2007 conference usa champions

C-usa champs head to memphis for the Team autozone liberty bowl Comparison at UCF’s historic season continues as the Conference MSU Category UCF (10-3, 7-1, C-USA) (7-5, 4-4 SEC) USA champions will make its second bowl appearance 269 Scoring 499 in school history at the 49th Annual AutoZone Liberty 1624 Rushing Yards 3156 UCF BROADCAST INFO Bowl vs. Mississippi State Dec. 30 at the Liberty Bowl 17 Rushing 41 UCF ISP Sports Radio Network Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn. The Knights 2040 Passing Yards 2388 Marc Daniels - Play-by-Play are coming off a C-USA title game victory over Tulsa 3664 Total Offense 5544 Gary Parris - Color Analyst that upped their record to 10-3 overall (7-1 C-USA). Since dropping 70/177 Third Down 73/182 Jerry O’Neill - Sideline Report two straight games in October, the Knights have won a school-record 69/180 Third Down Defense 86/217 Scott Adams - Reporter seven straight games entering the bowl season. The AutoZone Liberty 6/15 Fourth Down 11/17 WQTM 740-AM (fl agship) (Orlando) Bowl will air live on ESPN. It marks UCF’s fi fth appearance on the 2/14 Fourth Down Defense 10/25 WMMV 1350-AM (Cocoa) ESPN family of networks in 2007 and seventh nationally-televised 16 Sacks 38 WDCF 1350-AM (Dade City) appearance of the year. UCF will face a Mississippi State team that WROD 1340-AM (Daytona Beach) 15 23 WMMB 1240-AM (Melbourne) compiled a 7-5 record and a 4-4 SEC West mark this season. The 17 Interceptions Thrown 9 WLVJ 1040-AM/WKAT 1360-AM Bulldogs fi nished fourth in their division and qualifi ed for their fi rst 23-10 -Lost 27-14 (Miami/Fort Lauderdale/South Palm Beach) bowl game since 2000. This will be the second meeting on the gridiron 28-for-32 Red Zone Scores 53-for-59 WPSL 1590-AM between the two schools. The Bulldogs defeated the Knights, 35-28, 21-for-32 Red Zone TDs 40-for-59 (Treasure Coast/North Palm Beach) in Starkville during the 1997 season. 9-for-12 Field Goals 21-for-23 WZHR 1400-AM (Zephyrhills) Veteran coaches, old friends 30:25 Time of Possession 30:57 Internet The head coaches in the contest are no strangers to each other as Live audio/stats on www.ucfathletics.com Score-by-Quarter UCF’s George O’Leary and Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom 1 2 3 4 Total UCF on TV in 2007 worked together as assistant coaches for the San Diego Chargers MSU 66 61 70 72 269 The UCF football team will appear on the ESPN from 1992-93. O’Leary guided the Chargers’ defensive line, while UCF 132 184 81 102 499 family of networks for the fi fth time as the Au- Croom instructed the running backs. O’Leary and Croom are both toZone Liberty Bowl game is scheduled for Dec. in their fourth years at their respective schools. Prior to their current Bulldog results 29 at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The TV appearance posts, the two coaches were NFC North Division rivals for two sea- Aug. 30 vs. LSU L, 45-0 is the Knights ninth of the season. sons. O’Leary took over the UCF program after spending two seasons Sept. 8 at Tulane W, 38-17 Sept. 1 at NC State ESPN360.com as a defensive assistant, including one as the coordinator, with the Sept. 15 at Auburn W, 19-14 Sept. 15 vs. Texas ESPN2 Minnesota Vikings, while Croom got his fi rst head-coaching post in Sept. 22 vs. Gardner Webb W, 31-15 Sept. 22 vs. Memphis CSS his career after three seasons as the runnings back coach with the Sept. 29 at South Carolina L, 38-21 Oct. 6 at East Carolina CSTV Oct. 6 vs. UAB W, 30-13 Oct. 13 at USF ESPNU Green Bay Packers. Oct. 13 vs. Tennessee L, 33-21 Oct. 28 at Southern Miss ESPN Scouting the Bulldogs Oct. 20 at West Virginia L, 38-13 Nov. 3 vs. Marshall CSS True freshman Wesley Carroll has started the last seven games at Oct. 27 at Kentucky W, 31-14 Nov. 10 at UAB CSTV quarterback for the Bulldogs, who are 4-3 in that span. In eight starts Nov. 10 vs. Alabama W, 17-12 Dec. 1 vs. Tulsa ESPN overall and 12 appearances, the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native has Nov. 17 at Arkansas (LR) L, 45-31 Dec. 29 vs. Mississippi State ESPN thrown for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Sopho- Nov. 23 vs. Ole Miss W, 17-14 more Anthony Dixon is 20 rushing yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark as he led the Bulldogs’ in that category for the second-straight year. Bulldog SID’S TELEVISION Play-by-Play: Terry Gannon Dixon had 13 of the MSU’s 17 rushing touchdowns on the season. The 662-325-7503 Analyst: David Norrie defense returned fi ve interceptions for touchdowns. Derek Pegues led Associate A.D./Media and Public Relations Sidelines: Vince Welch the team with three picks, returning one of those for a score. Pegues Mike Nemeth RADIO also returned a 75-yard for a vs. Ole Miss. Defensive ([email protected]) Play-by-Play: Eric Collins end Titus Brown collected half of the team’s 16 sacks as the All-SEC Assistant Director/Football Analyst: Bill Curry performer had eight QB takedowns on the season. Joe Galbraith Sidelines: Joe Schad ([email protected]) 2007 UCF Football Schedule/ResulSchedule/Resultsts Day Date Opponent Result/Time TV Series Last Meeting Notes Sat. Sept. 1 at NC State W, 25-23 ESPN360.com UCF 1-0 Smith rushes for career-high 217 yards in fi rst victory over an ACC opponent. Sat. Sept. 15 No. 6 Texas L, 35-32 ESPN2 UT 1-0 Knights suffer three-point setback in fi rst home sellout in program history. Sat. Sept. 22 Memphis* W, 56-20 CSS UCF 3-1 Team breaks school record, ties C-USA mark with seven rushing TDs in victory. Sat. Sept. 29 Louisiana W, 37-19 UCF 4-0 Smith eclipses career-high set earlier this year at NC State game with 223 yards. Sat. Oct. 6 at East Carolina* L, 52-38 CSTV ECU 6-1 Smith breaks school record for consecutive 100-yard games with fi fth in a row. Sat. Oct. 13 at No. 5 USF L, 64-12 ESPNU USF 3-0 Smith surpasses 3,000 career rushing yards. Sat. Oct. 20 Tulsa* W, 44-23 Tied 1-1 Knights pick off season-high four passes in victory over Golden Hurricane. Sun. Oct. 28 at Southern Miss* W, 34-17 ESPN USM 2-1 Smith becomes UCF’s all-time leading rusher with 175 yards on the ground. Sat. Nov. 3 Marshall* HC W, 47-13 CSS Tied 3-3 Smith breaks own school record with 87-yard TD run in second quarter. Sat. Nov. 10 at UAB* W, 45-31 CSTV UCF 5-0 Knights rush for 402 yards, Smith breaks single-game school record with 320. Sat. Nov. 17 at SMU* W, 49-20 UCF 1-0 Knights’ offense, defense and special teams all score TDs in fi fth-straight win. Sat. Nov. 24 UTEP* W, 36-20 UCF 1-0 Smith eclipses 2,000-yard mark as Knights win C-USA East title. Sat. Dec. 1 Tulsa W, 44-25 ESPN UCF 2-1 Knights capture fi rst conference title in school history. Sat. Dec. 29 vs. Miss. State 4:30 p.m. ESPN MSU 1-0 Knights will face the Bulldogs in their second bowl game in school history. * Conference USA Game All Times Eastern 2 autozone liberty bowl media guide autozone liberty bowl media guide

2007 UCF Award-winners KEVIN SMITH secures consensus ALL-AMERICA honor NATIONAL HONORS UCF junior running back Kevin Smith became the first player in school history to earn NCAA consensus ALL-AMERICA All-America honors. Smith, who along with Arkansas junior Darren McFadden secured the two running Associated Press First Team RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. back spots, earned the status after being named first team on four of the five All-America teams used in FWAA First Team the selection process. The NCAA uses a point system based upon inclusion on five nationally recognized RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. Sporting News First Team All-America teams to determine whether a player will be awarded a spot on the consensus team. First- RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. Walter Camp First Team place honors are worth three points, second-place honors are worth two and third-place honors are worth RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. one. The Miami native has earned first team accolades on the Associated Press, Walter Camp, Football CBSSports.com First Team RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. Writers Association of America and The Sporting News teams, which gives him 12 total points. McFadden Phil Steele’s First Team RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. ,by virtue of being a unanimous selection on all five first teams, collected 15 points. Si.com First Team RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. Rivals.com’s Second Team EIGHT PLAYERS NAMED TO COACHES’ ALL-C-USA TEAMS RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. Conference USA Champion UCF had eight players recognized on the 2007 Coaches’ All-C-USA first and FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA second teams released on Dec. 4. C-USA’s 12 head coaches also placed a league-high four Knights on Sporting News Honorable Mention DL - Bruce Miller their all-freshman team. P - Blake Clingan CollegeFootballNews.com Honorable Mention Kevin Smith along with defensive end Leger Douzable, cornerback/punt returner Joe Burnett and DL - Bruce Miller long snapper Michael Buscemi were all named to the coaches’ first team - which were honors that the AT&T ALL-AMERICA PLAYER OF THE WEEK same quartet received from the league’s media. Senior defensive tackle Keith Shologan and junior strong RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Nov. 15 vs. UAB) safety Sha’reff Rashad were named to the league’s second team defensive unit. MID-SEASON ALL-AMERICA The Knights were well represented on the all-freshman team, equaling East Carolina with four play- SI.com’s Second Team RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. ers on the squad. Offensive tackle Jah Reid, who started four games and saw action in all 13 games on Phil Steele’s Third Team RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. special teams, was joined on the squad by a trio of defensive Knights. Linebackers Derrick Hallman and Darius Nall were also rewarded for their first year play. Hallman led all UCF rookies with 45 tackles and ALL-CONFERENCE USA HONORS he added three sacks, while Nall totaled 22 takedowns and a sack. Defensive end Bruce Miller earned a COACH OF THE YEAR George O’Leary, UCF (Media & Coaches) spot after registering seven sacks in his first campaign for the Knights. Miller was also one of six Knights named honorable mention All-Conference USA by the league’s CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Kevin Smith, UCF (Media) head coaches. Joining Miller on that list were offensive tackle Pat Brown, tight end Mike Merritt, defensive FIRST TEAM back Jason Venson, kick returner Curtis Francis and placekicker Michael Torres. RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Media & Coaches) OL - Josh Sitton, Sr. (Media) OL - Kyle Smith, Sr. (Media) LEAGUE-HIGH TEN PLAYERS TAbbED TO ALL-C-USA media TEAMS OL - Patrick Brown, Jr. (Media) DL - Leger Douzable, Sr. (Media & Coaches) UCF filled a C-USA-high eight positions on the Media’s 2007 All-Conference USA first teams that were DB - Joe Burnett, Jr. (Media & Coaches) announced on Nov. 20. In all, the Knights had a league-high 10 players on the first and second teams PR - Joe Burnett, Jr. (Media & Coaches) LS - Michael Buscemi, Sr. (Media & Coaches) with three UCF rookies earning all-freshman team honors. SECOND TEAM Junior Kevin Smith was joined on the first-team offensive unit by three UCF linemen: Kyle Smith, OL - Josh Sitton, Sr. (Coaches) Josh Sitton and Pat Brown. Joe Burnett was joined on the first-team defensive unit by senior end Leger OL - Kyle Smith, Sr. (Coaches) DL - Bruce Miller, RFr. (Media) Douzable. Senior long snapper Michael Buscemi was one of five specialists named to the first team along DL - Keith Shologan, Sr. (Coaches) DB - Shar’reff Rashad, Jr. (Media & Coaches) with Burnett. Buscemi was a second-team honoree a year ago on the coaches’ all-conference team. Burnett has been the league’s first-team punt returner in each of his three seasons for the Knights. ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM OL - Jah Reid (Media & Coaches) The Knights’ second-team members were both on the defensive side of the ball as junior strong DL - Bruce Miller (Media & Coaches) LB - Derrick Hallman (Media & Coaches) safety Sha’reff Rashad and freshman defensive end Bruce Miller were honored. Miller was also named LB - Darius Nall (Coaches) to the all-freshman team along with fellow Knights Jah Reid and Derrick Hallman. HONORABLE MENTION OL - Patrick Brown, Jr. (Coaches) GEORGE O’LEARY, KEVIN SMITH TAKE HOME C-USA TOP HONORS TE - Mike Merritt, Sr. (Coaches) DL - Bruce Miller, RFr. (Coaches) Both head coach George O’Leary and Kevin Smith earned their second C-USA individual awards of their DB - Jason Venson, Sr. (Coaches) K - Michael Torres, Sr. (Coaches) careers as the media and coaches have tabbed O’Leary as the league coach of the year for the second KR - Curtis Francis, Sr. (Coaches) time in three seasons and Smith shared the media’s co-offensive player of the year honors with Tulsa’s ACADEMIC HONORS Paul Smith after getting freshman of the year honors in 2005. Both the league’s media and 12 head CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-Academic coaches named Southern Miss Linebacker Gerald McRath the defensive player of the year, East Carolina ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM DL - Keith Shologan senior Chris Johnson the special teams player of the year honors, Houston quarterback Case Keenum the freshman of the year and Tulsa Brennan Marion the newcomer of the year. DISTRICT 3 FIRST TEAM DL - Keith Shologan DB - Sha’reff Rashad KEVIN SMITH SNARES THE MOST C-USA WEEKLY AWARDS IN 2007 WR - Rocky Ross This season, Kevin Smith picked up a league-high four C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors. He CONFERENCE USA ALL-ACADEMIC DL - Keith Shologan was the first player since Louisville’s Chris Redman (1998) to achieve that feat. UCF had a league-high nine DB - Sha’reff Rashad weekly awards as UCF also secured three weekly defensive accolades and two special teams awards. CONFERENCE USA WEEKLY HONORS Following the final weekend of regular season play, the Knights collected two of the three weekly OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK awards following their 36-20 victory over UTEP. Smith garnered his fourth offensive weekly honor of the RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Sept. 4 vs. N.C. State) season, while linebacker Cory Hogue collected his first weekly honor of his career. Hogue was one of RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Oct. 29 vs. Southern Miss) RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Nov. 12 vs. UAB) three Knight defenders to garner the defensive honor this season. RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Nov. 26 vs. UTEP) Defensive end Bruce Miller (Oct. 22 - Tulsa) and free safety Jason Venson (Sept. 24 - Memphis) were DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK also honored for their defensive efforts. Placekicker Michael Torres earned the league’s special teams DB - Jason Venson, Jr. (Sept. 24 vs. Memphis) DL - Bruce Miller, RFr. (Oct. 22 vs. Tulsa) player of the week award following the season-opening win at N.C. State (Sept. 4) and true freshman LB - Cory Hogue, Jr. (Nov. 26 vs. UTEP) Khymest Williams was honored for his special teams play following the victory at SMU (Nov. 19). SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK PK - Michael Torres, Sr. (Sept. 4 vs. N.C. State) KR - Khymest Williams, Fr. (Nov. 19 vs. SMU)

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the nation starts to take notice PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE FOR NEW COACHES As Kevin Smith was making his ascension up the NCAA single-season charts fans Head coach George O’Leary is in his fourth season at the helm of the Knights and media members across the nation were taking notice in a variety of ways. football program and entered 2007 with 17 of 22 starters back. Nine of those It started in week 10 when Smith darted for a career-high 320 yards and starters were on the offensive side of the ball, where the UCF had to replace four touchdowns in a conference divisional road win at UAB. Later that evening, prominent starters of a year ago, quarterback Steven Moffett and wide receiver ESPN College Gameday Final studio analyst Mark May saluted Smith with one Mike Walker. of his ceremonial “helmet stickers” in Saturday’s late evening broadcast. The On defense, the Knights had eight starters returning, including the entire “helmet sticker” signifies the day’s best performances. secondary which is made up of a quartet of juniors. That foursome is under the On top of that honor, AT&T propped Smith up for their national player of the direction of first-year assistant Earnest Collins, who spent the previous four week honors along with several other of the weekend’s standouts. He would go seasons working with the cornerbacks at Kansas. Collins is one of five new as- on to be named the AT&T All-America Player of the Week on Nov. 15 following a sistants on O’Leary’s staff at UCF as he is joined by Jim Freeman (offensive line), four-day nationwide online voting campaign on ESPN.com. Smith was the 11th David Kelly (wide receivers), Jim Panagos (defensive line) and John Skladany recipient of the weekly award. The Miami native garnered 35 percent of the (defensive coordinator). All the coaches except for Freeman were on board in nationwide vote, beating out quarterbacks Tim Tebow of Florida (26 percent), time for spring drills where they brought renewed energy and enthusiasm to the Joe Ganz of Nebraska (24 percent) and wide receiver Marcus Henry of Kansas squad. Freeman joined the staff in early July. (15 percent) in the fan voting. In the final week of the year, the writers at USA Today may have named UCF SETS WIN TOTAL RECORD IN 2007 Hawaii’s Colt Brennan their player of the week on Dec. 3 after the Warriors com- UCF’s 10 wins in 2007 established a new team record for victories in a season pleted an undefeated season, however, it was the online readers who responded since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) in 1996. differently. Kevin earned 91 percent of the vote to be named the readers’ player Only one other time since UCF began playing football 29 seasons ago in 1979 of the week, with 82,732 voters responding. has a team forged a 10-win season. The 1990 team went 10-4 during the Knights In conjunction with the Doak Walker finalist release on Nov. 18, ESPN.com first season playing in Division I-AA. UCF’s next best single-season performance staged an online vote for the award where the winner would earn one official vote came in 1998, when the Daunte Culpepper-led Knights finished 9-2 with no bowl for the top running back trophy. Smith handily won the online voting to earn an appearance. George O’Leary’s 2005 squad went 8-5 and also made trips to the additional vote, but nonetheless was not honored with being a finalist despite his C-USA Championship Game and Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. historic season rushing the ball. The Knights’ 7-1 Conference USA regular season mark in 2007 ties their May then gave Smith his second helmet sticker of the season following best league finish from the 2005 season. However, this season, UCF bested the junior’s 278-yard, four rushing touchdown effort in the C-USA Championship its 2005 effort by defeating Tulsa in the conference championship game for the Game. Smith earned MVP honors in that game as well. league title and AutoZone Liberty Bowl berth. UCF did go 6-2 in its first league season in the Mid-American Conference in 2002. KNIGHTS SHINE IN THE CLASSROOM A total of 15 FBS programs, including UCF, have double-digit wins this Senior defensive tackle Keith Shologan and junior strong safety Sha’reff Rashad season and only seven schools have more then 10 wins. both earned spots on the C-USA Football All-Academic Team. UCF, along with Memphis, Rice, SMU and Tulsa, placed two student-athletes on the all-academic TOP RECORD TURNAROUNDS team, while East Carolina, Southern Miss and UTEP had one selection each. For the second time in three sea- 2007 turnarounds Shologan became the school’s first CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-America sons, head coach George O’Leary Team 2006 2007 Turnaround selection after he was named to the first team on Nov. 29. Shologan was joined has orchestrated one of the top Illinois 2-10 9-3 +7 by Rashad and junior receiver Rocky Ross on the organization’s All-District 3 first turnarounds in the NCAA. UCF UCF 4-8 9-3 +5.5 Air Force 4-8 9-3 +5 team. enters the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Kansas 6-6 11-1 +5 This is the second-consecutive year that Rashad, who currently owns a 3.46 at 10-3 and has posted a six-game UConn 4-8 9-3 +5 GPA, was named to the all-conference academic team. Rashad was an ESPN turnaround from its 4-8 campaign Memphis 2-10 7-5 +5 The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in 2005. In the spring of in 2006. That is the second-best 2007, Rashad was named the UCF Male Scholar Athlete of the Year becoming turnaround in the nation this season. Only Illinois has a better turnaround, post- the second consecutive football player to earn the honor (Dan Veenstra, 2006). ing a 9-3 record in the regular season after going 2-10 last season. O’Leary led He was also named to Diverse Magazine’s Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Football the Knights to the fourth-best turnaround in NCAA history back in 2005 when the First Team. Knights also won the C-USA East title, posting an 8-5 record overall after going For Shologan, the all-conference accolade was the third academic award winless (0-11) in 2004 during his first season at the school. he had received this season. Off the field, he claims a 3.52 GPA while majoring in finance.

LARGEST CROWDS IN UCF HISTORY All seven home games at Bright House Networks Stadium have resulted in seven of the top 10 all-time home attendance figures in school history. Three of the seven games have been sellouts, which were the first in school history. Largest Home Crowds in UCF History Largest Away Game Crowds in UCF History Milestone Home Attendance Marks Opponent (Year) Attendance Opponent (Year) Attendance • Including an exhibition game against Moscow in 1992, 1. Tulsa (2005) 51,978 1. Penn State (2002) 103,029 a total of 3,116,637 have attended UCF home games 2. Virginia Tech (2000) 50,220 2. Penn State (2004) 101,715 through 29 seasons. 3. South Florida (2006) 46,708 3. Florida (2006) 90,210 • Including all games, home and away, a total of 4. Marshall (2007) 46,103* 4. Georgia (1999) 86,117 6,572,219 have watched the Knights play. 5. Texas (2007) 45,622* 5. Florida (1999) 85,346 • UCF fans broke the single-season attendance mark in 6. Tulsa (2007) 45,510* 6. Alabama (2000) 83,818 six regular season games (264,001) in 2007, surpass- 7. Tulsa (2007) 44,128 7. South Carolina (2005) 82,753 ing the school record 220,980 that attended seven 8. Louisiana-Lafayette (2007) 42,646 8. Wisconsin (2004) 82,116 home games in 2006. Including the Bright House 9. Memphis (2007) 42,153 9. Auburn (1997) 82,109 Networks Conference USA Championship a total of 10. UTEP (2007) 41,967 10. South Carolina (1997) 81,908 308,129 fans saw the Knights play at home this season *Sellout - an average of 44,018 fans.

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UCF BY THE NUMBERS SERIES NOTES UCF and Mississippi State will meet for the second time in program history at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Games (w/o 1992 exhibition game) A decade ago, a Daunte Culpepper-led UCF traveled to Starkville where it nearly pulled off an evasive 1 9/22/79 St. Leo W 21-0 SEC victory on the road, dropping a 35-28 decision on Oct. 25, 1997. UCF had lost to three of their four 50 9/8/84 at Louisiana-Monroe L 49-21 scheduled SEC road opponents by a combined 10 points during the 1997 season. 100 10/8/88 New Haven L 31-23 UCF has played four institutions from Mississippi in football, including the state’s big three in Mis- 150 11/21/92 at Samford L 20-13 sissippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss. The UCF vs. State of Mississippi series actually started 200 9/27/97 at Auburn L 41-14 in 1980-81 when the Millsaps College “Majors” out of Jackson began a home and away series with 250 11/24/01 Louisiana-Lafayette W 31-0 then-Division III UCF. 300 9/9/06 at Florida L 42-0 Although there are no players on UCF’s current roster from Mississippi, UCF’s all-time lettermen’s 324 12/29/07 Mississippi State list features three players from the Magnolia state: Chris Gunn, LB, 1999, Prairie; Dominik Kelly, CB, 2005-06, Quitman; Carlos Thompson, CB, 2001-02, McComb. Wins UCF’s trip to the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium marks the Knights third trip to the home field 1 9/22/79 St. Leo 21-0 of the Memphis Tigers. UCF, a I-AA member at the time, traveled to Memphis only to drop a narrow 50 10/28/89 Liberty 33-30 100 11/9/96 at UAB 35-13 37-28 decision in 1990. The rivalry renewed 15 years later when UCF joined Memphis in Conference 150 11/19/05 at Rice 31-28 USA. Last season, UCF once again traveled to the Liberty Bowl but came away victorious, 26-24, on 165 12/1/07 Tulsa 44-25 November 11. UCF is 4-0 vs. Memphis since 2005. UCF vs. the State of Mississippi Home Games (w/o 1992 exhibition game) 1 9/29/79 Fort Benning W 7-6 School Series Date Result Score H/A 50 11/15/86 Samford W 66-7 Millsaps 1-1 9/20/80 L 8-7 H 100 10/16/93 Western Illinois W 35-17 9/26/81 W 13-6 A 150 11/30/02 Ohio W 42-32 Mississippi 0-1 8/30/97 L 24-23 A 180 12/1/07 Tulsa W 44-25 Mississippi State 0-1 10/25/97 L 35-28 A Southern Miss 1-2 10/15/05 L 52-31 A Home Wins 9/26/06 L 19-14 H 1 9/29/79 Fort Benning 7-6 10/28/07 W 34-17 A 50 12/1/90 William & Mary 52-38 100 10/26/02 Akron 28-17 STREAKING KNIGHTS 117 12/1/07 Tulsa 44-25 UCF enters the AutoZone Liberty Bowl riding a school record hottest fbs teams seven-game win streak, setting the mark in its most recent entering the bowl season Away Games victory over Tulsa in the Bright House Networks Conference Team Winning Streak 1 9/22/79 at St. Leo W 21-0 USA Football Championship Game. The seven game win Hawaii 13 BYU 10 50 10/26/91 at Georgia Southern L 20-6 streak is also good for the third-longest in the nation behind UCF 7 100 11/4/00 at Louisiana Tech W 20-16 Hawaii (13) and BYU (9). Georgia 6 145 12/29/07 vs. Mississippi State The seven-game streak is also the longest in a regular- season for head coach George O’Leary during his head coaching career that spans 11 seasons. O’Leary Milestone Away Wins had a trio of five-game winning streaks while at Georgia Tech (1995-2001). Two of those came during 1 9/22/79 at St. Leo 21-0 the 1998 season when the Yellow Jackets went 10-2 and were ACC Co-Champions. O’Leary also had a 47 11/24/07 SMU 49-20 five-game winning streak in 1999 and also had one at UCF in 2005 when the Knights were C-USA East Division champions. Gene McDowell’s 1990 team (FCS) reeled off six-straight wins, which included a Division I Era Games pair of Division I-AA playoff games, en route to a 10-4 record. 1 8/29/96 William & Mary W 39-33 50 10/7/00 at Northern Illinois L 40-20 new STADIUM offers ‘REAL’ HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE 100 11/13/04 at Ball State L 21-17 Off to a 6-1 start at the brand-new on-campus Bright House Networks Stadium, including six consecu- 140 12/29/07 Mississippi State tive wins and one gutty game against Texas in the opener, the Knights are definitely enjoying a true home-field advantage. Milestone Division I Era Wins Including the conference championship game, UCF has totaled 296 points in seven home games 1 8/29/96 William & Mary 39-33 this season - good for an average of 42.3 ppg. That mark is a record for UCF since moving up to the FBS 50 10/21/05 Tulane 34-24 in 1996. In comparison, the 2006 Knights played seven regular season home contests at the Florida 68 12/1/07 Tulsa 44-25 Citrus Bowl and scored a total of 143 points. On the road, the Knights averaged 33.8 ppg and have a ON THIS DATE ... 4-2 record away from Orlando. From a historical perspective, in their first year playing at the FCS level The AutoZone Liberty Bowl marks the Knights second-ever in 1990, the Knights scored 298 points playing eight home games, including the I-AA playoffs. postseason bowl game as a member of the Football Bowl UCF fans broke the single-season attendance mark in six regular season games (264,001) this Subdivision. Two years ago, UCF appeared in the Sheraton season, surpassing the school record 220,980 that attended seven home games at the Citrus Bowl in Hawaii Bowl vs. Nevada. Prior to moving up to the FBS in 2006. Including the Bright House Networks Conference USA Football Championship Game, a total of 1996, UCF made three postseason tournament appearances 308,129 fans have seen the Knights play at home this season – a figure that places the school 48th in 1990 and 1993 (Division I-AA playoffs) and 1987 (Division nationally. The average attendance of 44,018 fans per game ranks 50th nationally. UCF home atten- II playoffs). dance was at 97.17 percent of capacity this season, a figure that ranks 34th nationally. UCF football in the postseason 2005 Nevada (Sheraton Hawaii Bowl) L, 49-48 (OT) SIX 2007 OPPONENTS REACH BOWL GAMES 1993 at Youngstown State (I-AA) L, 56-30 1990 at Georgia Southern (I-AA) L, 44-7 Half of UCF’s opponents in 2007 will be seen this postseason as they reached the seven-win mark 1990 William & Mary (I-AA) W, 52-38 during the campaign. Texas (Holiday), USF (Sun) and Tulsa (GMAC) all have nine wins, while East 1990 at Youngstown State (I-AA) W, 20-17 Carolina (Hawaii), Memphis (New Orleans) and Southern Miss (Papajohn’s.com) each posted seven 1987 Troy (D-II) L, 31-10 wins. Collectively, the Knights went 4-3 against these bowl-eligible opponents, including a 2-1 mark 1987 Indiana (Pa.) (D-II) W, 12-10 against C-USA East Division foes. 2007 conference usa champions 5 2007 conference usa champions

CONFERENCE USA TEAM SUCCESS Charting The Starts Since joining Conference USA prior to the 2005 campaign along with five other school institutions, the The following list includes all of UCF’s players who Knights have won 17 league games, which is tied with Tulsa for the most by the newcomers. Marshall, have at least one career start. Rice and UTEP each have 10 wins and SMU has won eight games since joining the league. UCF has gone 7-1, 3-5 and 7-1 in its three seasons, while Tulsa has finished 6-2, 5-3 and 6-2. Player Starts Streak OFFENSE NOTES Kamar Aiken 11 1 Emery Allen 3 OFFENSE ACCOUNTS FOR RECORD number of TOUCHDOWNS L.J. Anderson 32 3 The UCF offense has accounted for 56 of the Knights’ school-record 62 touchdowns. The team has Augustus Ashley 3 also scored six non-offensive touchdowns (two kickoff returns, one punt block return, one punt return Robert Batista 1 and two returns). In 12 games a year ago, the UCF offense totaled 25 of the team’s 27 Neil Bittong 4 touchdowns. The Knights 38.4 ppg placed them second in C-USA to Tulsa (39.5) and 13th nationally. Steven Baker 2 In league games only, UCF finished first with 42 ppg. Both scoring averages are school records. Patrick Brown 37 37 UCF’s scoring has come in a variety of ways. Outside of the 62 touchdowns, which also include Joe Burnett 33 13 41 rushing and 15 receiving, UCF has recorded two safeties and a two-point conversion. Additionally, UCF has made a school-record 21 field goals and 58 extra points. Twenty different players have scored Blake Clingan 12 9 for the Knights this season. In 12 contests last year, only 10 Knights recorded points. Jeremy DeVane 9 Leger Douzable 23 17 second quarter scoring frenzy A.J. Guyton 1 In 2007, 184 of the Knights’ 499 points have come in the second quarter (37.0 percent). Both figures Derrick Hallman 9 6 are new school records. In the conference championship against Tulsa, UCF put 21 points on the Chance Henderson 14 11 board in the second quarter. It marked the ninth time this season the Knights have scored at least two Cory Hogue 27 11 touchdowns in the second stanza. During their seven-game winning streak, the Knights have totaled Jake Howard 1 106 points during the second quarter. Fifteen of Kevin Smith’s 29 rushing scores this season have Dominic Ignelzi 14 come in the second quarter. Kyle Israel 18 14 EARLY BIRD SCORING IN 2007 Javid James 6 The Knights have nearly doubled-up their opponents in the first half, outscoring them 316-168 (+148) Sergio Joachim 4 in 13 games. A year ago, UCF scored 130 first-half points in 12 games. In fact, the Knights’ 184 Torrell Johnson 13 3 second-quarter points is one more than the 183 points the team has scored in the second half of Ricky Kay 1 games this season. Parker Langley 1 Cliff McCray 6 6 RUSHING RECORDS FALL BEHIND SMITH’S SEASON Mike Merritt 29 25 With four rushing touchdowns in the C-USA Championship Rushing touchdowns Bruce Miller 9 1 against Tulsa, Kevin Smith increased UCF’s school-record for Team Rush TDs 1. Navy 51 Cody Minnich 1 rushing touchdowns in a season to 41. The previous record 2. West Virginia 45 was 36, set by the 1990 team - whose 14-game schedule 3. UCF 41 Darius Nall 4 included three playoff games. Florida 37 Johnell Neal 37 12 5. Boise State 34 In the Tulsa game, the Knights rushed for 308 yards to Emeka Okammor 15 give them a school-record 3,156 rushing yards for the season. Individual (Team) Rush TDs Corey Rabazinski 15 The 1990 team had the previous-best rushing mark of 3,017 1. Kevin Smith (UCF) 29 2. Matt Forte (Tulane) 23 Sha’reff Rashad 32 26 yards. This season, UCF eclipsed the 300-yard rushing mark 3. Tim Tebow (Florida) 22 Jah Reid 4 on four occasions. 4. Jehuu Caulcrick (Mich. State) 21 Jordan Richards 11 With the effort against Tulsa, the Knights’ 3,156 rushing 5. Kalvin McRae (Ohio) 19 Breon Rogers 2 yards jumped into the top five on the C-USA single-season charts. UCF sits behind all-time leader Memphis, which had 3,215 yards in 2005. Rocky Ross 20 1 Keith Shologan 46 30 RUSHING OFFENSE RARELY exceeds PASSING - until this year Josh Sitton 41 38 Through 13 contests, the Knights have totaled 3,156 yards on the ground and 2,388 yards passing. Kevin Smith 33 13 In 28 previous seasons of varsity football, UCF has finished a season with more rushing yards than Kyle Smith 45 45 passing yards on only two occasions. In 1990, UCF had 3,017 yards on the ground and 2,546 via the Alex Thompson 2 air. In its third year of football, UCF also achieved the feat in 1981 (1,374 rushing; 1,313 passing). Travis Timmons 3 Michael Torres 22 8 RUSHING SCORES APLENTY Jason Venson 29 19 A year ago, only three Knights found the endzone via the ground. This season, five Knights – Kevin Smith (29), Kyle Israel (5), Phillip Smith (4), Michael Greco (2) and Curtis Francis (1) – have already Antonio Wallace 4 recorded rushing scores. UCF ranks third nationally with its 41 rushing TDs (Navy leads with 51, Brian Watters 1 1 followed by West Virginia, 45). The Knights have had at least two rushing touchdowns in 11 of 13 Lawrence Young 2 games this season. The team is averaging 242.8 yards on the ground this season, which ranks first in C-USA and ninth nationally. Senior Keith Shologan leads all active Knights with 46 career starts along the defensive front for UCF. Classmate Kyle Smith leads all offensive players with 45-consecutive starts.

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SCORING LEADER kevin SMITH ENDS ‘Special’ KAMAR AIKEN passes former wr MIKE WALKER STREAK True freshman Kamar Aiken has 32 catches for 574 yards and five touchdowns Junior running back Kevin Smith enters the bowl game as the nation’s leading through 13 games. All three of those totals are new UCF freshmen records (since scorer, with a total of 180 points off 30 touchdowns and a 13.85 ppg average. 1996 when UCF moved to the FBS). Aiken set the receptions’ mark with a 10-yard Second-place finisher Matt Forte, of fellow Conference USA member Tulane, had grab vs. Tulsa (Oct. 20). The mark was previously held by Mike Walker when 40 less points then Smith this season. he had 21 receptions for 337 yards in 2003. Aiken also broke the single-game When the Smith finishes the season as the team leader in points scored, receptions record by a freshman with his eight catches against East Carolina a long streak held by special team’s players will come to an end. A kicker has (Oct. 6). Walker’s previous record mark were his four catches against Florida paced the Knights in scoring for eight-straight seasons. The last position player Atlantic in 2003. to lead UCF in scoring was Daunte Culpepper in 1998 (72 points). Fellow frosh A.J. Guyton’s 23 reception also bested Walker’s rookie receiving total. Speaking of Guyton, his five catches for 21 yards in the season-opener at KEVIN SMITH SHOWS OFFENSIVE VERSATILITY NC State (Sept. 1) was the previous high by a UCF freshman in a single game In 2007, junior running back Kevin Smith has proved that he is far from a one- until Aiken passed him. dimensional player. In addition to being one of the best rushers in the nation, Smith has excelled as a pass-catcher. He has 21 receptions for 230 yards with KYLE ISRAEL CLOSING OUT SENIOR SEASON ON TOP one touchdown this year. Against Tulsa on Oct. 20, he registered his first receiv- Senior quarterback Kyle Israel admittedly knows just how big Kevin Smith’s im- ing score of his career, finding the endzone on a 15-yard pass from senior Kyle pact on the team’s offensive success this season. However, the Orlando-native Israel. He equaled his career-high with four catches in the victory over Marshall, has been a key contributor as well during the team’s seven-game win streak. He finishing that game with 236 total yards from scrimmage (188 rush, 48 rec.). For has helped lead the team to a C-USA championship and guidd the Knights to a his career, Smith has 43 receptions for 432 yards. program-best 10-3 record with above-average efficiency. During the win streak, Israel has seen his completion percentage vault back Spreading the ball around up to nearly 60 percent (59.9). After the initial 3-3 start, Israel’s completion rate When Sidney Haynes and Khymest Williams both tallied the first receptions of was at 52.6 percent. In the last seven games, Israel is back on target, completing their respective careers in the win at SMU (Nov. 17), the total number of players 93-of-139 passes (67.0 percent) for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns. with catches for the Knights this season grew to 15. Last year, 12 Knights posted The efficiency of Israel’s passes this season has been noted by head coach receptions. George O’Leary, with each completion coming in at 12.71 yards a clip and 7.6 Junior Rocky Ross leads all receivers with 48 receptions for a team-high 631 yards per pass attempt. For his career, Israel is one of UCF’s best in this category, yards. His 48 grabs are also a new career-high, surpassing his 36-catch total set ranking sixth all-time with 12.68 yards per completion (295/3,742) and fourth with a year ago as a sophomore. Rookie Kamar Aiken is second on the team in both 7.59 yards per attempt (493/3,742). Additionally, 41 percent of UCF’s first downs catches (32) and yards (574). Classmate A.J. Guyton ranks third on the team in (114/280) in 2007 have come by pass. both of those categories as well with 23 catches for 253 yards. Aiken leads all He enters the bowl game ranked among UCF’s all-time best in pass efficiency Knight receivers with five touchdowns, followed by redshirt freshman Brian Wat- with the fourth-highest number (132.64). His INT-to-attempt ratio is impressive at ters’ three and Guyton, Ross and Corey Rabazinski with two each. a program-low (.028) throwing only 14 over 493 career attempts. He presently stands in fifth-place all-time with a .598 pass completion percentage (295/493). OFFENSIVE ROOKIES GET PASSING GRADES Six freshmen, including five true ones, have combined for 75 of UCF’s 188 VETERAN O-LINE PAVING THE WAY TO SUCCESS receptions in 2007. Kamar Aiken leads the group with 32 catches, followed by UCF features one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines. The group A.J. Guyton with 23. Redshirt freshman Brian Watters (12), Ricky Kay (6), Sidney has more than 100 combined starts as four starters returned from a year ago. Haynes (1) and Khymest Williams (1) complete the grouping. Last season, a true The starting unit includes a pair of seniors – Josh Sitton and center Kyle Smith. freshman did not record a catch for the Knights. Sitton has made 41-consecutive starts. In 2006, Smith made starts at both left Aiken and Guyton became the first true freshmen duo to haul in touchdown guard and center, but made the permanent move to the middle for this season. passes in the same game since the Knights made the move to the Football Bowl He paces all UCF players with 45-consecutive starts. Junior left tackle Patrick Subdivision in 1996. Aiken corralled a 21-yard scoring reception in the first quarter Brown enters the C-USA Championship game with 38 career starts, the most by and Guyton added a 39-yard score in the second quarter against East Carolina any junior at his position in the country. Redshirt freshman Jah Reid now has four (Oct. 6). The two rookies combined for 14 catches and 194 yards in the loss to the career starts under his belt at right tackle and junior Cliff McCray joined the unit Pirates. Aiken teamed with another rookie in the Southern Miss game to haul in for a start at left guard vs. Southern Miss (Oct. 28). It was the former walk-on’s touchdown receptions in the same game as both he and redshirt freshman Brian first career start. McCray has started the last six games at left guard. Watters hauled in eight-yard scoring strikes from Kyle Israel. versatile SITTON STARTS AT THREE O-LINE spots ROOKIEs find THE THIS YEAR True freshmen have accounted for nine of UCF’s team-record 62 touchdowns Senior Josh Sitton has shown his versatility along the offensive line this season this season. Kamar Aiken paces all rookies with five touchdowns - all on recep- playing at three different positions during the 2007 season, while accumulating tions. A.J. Guyton has a pair of 39-yard receiving touchdowns as well. Darin 41 career starts. After starting the first six contests this season at right tackle, he Baldwin and Khymest Williams have scored on an interception and kickoff return, made his first career start at left guard vs. Tulsa (Oct. 20). That move ended a respectively. streak of 31 consecutive starts at right tackle that stretched back to his freshman season. The next week vs. Southern Miss (Oct. 28), Sitton started at right guard, a position he made six starts at during his true freshman season of 2004. At UAB (Nov. 10), he made his third-consecutive start at right guard before moving back to his customary right tackle position for the SMU (Nov. 17) game. UCF IN the Red Zone: One of the nation’s best RED ZONE SUCCESS • The Knights were perfect in red zone opportunities in eight of 13 games. Scored 53-of-59 times - 89.8 percent • The Knights were one of 15 teams to score at least 40 red zone TDs. 318 Points • The 89.8 efficiency rating was tied for 10th in the FBS. 40 Touchdowns • UCF went 7-for-7 in the red zone twice this season in games (vs. Memphis 13 Field Goals and vs. Tulsa in the regular season match-up). 2007 conference usa champions 7 2007 conference usa champions

2007 UCF chunk Play Chart (20-plus yards) Opp. Yds. Play Qtr. Player(s) UAB 21 INT Return 3rd Joe Burnett NC State 80 Rush 1st Kevin Smith UAB 20 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith NC State 26 Kick Return 1st Emery Allen UAB 51 Rush 3rd Curtis Francis NC State 26 Kick Return 2nd Emery Allen UAB 24 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith NC State 25 Rush 2nd Kevin Smith UAB 23 Rush 4th Kevin Smith NC State 21 Pass 2nd Israel-Ross UAB 41 Rush 4th Kevin Smith NC State 25 Kick Return 3rd Emery Allen UAB 59 INT Return 4th Johnell Neal NC State 42 Kick Return 4th Darin Baldwin SMU 99 Kick Return 1st Khymest Williams Texas 30 Kick Return 1st Emery Allen SMU 42 Kick Return 1st Curtis Francis Texas 20 Pass 1st Israel-Ross SMU 22 Rush 1st Kevin Smith Texas 24 Pass 1st Israel-Smith SMU 32 Rush 1st Kevin Smith Texas 28 Kick Return 1st Emery Allen SMU 53 Pass 2nd Israel-Ross Texas 32 Kick Return 2nd Emery Allen SMU 80 Rush 2nd Kevin Smith Texas 36 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith SMU 72 INT Return 3rd Johnell Neal Texas 32 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith SMU 21 INT Return 3rd Joe Burnett Texas 20 Kick Return 4th Darin Baldwin SMU 38 Pass 4th Greco-Haynes Texas 26 Kick Return 4th Emery Allen UTEP 36 Pass 2nd Israel - Aiken Texas 20 Kick Return 4th Darin Baldwin UTEP 25 Pass 2nd Israel - Guyton Texas 21 Pass 4th Israel-Joachim UTEP 39 Pass 2nd Israel - Guyton Memphis 29 Rush 1st Kevin Smith UTEP 21 Kick Return 2nd Khymest Williams Memphis 37 Punt Return 2nd Joe Burnett UTEP 38 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith Memphis 32 Punt Return 2nd Joe Burnett UTEP 37 Kick Return 3rd Khymest Williams Memphis 22 Pass 2nd Greco-Aiken UTEP 38 Kick Return 4th Curtis Francis Memphis 24 Pass 2nd Greco-Aiken UTEP 24 Pass 4th Israel - Aiken Memphis 72 Pass 3rd Israel-Aiken Tulsa 22 Kick Return 1st Khymest Williams Memphis 20 Kick Return 3rd Darin Baldwin Tulsa 35 Rush 1st Kevin Smith Louisiana 23 Kick Return 1st Emery Allen Tulsa 83 Punt Return 1st Joe Burnett Louisiana 56 Rush 1st Kevin Smith Tulsa 25 Pass 1st Israel - Ross Louisiana 20 Kick Return 1st Emery Allen Tulsa 26 INT Return 2nd Johnell Neal Louisiana 31 Pass 2nd Israel-Aiken Tulsa 46 Rush 2nd Kevin Smith Louisiana 20 Kick Return 2nd Emery Allen Tulsa 22 Pass 2nd Israel - Joachim Louisiana 22 Pass 2nd Israel-Kevin Smith Tulsa 59 INT Return 3rd Jason Venson Louisiana 28 Kick Return 3rd Curtis Francis Tulsa 74 Rush 4th Kevin Smith Louisiana 26 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith Louisiana 24 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith Bold denotes Touchdowns Louisiana 27 Kick Return 4th Curtis Francis Louisiana 22 Rush 4th Curtis Francis Plays by Yards: 20 through 29 - 19; 30 through 39 - 27; 40 through 49 - 6; 50-plus - 16. Louisiana 27 Rush 4th Curtis Francis Plays by Type: Kickoff Returns - 37; Passing - 26; Rushing - 30; Punt Returns - 3; INT ECU 93 Kick Return 1st Curtis Francis Returns - 6 ECU 23 Pass 1st Israel-Joachim Touchdowns: 21 ECU 21 Pass 1st Israel-Aiken Total Plays over 20 Yards: 109 ECU 39 Pass 2nd Israel-Guyton ECU 25 Kick Return 2nd Curtis Francis 20-Yards Plus Plays by Player: ECU 34 Pass 2nd Israel-Aiken Player No. (Type) ECU 36 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith Kevin Smith 30 (26 rush, 4 rec.) ECU 23 Rush 3rd Michael Greco Kyle Israel 22 (20 pass, 2 rush) ECU 29 Kick Return 4th Curtis Francis Curtis Francis 19 (16 KOR, 3 rush) USF 29 Kick Reutrn 1st Curtis Francis Emery Allen 10 (10 KOR) USF 25 Kick Return 1st Curtis Francis Kamar Aiken 9 (9 rec.) USF 42 Pass 2nd Greco-Kevin Smith Darin Baldwin 5 (4 KOR, I INT return) USF 27 Kick Return 2nd Curtis Francis Michael Greco 5 (4 pass, 1 rush) USF 31 Kick Return 3rd Curtis Francis A.J. Guyton 4 (3 rec., 1 KOR) USF 22 Kick Return 3rd A.J. Guyton Joe Burnett 5 (3 PR, 2 INT return) USF 28 Kick Return 4th Curtis Francis Khymest Williams 5 (5 KOR) USF 30 Kick Return 4th Curtis Francis Sergio Joachim 4 (4 rec.) Tulsa 22 Rush 1st Kyle Israel Rocky Ross 4 (4 rec.) Tulsa 30 Rush 2nd Kevin Smith Mike Merritt 2 (2 rec.) Tulsa 36 Pass 2nd Israel-Joachim Brian Watters 2 (2 rec.) Tulsa 31 Pass 3rd Israel-Merritt Johnell Neal 3 (3 INT return) Tulsa 44 Rush 4th Kevin Smith Derrick Hallman 1 (1 INT return) Tulsa 55 INT Return 4th Derrick Hallman Sidney Haynes 1 (1 rec.) So. Miss 32 Pass 2nd Israel-Aiken Jason Venson 1 (1 INT return) So. Miss 26 Pass 2nd Israel-Merritt So. Miss 20 Kick Return 3rd Curtis Francis 20-Yards Plus Plays by Game: So. Miss 25 Rush 3rd Kevin Smith Opponent No. (Type) So. Miss 22 Rush 3rd Kyle Israel N.C. State 7 (4 KOR, 2 rush, 1 pass) Marshall 87 Rush 2nd Kevin Smith Texas 11 (6 KOR, 3 pass, 2 rush) Marshall 29 Kick Return 2nd Curtis Francis Memphis 7 (3 pass, 2 PR, 1 KOR, 1 rush) Marshall 23 Pass 2nd Israel-Watters Louisiana 12 (5 KOR, 5 rush, 2 pass) Marshall 27 Pass 3rd Israel-Kevin Smith East Carolina 9 (4 pass, 3 KOR, 2 rush) Marshall 25 Kick Return 3rd Curtis Francis USF 8 (1 pass, 7 KOR) Marshall 30 Pass 4th Israel-Watters Tulsa 6 (2 pass, 3 rush, 1 INT return) Marshall 26 Kick Return 4th Curtis Francis Southern Miss 5 (2 pass, 2 rush, 1 KOR) Marshall 37 INT Return 4th Darin Baldwin Marshall 8 (1 rush, 3 pass, 3 KOR, 1 INT ret.) UAB 63 Kick Return 1st Khymest Williams UAB 10 (7 rush, 2 INT return, 1 KOR) UAB 36 Rush 1st Kevin Smith SMU 9 (3 rush, 2 KOR, 2 INT ret., 2 pass) UAB 20 Rush 1st Kevin Smith UTEP 8 (4 pass, 3 KOR, 1 rush) Tulsa 9 (3 rush, 2 pass, 2 INT ret., 1 KOR, 1 Punt Ret.) 8 autozone liberty bowl media guide autozone liberty bowl media guide

2007 UCF Scoring Drives Polling Place Game Qtr. Type P-Y-TOP Player(s) Associated Press (Week 14) USA Today Coaches’ (Week 14) NC State 1 TD 1-80-00:20 K. Smith 80-yard run NC State 1 FG 4-1-1:57 Torres 40-yarder 1. Ohio State (50) 11-1 1,578 1. Ohio State (46) 11-1 1,469 NC State 1 Safety Bruce Miller 2. LSU (11) 11-2 1,519 2. LSU (11) 11-2 1,418 NC State 1 FG 13-45-3:48 Torres 36-yarder 3. Oklahoma (1) 11-2 1,423 3. Oklahoma (2) 11-2 1,331 NC State 2 TD 6-71-2:09 K. Smith 8-yard run NC State 2 FG 8-42-2:17 Torres 19-yarder 4. Georgia (1) 10-2 1,421 4. Georgia 10-2 1,277 Texas 1 TD 8-68-2:37 K. Smith 2-yard run 5. Virginia Tech (1) 11-2 1,380 5. Virginia Tech 11-2 1,242 Texas 2 FG 5-31-0:38 Torres 47-yarder Texas 3 TD 5-71-1:02 K. Smith 3-yard run 6. USC 10-2 1,346 6. USC 10-2 1,227 Texas 4 TD 8-65-3:05 Israel 1-yard run 7. Missouri 11-2 1,195 7. Missouri 11-2 1,104 Texas 4 TD 6-38-0:49 Aiken 7-yard pass from Israel 8. Kansas 11-1 1,164 8. Kansas 11-1 1,099 Memphis 1 TD 10-81-3:25 K. Smith 3-yard run Memphis 1 TD 18-72-9:13 Israel 1-yard run 9. Florida 9-3 1,071 9. West Virginia 10-2 1,010 Memphis 2 TD 7-54-2:41 K. Smith 7-yard run 10. Hawaii (1) 12-0 1,050 10. Hawaii (1) 12-0 994 Memphis 2 TD 5-22-1:37 K. Smith 1-yard run 11. West Virginia 10-2 1,040 11. Arizona State 10-2 900 Memphis 2 TD 1-10:0:05 Greco 10-yard run Memphis 2 TD 5-75-1:30 Greco 10-yard run 12. Arizona State 10-2 939 12. Florida 9-3 890 Memphis 3 TD 2-79-0:47 Aiken 72-yard pass from Israel 13. Illinois 9-3 797 13. Illinois 9-3 747 Memphis 4 TD 9-71-3:57 P. Smith 3-yard run 14. Boston College 10-3 668 14. Boston College 10-3 617 Louisiana 1 FG 10-41-3:44 Batista 41-yarder Louisiana 1 TD 4-79-1:47 K. Smith 56-yard run 15. Clemson 9-3 614 15. Wisconsin 9-3 594 Louisiana 2 TD 8-68-1:50 K. Smith 1-yard run 16. Tennessee 9-4 554 16. Clemson 9-3 567 Louisiana 2 TD 9-70-3:58 K. Smith 1-yard run 17. Texas 9-3 517 17. Texas 9-3 498 Louisiana 2 TD 0-0-0 Ashley 19-yard blocked punt return Louisiana 3 TD 9-43-3:44 Rabazinski 1-yard pass from Israel 18. Wisconsin 9-3 447 18. Tennessee 9-4 480 E. Carolina 1 TD 0-0-0 C. Francis 93-yd kick return 19. Brigham Young 10-2 439 19. Brigham Young 10-2 462 E. Carolina 1 TD 8-86-3:40 Aiken 21-yard pass from Israel 20. Cincinnati 9-3 394 20. Virginia 9-3 332 E. Carolina 2 TD 5-54-2:11 Guyton 39-yard pass from Israel E. Carolina 2 TD 13-90-5:09 K. Smith 1-yard run 21. Virginia 9-3 344 21. Auburn 8-4 289 E. Carolina 3 FG 7-55-2:44 Torres 20-yarder 22. Auburn 8-4 264 22. Boise State 10-2 246 E. Carolina 4 TD 12-68-2:48 Israel 3-yard run 23. South Florida 9-3 246 23. Cincinnati 9-3 215 USF 1 TD 8-56-3:04 Israel 2-yard run USF 2 FG 9-60-5:07 Torres 35-yarder 24. Boise State 10-2 221 24. Arkansas 8-4 137 USF 4 Safety Sha’Reff Rashad 25. Arkansas 8-4 173 25. South Florida 9-3 115 Tulsa 1 TD 9-70-3:29 Israel 22-yard run Tulsa 2 FG 8-43-3:33 Torres 24-yarder Others Receiving Votes Others Receiving Votes Tulsa 2 TD 12-59-4:57 K. Smith 13-yard run Texas Tech 137, UCF 35, Connecticut Texas Tech 52, UCF 51, Connecticut Tulsa 2 TD 6-83-1:17 K. Smith 15-yard pass from Israel 31, Oregon 30, Oregon State 30, 23, Oregon State 23, Penn State 23, Tulsa 3 TD 9-75-3:18 K. Smith 4-yard run Tulsa 4 TD 1-44-0:09 K. Smith 44-yard run Michigan 26, Air Force 17, Kentucky Michigan 22, Air Force 20, Oregon 9, Tulsa 4 FG 4-8-1:48 Tores 25-yarder 13, Penn State 1, Wake Forest 1. Utah 6, Wake Forest 4, Michigan State Tulsa 4 FG 4-6-1:08 Torres 28-yarder 3, Houston 3, Tulsa 1. So. Miss 1 TD 9-39-4:33 K. Smith 1-yard run So. Miss 2 TD 5-63-2:24 K. Smith 5-yard run So. Miss 2 TD 9-90-4:40 Watters 8-yard pass from Israel UCF’s 100-100-300 Yard Club (2007) So. Miss 3 FG 8-56-3:45 Torres 41-yarder So. Miss 3 TD 17-80-8:56 Aiken 8-yard pass from Israel 100-YARD RUSHERS So. Miss 4 FG 10-26-5:36 Torres 31-yarder Player Stats Opponent Marshall 1 TD 11-61-4:02 K. Smith 2-yard run Kevin Smith 35-217 at NC State Marshall 1 FG 8-32-3:56 Torres 48-yarder Marshall 2 FG 15-58-4:56 Torres 21-yarder 27-149 No. 6 Texas Marshall 2 TD 3-99-1:15 K. Smith 87-yard run 22-124 Memphis Marshall 2 TD 6-71-1:37 Watters 23-yard pass from Israel 33-223 Louisiana-Lafayette Marshall 4 TD 8-70-3:19 Watters 30-yard pass from Israel 29-147 at East Carolina Marshall 4 TD 8-33-3:41 P. Smith 1-yard run 33-170 Tulsa Marshall 4 TD 0-0-0 Baldwin 37-yard interception return 43-175 at Southern Miss UAB 1 FG 6-10-2:25 Howard 44-yarder 29-188 Marshall UAB 1 TD 9-67-3:48 K. Smith 2-yard run 41-320 at UAB UAB 2 TD 11-73-4:07 K. Smith 3-yard run UAB 3 TD 2-21-0:26 K. Smith 8-yard run 20-177 at SMU UAB 3 TD 4-80-1:50 C. Francis 51-yard run 46-219 UTEP UAB 4 TD 10-60-5:01 Ross 4-yard pass from Israel 39-284 Tulsa UAB 4 TD 2-42-0:52 K. Smith 41-yard run SMU 1 TD 0-0-0 K. Williams kick return 100-YARD RECEIVERS SMU 1 TD 9-57-2:51 K. Smith 22-yard run Player Stats Opponent SMU 1 TD 6-65-2:15 P. Smith 7-yard run Kamar Aiken 4-131 Memphis SMU 2 TD 8-62-2:57 Aiken 15-yard pass from Israel 8-117 at East Carolina SMU 2 TD 1-80-0:14 K. Smith 80-yard run SMU 3 TD 0-0-0 Johnell Neal 72-yard INT return SMU 3 TD 5-53-1:53 P. Smith 10-yard run 300-YARD PASSERS UTEP 2 FG 8-51-2:59 Torres 47-yarder Player Stats Opponent UTEP 2 TD 7-76-2:59 Rabazinski 3-yard pass from Israel Kyle Israel 28-45-313 at East Carolina UTEP 2 TD 5-75-2:14 Guyton 39-yard pass from Israel UTEP 3 FG 13-58-6:00 Torres 28-yarder UTEP 3 FG 4-8-0:52 Torres 34-yarder Coaches Upstairs on Gameday UTEP 4 TD 10-60-5:02 Ross 4-yard pass from Israel UTEP 4 TD 6-37-2:42 K. Smith 2-yard run Tulsa 1 FG 7-47-2:38 Torres 28-yarder Dave Huxtable ...... Linebackers/Special Teams Tulsa 1 TD Joe Burnett 83-yard punt return Neil Hinchen ...... Offensive Graduate Assistant Tulsa 2 TD 8-69-3:31 K. Smith 3-yard run Tulsa 2 TD 2-69-0:29 K. Smith 46-yard run Brent Key ...... Tight Ends Tulsa 2 TD 9-69-4:07 K. Smith 4-yard run Tulsa 3 FG 6-36-2:50 Torres 21-yarder Tim Salem ...... Offensive Coordinator-RB Tulsa 3 FG 7-9-2:00 Torres 45-yarder Ryan Silverfield ...... Defensive Graduate Assistant Tulsa 4 TD 4-89-2:12 K. Smith 74-yard run

2007 conference usa champions 9 2007 conference usa champions

DEFENSE NOTES NEAL MAKES MOST OF HIS INTERCEPTIONS Junior Johnell Neal established new single-season school record in 2007 with UCF leads FBS WITH 23 INTERCEPTIONS 162 interception return yards on his career-high five interceptions. Many of the The UCF secondary enters the bowl season tied atop the national lead with yards came in back-to-back weeks when he returned a pick 72 yards for a score Papajohns.com Bowl-bound Cincinnati with a school-record 23 interceptions this at SMU (Nov. 17) and had a 59-yard INT return at UAB (Nov. 10). season. The 23 picks is more remarkable than many realize, as the defense went Perhaps his two biggest interceptions came in the C-USA Championship 19 consecutive quarters without an INT, partially spanning over six games from Game against Tulsa star quarterback Paul Smith, which most likely kept 14 ad- the fourth quarter of the Texas game (Sept. 15) in week two through halftime of ditional Golden Hurricane points off the scoreboard in a 44-25 victory. His first the Tulsa game (Oct. 20) in week seven. pick came in the second quarter on UCF’s own five-yard line, which was returned UCF had only three interceptions through the season’s first six games, then 26 yards. Two plays later, Kevin Smith scored on a 46-yard touchdown scamper. responded with 20 over its last seven. The former school-record for interceptions Neal also snuffed Tulsa on their opening drive of the third quarter snaring a Smith in a season was 20, which was registered twice (1981 and 1992.) pass in the UCF endzone for a touchback. The team’s 23 interceptions have also been returned for a school-record Neal’s new single-season record of 162 interception return yards topped 395 yards on the year. The previous team record for interception return yards Ray Irvin’s 17-year-old record of 161 yards in 1990. was 292 set in 1992. The defense enters the bowl game with the third-most interceptions in one ROOKIES rack up the turnovers season in C-USA history. The veteran defenders can claim their fair share of the 27 turnovers this season, Nine different Knights have registered at least one pick this season. In 2006, but five freshmen defenders have also accounted for five interceptions and two just six Knights had at least one interception as the team finished the campaign recoveries. with only 10 picks. It is no surprise that the teams top three pass bandits in 2007, Four true freshmen have tallied interceptions – cornerbacks Darin Baldwin Joe Burnett (6 INT), Johnell Neal (5) and Sha’Reff Rashad (4), are also among and Justin Boddie and linebackers Derrick Hallman and Lawrence Young. Bod- UCF’s all-time top 10 leaders in the category and all rank among the top 100 this die became the first true freshman since Joe Burnett in 2005 to register picks in season in the FBS. back-to-back games with his third-quarter interception against Marshall (Nov. 3). Baldwin turned his first-career interception into a touchdown, taking the intercep- TURNOVER MARGIN KEY DURING WIN STREAK tion back 37 yards for a score against Marshall. Redshirt freshman defensive Entering the bowl game, UCF is a respectable 39th nationally in turnover margin end Bruce Miller has a fumble recovery, as does Hallman. (+.31). Despite a streak of 18 straight quarters (4.5 games) without recovering a turnover in the first-half of the season - from Memphis (Sept. 22) in week three SHA’REFF RASHAD LEADS THE DEFENSE IN TACKLES through halftime against Tulsa (Oct. 20) in week seven - the defense has made Through 13 games, Sha’reff Rashad is the team leader with 94 total tackles, a dramatic turnaround in forcing turnovers. including a team-high 77 solo tackles, which ranks 20th nationally. He also has During the team’s present seven-game win streak, the defense has forced four interceptions, five tackles for loss, seven quarterback hurries and a forced 22 turnovers, including 20 interceptions. UCF has only given up the ball seven fumble. Rashad has also accounted for one of the team’s two safeties. In 2006, times in the last seven games (4 INT, 3 fumbles) for a +2.14 margin per game. he led the Knights with four interceptions, a total that tied for third in C-USA.

BURNETT TAKES OVER C-USA LEAD IN INTs DEFENSIVE SACK LEADERS Junior Joe Burnett has been responsible for five turnovers in the Knights’ last six UCF leads Conference USA with 38 sacks on the season and has also added 35 games. With his interception in the victory over UTEP (Nov. 24) in the regular quarterback hurries. Senior defensive end Leger Douzable leads the team and season finale, Burnett moved to the top of the C-USA charts with his sixth pick of is second in C-USA with 7.5 QB takedowns. Redshirt freshman Bruce Miller is the season. That figure ties him for 21st nationally. a half-sack off Douzable’s pace with seven sacks on the year, which is good for The interception also moved him to within one of former Knight Keith Evans, third in the league. Fourteen different Knights have accounted for at least one who is the UCF’s career record holder with 13 career interceptions (1986-88). sack this year, including four true freshmen. Burnett’s career total of 12 is also tied for sixth on the C-USA career charts. Burnett’s six interceptions are a career-high, surpassing the five he had during 2005 when he earned freshman All-America honors. Burnett is UCF’s interception leader during the FBS era.

2007 first-time starters True Freshmen Starts Blake Clingan, P ...... 12 (53 punts, 2,147 yards, 12 Inside 20) Sophomore Kamar Aiken, WR ...... 11 (32 catches, 574 yards, 5 TDs) Travis Timmons, DT ...... 3 (17 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF) Derrick Hallman, LB ...... 9 (45 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 3 sacks) Alex Thompson, LB ...... 2 (11 tackles) Darius Nall, LB ...... 4 (22 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 FF) Lawrence Young, LB ...... 2 (31 tackles, 2 FF, 1 interception) Junior A.J. Guyton, WR ...... 1 (23 catches, 253 yards, 2 TDs) Cliff McCray, OG ...... 6 Ricky Kay, FB ...... 1 (6 catches, 60 yards) Antonio Wallace, DE ...... 4 (27 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2.5 sacks) Jake Howard, PK ...... 1 (1-for-1 FGs, 44 yards, 7-for-7 PATs) Redshirt Freshmen Bruce Miller, DE ...... 9 (35 tackles, 9 TFLs, 7 sacks) Senior Jah Reid, RT ...... 4 Parker Langley, P ...... 1 (4 punts, 153 yards) Brian Watters, WR ...... 1 (12 catches, 148 yards, 3 TDs) 2007 Conference USA Champions

10 autozone liberty bowl media guide autozone liberty bowl media guide

hammer down award The UCF football team has implemented a new weekly award for the 2007 season to be given to the individual who performs best on special teams during a respective week of practice and the game that follows. The ‘Hammer Down’ award is a gold and black painted sledge hammer that is awarded to the Knight that earns the highest special teams grade based on a plus-minus points system. Players are graded on a wide variety of special teams aspects and given positive points for good plays, while earning negative points for bad ones. All areas of special teams are included in the award (kickoffs, kickoff returns, punts, punt returns, field goals, extra points). By playing on several special teams units, the players chances of winning the award are increased. The player who earns the weekly award is responsible for the bringing the sledge hammer to all team meetings and practices during the week he earned the award. The hammer hangs below a ‘Hammer Down’ sign at the practice fields while the team works out. Players are eligible to win the award more than once during the season and are encouraged to maintain the honor throughout the season. At the conclusion of the 2007 campaign, the gold and black hammer will be made into a trophy and given to the player with the most weekly awards.

2007 ‘Hammer Down’ Award Winners Preseason: Emery Allen Week One (NC State): Rocky Ross Week Seven (Tulsa): Brian Watters Week Two (Texas): Darin Baldwin Week Eight (Southern Miss): Michael Torres Week Three (Memphis): Curtis Francis Week Nine (Marshall): Sha’reff Rashad Week Four (Louisiana): Augustus Ashley Week 10 (UAB): Michael Buscemi Week Five (East Carolina): Curtis Francis Week 11 (SMU): Johnell Neal Week Six (USF): Brian Watters Week 12 (UTEP): Curtis Francis

2007 special teams highlights • The Knights have blocked three kicks during the season and scored three special teams touchdowns. • The first blocked kick came vs. Memphis when Johnnell Neal misdirected a field goal attempt against the Tigers. • In the Louisiana game, Augustus Ashley blocked a punt and corralled the loose ball, returning it 19 yards for a touchdown. • Curtis Francis returned the opening kickoff against East Carolina 93 yards for his first-career touchdown and had 203 total kick return yards in the game (second highest single-game total in school history). Also against the Pirates, the Knights blocked their second punt of the season when sophomore Travis Timmons got his hands on one in the third quarter. Joe Burnett has a pair of 30-plus yard punt returns and set the UCF career record for punt return yardage vs. the Pirates (52 rets., 721 yards). • True freshman Khymest Williams returned the opening kickoff against SMU 99 yards for his first-career touchdown (the fourth-longest KO return for touchdown in school history). • The Knights’ field goal kickers have converted on 21-of-23 attempts, including a 19-for-21 effort by senior Michael Torres. Torres has made a school record 15-consecutive field goals.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES For the season, Francis has 22 returns for 643 yards, which ranks him first in C-USA and 12th nationally with an average of 29.23 per kick return. Francis’ return KICKERS SET PAT RECORD IN 2007 for a touchdown against the Pirates was the first by a Knight since Paul Miranda This year, UCF has made 58 PAT attempts, a new single-season record. The returned one 88 yards for a score vs. Toledo 11 seasons ago (Nov. 22, 1997). He previous mark was 47, which was established in 1994. That year, Charlie Pierce ranks third on the UCF career charts with his 75 returns for 1,674 yards. connected on all 47 PATs for the Knights. This season, Michael Torres leads three The special teams standout has also seen some action at running back this kickers connecting on 50 PATs as UCF is 58-of-60 overall in the category. season, establishing new career-highs in rushes (33) and yards (215) and scored his first career rushing touchdown on a 51-yard scamper in the third quarter of MICHAEL TORRES LEADS KICKING TRIO TO SCHOOL- the win at UAB (Nov. 10). RECORD NUMBERS The Knights have used three field goal kickers this season to post a 21-for-23 BURNETT ECLIPSES PUNT RETURN MARK ledger on three-pointers in 2007. Senior Michael Torres has taken most of those A three-time Conference USA first-team punt returner, Joe Burnett recently kicks, connecting on 19-of-21. With a 3-for-3 effort in the Tulsa game, Torres has displayed why he has merited this recognition year-in and year-out. In the C- made 15 consecutive field goals, which moved him past Charlie Pierce for the USA Championship victory over Tulsa, Burnett took a punt return 83 yards for school record in that category. Pierce made 12 straight field goals during the a touchdown that put UCF ahead, 10-0, in the first quarter. The 83-yard return 1993 season. His 19 made kicks also set a new school record, passing Scott for a touchdown broke the C-USA championship game record he set in the 2005 Ryerson (18) in 1991. Torres made 17 field goals in his junior season, which was game ,going 68 yards vs. Tulsa. The return was also the third-longest in UCF his first with the Knights after transferring from UMass. The other two kickers to school history. Burnett’s long return in the C-USA title game helped elevate him make field goals for UCF this season are Jake Howard (44-yarder vs. UAB) and to 25th nationally with an 11.1 per return average (25-for-277). Michael Batista (41-yarder vs. Louisiana). Torres enters the bowl game ranked Burnett became the school’s all-time leader in punt return yardage this 24th nationally in scoring and tied for 19th in field goals made. season with 872 yards on 64 career attempts. The 64 attempts places second to Mike Dickinson (1989-92) and his 85 career returns. For his career, Burnett CURTIS FRANCIS BOLSTERS KICKOFF ATTACK is second all-time at UCF with 13.63 yards per return, sitting only behind Siaha Senior Curtis Francis has posted two of the five best single-game kick return yard- Burley (1997-98) and his 13.95 ypr average. age efforts in UCF history this season. Against East Carolina (Oct. 6), Francis had Burnett, the preseason C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year, ranks five returns for 203 yards (No. 2 all-time), including a 93-yarder for a touchdown fourth on the single-season list this season with his 25 returns for 277 yards. His on the opening kick of the game. A week later at USF (Oct. 13), the Green Cove 2005 season where he returned 28 punts for 463 yards still stands atop the UCF Springs native, tied a school record with seven returns, netting 184 yards (No. single-season lists. 5 all-time). Tulsa must have been watching film because the Golden Hurricane kicked away from the senior on its four kickoffs (Oct. 20).

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