll be better the next time he sees that situation occur."

After playing the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, the Knights are now focused on starting a new chapter of the season - conference play.

UCF ended the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 2-2 record and will face the East Carolina Pirates in its first Conference USA game of the season on Thursday night at Bright House Networks Stadium.

"We can always take positives [from] plays and positive things out of each game," sophomore running back Storm Johnson said in his post-game interview. "Our main focus is getting better as a team and moving forward."

Senior linebacker Ray Shipman said the team will watch film on ECU Saturday night and the coaches will grade the team's performance against Missouri. The whole team is now focused on getting a win against the Pirates.

"We have to move forward now because we have a short week," senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael said. "After this day, the game is over. We're just getting ready for ECU now."

The Pirates have already played two Conference USA opponents this season and faced the likes for North Carolina and South Carolina in non-conference play. Both ECU  and UCF have played challenging non-conference schedules and both hope they helped prepare them for C-USA play.

UCF doesn't plan to loss its focus on ECU after its loss to Missouri.

"We're going to get in, watch film and at the end of the day, forget about it," Johnson said.

Sergeant Matt Garland is one of many U.S. military personnel who are currently stationed overseas. Garland is in the United States Army and is serving his country in Afghanistan. Garland went to his first Knights game in 2005 and has been a loyal UCF fan ever since.

Following the Knights football team is one thing he enjoys during his free time. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the season-opener in person due to his deployment. But  he was able to take part in the game. He was able to watch the game with his wife live through Skype. Garland's wife Stephanie was sitting with her family in Section 130.

"It added him into the game," UCF graduate Stephanie Garland said. "He was away, but it made it more like he was there and we can joke with him and have fun with him."

Stephanie and Matt were able to Skype for the majority of the fourth quarter.

"He loved it," Stephanie said. "He loved being able to actually see it happening because on the computer it was just the Game Tracker."

Stephanie had never tried to Skype at a game before the FIU contest. She is a middle school teacher in Orlando and told many of her friends and colleagues about what she was able to do.

"Many of them were at the game and I said to them 'Yeah, we Skyped him,'" Stephanie said. "For some reason, we were able to get cell phone reception. They said that's amazing he was able to see the game."

Even though Matt won't be back to watch any of the Knights' games in person this season, he still has his season ticket. Stephanie says she is looking forward to Matt being back in the United States to watch the Knights live next season.

"It's his ticket. That's his spot," Stephanie said. "If I give it up I'm going to have to get it back next year. So I may as well hang onto it and invite friends and family of his to take joy in what he's not able to."

Following the Knights has helped the couple's relationship grow and has helped Matt and Stephanie get through not seeing each other for months.

"We get through it," Stephanie said. "If we're down and we're said it doesn't get him home any quicker. We try to keep it on the positive side. We do talk about football and things we enjoy together. It keeps me busy and puts me in a positive atmosphere, because I can come out and cheer for the Knights."

When the Missouri Tigers come to Orlando Saturday, it will mark the first time UCF will host a Southeastern Conference opponent at Bright House Networks Stadium. A win against the Tigers would go down in UCF history.

"You've got to win those games if you want to get any notoriety," UCF head coach George O'Leary said during his weekly press conference Tuesday. "It's an important game. I think any time you can bring the SEC into your house it should be a big deal with your fan base and everybody else concerned with the game."

The Tigers (2-2, 0-2) are coming off a 31-10 loss against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

"Looking at them, they looked a little bit out of sync against South Carolina," O'Leary said. "But they're a very, very good defense. They got a bunch of guys back that play a lot of ball for them. I think they've got some outstanding players on defense."

The Knights have had success against SEC schools in the past. Back in 2000 UCF defeated Alabama 40-38 in Tuscaloosa and in 2010 the Knights defeated Georgia 10-6 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

O'Leary knows how physical SEC teams can be and he expects the Tigers to to be just that.

"They are a talented football team," O'Leary said. "They have everything that's supposed to happen - athleticism, size and speed. So we are going to have our work cut out for us."

Saturday's contest will also be UCF's final non-conference game of the season. A victory against Missouri would give the Knights a lot of momentum heading into Conference USA play.

"It is important because we start our conference right after in four days with East Carolina on Thursday," O'Leary said. "So it's always a better Sunday when you get a win on Saturday, especially with a short week."

After getting some time off to rest after last week's bye week, the UCF Knights feel prepared to take on their first ever SEC opponent at Bright House Networks Stadium. After defeating FIU in week three, the Knights got a couple of days off to rest and then it was back to work.

UCF will take on the Missouri Tigers for the first time in school history and the Knights liked where last week's bye fell on the schedule.

"It just gives us extra time to prepare and mostly get our bodies rested," senior running back Brynn Harvey said. "We work on trying to keep it consistent. The blockers concentrate on blocking. The running backs focus on finishing and [for] the receivers catching the ball. Simple things."

"The extra days have helped us," senior linebacker Ray Shipman said. "Being able to go up against the UCF offense more gives us a better look and being more physical."

In the team's game against FIU, all of the Knights were pleased with the way the first half went. UCF scored 23 points in the half including two touchdown passes from Blake Bortles and one touchdown on the ground from Harvey.

"We want to carry over the way we played in the first half in the FIU game and bring that over into this game," Shipman said.

Bortles has already thrown for seven touchdowns this season, which is one more than he had all of last season. Both coach O'Leary and the rest of the Knights have been impressed with the Oviedo native this season. Despite, the six interceptions Bortles has thrown this season, the team feels the sophomore quarterback is more focused than ever.

"He doesn't let anything [get to him]," Harvey said. "He knows that he makes mistakes and he's going to come back and help us pick up where he left off against FIU. The interceptions don't get to Blake. You can tell he's a poised guy and he keeps us poised."

This past bye week also gave the team a chance to do something it doesn't get to do very often. Watch a live football game.

Over the weekend, Missouri lost to South Carolina 31-10. The Knights admitted it was a different perspective than they were used to.

"The linebackers came to my house and watched the game," Shipman said. "The score [of the game] was kind of misleading, but they have a really good team...We're definitely going to play to the best of our ability."

During Tuesday's State of the University Address, senior offensive lineman Jordan Rae was honored for the successes he's had on and off the football field. Rae was one of a handful of students recognized by UCF President John C. Hitt. 

"To hear all of those compliments were definitely awesome," Rae said. "I've done so much and the work is finally paying off."

The senior offensive lineman graduated with his degree in finance last school year and is a three-year starter on the football team. He is also a candidate for the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded each year to the best center in the nation.

As an undergraduate, Rae made the honor roll in six of his eight semesters and he is currently working on his master's degree in business.

"All of the qualities that we taught him came out and that's really important to us," Jordan's mother Dayle Rae said. "This is really the proof of all we taught him."

During the offseason, UCF worked hard to improve its play on special teams. During Saturday's game against the FIU Panthers, the Knights showed all of that hard work during the summer is paying off.

Punter Jamie Boyle dropped all five of his punts inside the FIU 20-yard line. That punting coverage combined with good kicking coverage, allowed UCF to put pressure on the FIU offense and dominate field of position for much of the contest.

"That creates good momentum for us," senior defensive back Kemal Ishmael said of the special teams creating good field position.

It wasn't just the special team, either .The talented sophomore duo of J.J. Worton and Rannell Hall also helped put the Knights in great field position. Worton returned four punts for 48 yards and Hall returned three kickoffs for 96 yards. Hall had a 44-yard return in the second half.

"That's something they've done for a while now," sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles said of the special teams."When they do stuff like that it helps us out tremendously."

Junior wide receiver Jeff Godfrey helped reward Worton for his hard work by tossing him a touchdown pass after a handoff from senior Rob Calabrese.

"It was great out there," Godfrey said. "The defense did a great job of stopping those guys and making them punt. J.J. Worton had some nice punt returns and the field position was great."

After the Knights spent the first two game days of 2012 in the state of Ohio, Knights fans will get to experience UCF's first home game of the football season today.

Fans began setting up their tailgates as early as 5 a.m. and continued to fill areas outside Bright House Networks Stadium, Memory Mall and all over campus.

"It's an exciting atmosphere here at UCF," 1973 graduate Steve Purifoy said. "I'm a Black and Gold guy through and through. When I watched the game we played up in Akron I was like 'man, we can do some good things.'"

This is the first of a four-game home stretch for the Knights and it's the third non-conference game UCF has played this season.

"We've looked forward to it since spring time," long-time UCF fan Paul Chinaris said about the first home game. "You soak up the atmosphere and the energy that happens here. It's a wonderful campus and a wonderful stadium and the fans are great."

Long-time Knights' fan Cory Hibbs purchased season tickets for his entire family. One thing he enjoys about home-opener is spending time with his wife, children and friends.

"We've been coming for the last five years," Cory Hibbs said. "It's our last year in Conference USA and next year we're going to the Big East. I think there's a lot of excitement heading into a new conference and playing some new teams in the future."

Hundreds of Knights fans came out for the Friday Knight Lights pep rally at Bright House Networks Stadium Friday to prepare for UCF's first home football game of the season. Fans, students and cheerleaders filed into the student section and got their game day faces ready for Saturday.

"It is wonderful," junior cheerleader Leah Moen said. "I'm so excited for the game...They're all (fans) as excited for the game as we are."

There was a steady downfall of rain throughout the pep rally, but that didn't scare away the Knights fans. There was also a DJ set up at the very front of the student section to get the UCF faithful ready to take on their in-state rival.

"It's going to take way more than that to keep the Knights down," UCF junior Gabriela Iglesias-Mendoza said about the weather. "Stuff like this (pep rally), we love it."

Iglesias-Mendoza said she has been attending Knights games since her freshman year. Her friend Max Benton transferred to UCF from another Florida school and will experience his first game on Saturday. Benton says he's excited to experience "Zombie Nation" in the student section.

"I'm stoked," said Benton. "There were a bunch of students. It was awesome. It was a good turnout, a bunch of good music and it was a fun time." 

Kickoff for Saturday's game against FIU is set for 4 p.m. Complete coverage of the game can be found right here at UCFAthletics.com.

Knights fans can get an inside perspective of UCF football each Sunday at 12 p.m. on Bright House Sports Network. Inside UCF Football and UCF Sports Today with George O'Leary will deliver feature stories on players, coaches and events covering the Knights all season long.

This Sunday, running back Brynn Harvey and H-back Dontravius Floyd will join Inside UCF Football's host, Erik Kohler, on the show. Also, returning for his second year at UCF, running backs coach Danny Barrett will be joining the show's line up to talk about his role with the team. This week the show will also be featuring a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to travel with the Knights.  

UCF Sports Today with George O'Leary will follow at 12:30 p.m., hosted by the "Voice of the Knights," Marc Daniels. Together, these two will sit down and recap the game vs. FIU.

On Tuesday, both shows will air statewide on Sun Sports, starting at 4:30 p.m.

As always, if UCF fans aren't close to a television set, both shows will be available for free each Monday at 1 p.m. in the All-Access player on UCFAthletics.com. 

UCF will open its 2012 home schedule with familiar in-state opponent in FIU this Saturday. It will be the second matchup between the two schools that are separated by 237 miles and UCFAthletics.com has you covered with how to follow all of Saturday's action, including 10 Twitter tidbits to tweet out to all of your followers.

     • @UCF_Football (1-1) vs. @FIUFootball (1-1)

     • Bright House Networks Stadium (45,323) - @CityBeautiful - 4 p.m.

     • Watch it live on @CSSsports and also on @BHSN, channel 1147 . You can listen on WYGM @740thegame (flagship), WFLF 540-AM (Maitland), WDCF 1350-AM (Clearwater), WROD 1340-AM (Daytona Beach), WWCN 770-AM (Fort Myers)

     • Follow the action all game long with updates from @UCF_Football and @UCF_Athletics on Twitter. Don't forget to "Like" the Knights on Facebook as well to see pictures from the season opener. For the stat buffs out there, follow on Gametracker.

10 Tweetable Tidbits

     • On Sept. 15, 2007: #UCF opened its first on-campus stadium against No. 6 Texas in front of a packed house of 45,622 fans #ZombieNation

     •  This is the first home opener to be played in front of a national TV audience since Bright House opened in 2007 #HeyMomSendMoney

     • #UCF is kicking off a four-game homestand, the longest since the Knights hosted four-straight back in 1999 #LetTheGamesBegin

     • The last time #UCF sported a 1-1 record it won the @ConferenceUSA1 title and the @AZOLibertyBowl #ThePowerOf1

     • #UCF is 24-9 all-time in Bright House Networks Stadium and 7-4 against non-conference opponents #HomeCookin

     •  Did you know that since 2009, #UCF has received the opening kickoff in 35 of the last 41 games? #GimmieTheBall

     • Of the 209 players on #UCF & #FIU's rosters, 155 hail from the Sunshine State. 9 sets of HS teammates reunite #ShareALittleSunshine

     •  As a team, #UCF has attempted 40 passes or more in a contest 10 times since 2004 - a span of 103 games #BallControl

     • Since joining the FBS ranks in 1996, the Knights recorded seven turnovers in the first 2 games of the season #IwillTakeThat

     • Record Watch: Rannell Hall cracked the top 10 in kick-return yardage and is 41 yards shy of Shawn Jefferson for No. 8 #RunSpeedyRun