Archive for March, 2010

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Reports: UCF RB Brynn Harvey to have knee surgery, miss rest of spring

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

The UCF football team took another big hit to its running back corps on Monday.

The Knights, who already lost backup running back Jonathan Davis to team suspension this week for missing class, learned on Monday they will be without starter Brynn Harvey for the remainder of the spring after he suffered a knee injury on the first play during Saturday’s scrimmage. Harvey will require surgery on the knee, sidelining him for the remainder of the spring, although coaches are adament he will recover in time for preseason camp in August.

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Taking the bulk of the snaps until Harvey or Davis return will be Brendan Kelly, Brandon Davis and Kerlon Williams.

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IT’S OFFICIAL: Marshall’s Donnie Jones to take coaching job at UCF

Monday, March 29th, 2010

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UPDATE 2:18 P.M. – It’s official. Donnie Jones will be introduced as the next head coach of the UCF men’s basketball team in a press conference on Tuesday, according to a UCF Athletics press release.

“Donnie Jones is an excellent coach, a phenomenal recruiter and a great person,” Tribble said in a press release. “We are thrilled to welcome Donnie and his family to Orlando and the UCF Athletics community. Donnie has a vision for this program that includes attracting top-notch student-athletes and competing for championships. He is the right coach to lead UCF men’s basketball to the next level.”

The press conference will be held at 2 p.m. on the UCF Arena floor, which is open to the public.

ORIGINAL POST: According to multiple sources, Marshall head coach Donnie Jones will be the next head coach of the UCF men’s basketball team.

News broke late Sunday night and early Monday morning about the move, although UCF officials have yet to confirm.

“At this time, any announcement on the UCF men’s basketball coaching vacancy is premature,” UCF basketball SID Doug Richards said in an email.

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UCFSports.com was the first to report the news last night, with media outlets like the Orlando Sentinel, ESPN.com, Foxsports.com and CSBSports.com to follow.

Jones, who just completed his third season with the Thundering Herd, went 24-10 last season and 11-5 in Conference USA. He went 55-41 in his time with Marshall.

A native to West Virginia, Jones is no stranger to the state of Florida. Prior to his head coaching stint at Marshall, Jones spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach with the Florida Gators under Billy Donovan. He was a part of both national title teams with the Gators.

Jones will replace Kirk Speraw, who was let go after 17 seasons with the Knights.

More details to come soon.

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TSR Team Breakdown: Backs, receivers lead play-making offense

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

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Courtesy UCFSports.com

Brandon Davis (27) and Brynn Harvey (34) will be the two-headed monster at the running back position for the Knights next season.

With a two-man race at quarterback, and playmakers all over the field, the UCF offense should feature a new dynamic this spring. Here is a breakdown of the offense in spring ball:

Quarterbacks
And then there were two. Rob Calabrese and Jeffrey Godfrey remain in the race for the opportunity to lead the Knights next season. Calabrese, who was named No. 1 on the depth chart by head coach George O’Leary heading into spring practice, will make his third attempt at securing the starting job, and it won’t be a cake walk with some talent behind him. Godfrey, although just a freshman, has turned a lot of heads this spring with his rocket armplay-making ability. But expect Calabrese to get as many opportunities as possible to win the opening-day job, but he will have some stiff competition.

If for some reason both Calabrese and Godfrey can’t win the job, transfers L.D. Crow and Brian Taaffe await the opportunity. Crow, a transfer from Stanford, and Taaffe, a transfer from Fordham and son of offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe, have taken limited reps in practice, but will have the  opportunity to prove they should be thrown into the mix come the spring game.

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Running backs
Brynn Harvey finally emerged as a No. 1 running back after a successful 2009 season. The sophomore rushed for 14 touchdowns and 1, 174 yards on 261 carries to lead the rushing attack last season, but it was the play of his backup that caught the attention of the coaches. Jonathan Davis, who was originally recruited as a linebacker, filled the role as Harvey’s backup last season and rushed for 4.8 yards per carry and four touchdowns.
Both backs return this season and are looking for that same 1-2 combo they filled so well last season.

Fullback
The always reliable Ricky Kay will be back leading the blocking lanes for Harvey and Davis, but there is another name in the mix to help provide some depth. Latavius Murray, who tore his ACL and sat out all last season,  is back with the Knights and is looking to have an impact on the offense at a new position.

Receivers
The talent level at this position is unending. Yeah, UCF lost one of its top receivers over the last couple of years in Rocky Ross, but the Knights return and welcome in a wealth of talent at this position.

UCF welcomes back A.J. Guyton, who led the team with 572 yards receiving last year, Brian Watters, Jamar Newsome, Quincy McDuffie and not to mention Kamar Aiken, who broke all of former UCF WR and current NFL star Brandon Marshall’s weight room records in the offseason.

Now add in Nico Flores, who moved from QB to WR before spring, signees Joshua Reese, who was a four-star prospect, and Jordan Akins, and this receiving corps becomes one of the most talented and competitive group of players on not just the offense, but the entire team.

As for tight end, Adam Nissley’s 6-foot-6, 286-pound frame will be back for the Knights after averaging 15.9 yards per reception last season.

Offensive line
The youth of the offense lies in the guys up front. Seven of the nine names listed 1-2 on the depth chart are underclassman, which means veterans such as Jah Reid and Cliff McCray, if he gets granted eligibility from the NCAA, will have to help this inexperienced line grow up fast.

Another name that hasn’t surfaced yet is top prospect Perry Meiklejohn, who enrolled at UCF in December after graduating early from Wesminster Christian High School. His size could help add to the line, but, like the entire o-line, he too is inexperienced.

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TSR’s Top-5 Questions heading into UCF’s Spring Football Season

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

With the start of spring practice getting underway tomorrow morning, here are the five biggest questions heading into the spring:

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1. Can Rob Calabrese hold on to the starting quarterback spot?

On Wednesday, UCF head coach George O’Leary announced that Rob Calabrese is No. 1 on the depth chart heading into the spring, but the question in everyone’s mind is just how long he will keep the starting spot. Freshman Jeffrey Godfrey is right behind him on the depth chart and generated a lot of buzz for the Knights 2010 recruiting class.

CHECK OUT MY SPRING BLOG STARTING TOMORROW ON THE WEBSITE.

The only enemy to Calabrese in the past has been himself. Physically, he has all the tools to start for the Knights, but mentally he freezes up out on the field. Godfrey will be stiff competition for Calabrese and keep in mind, transfers L.D. Crow of Stanford and Brian Taaffe of Fordham are right behind waiting for the opportunity to sneak into the mix.

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2. Will the recruiting class live up to the hype?

It’s always tough to say in the first season, but I can guarantee you that more than one person from this fall’s recruiting class will have an impact on the football field next season. Keep an eye on WR Joshua Reese and Godfrey out of Miami Central, as their play-making abilities should enable them to see the field before others in the class.

Defensively, Quenton Brown out of Tucker, Ga. has the chance at making the most immediate impact this season. With the loss of key players on the defensive line in Torell Troup and Jarvis Geathers, Brown could sneak his way into the end rotation with a solid spring.

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3. Will the Knights be unveiling a wildcat formation?

The answer to that question would be a yes, it’s just a matter of how long it takes the team to insert the formations into the offense. O’Leary announced the move of redshirt sophomore Nico Flores moving from the quarterback position to WR on Wednesday and that he will be used as a receiver and as a quarterback in the “wildcat” formation.

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It will be interesting to see who offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe inserts into the formation other than Flores. Speedy guys like Quincy McDuffie could see a lot of time on the field in the formation and it will definitely make for big-play potential, something lacking last season. I expect the Knights to test this formation a handful of times during the spring and I wouldn’t be surprised if they unveil it to the public during the spring game.

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4. Will the offensive line improve in spring ball?

Outside of the quarterback position, the biggest question mark heading into the spring rests on the offensive line. Senior leadership in Jah Reid and Cliff McCray should help the youth on the line gel. Zac Norris, a RS junior, is the starter at center and needs to learn fast to protect whoever is behind him at quarterback.

The Knights also moved the 6-foot-5, 283-pound redshirt freshman Chris Martin, formerly on the defensive line, to backup Nick Pieschel at left tackle. He should be able to provide depth. He is one of seven underclassmen on the offensive line. If the Knights are to have any success this season with running back Brynn Harvey and whomever they put under center, the offensive line must make some much-needed strides in spring practice.

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5. Who will replace Torell Troup’s production and leadership on defense?

Truthfully, and I know it’s cliché, but it will take a total team defensive effort to replace the National Football League prospect. Luckily, the Knights have one of the best defensive players in the nation in Bruce Miller returning to the defensive line in 2010. Miller is ninth in career sacks in the state of Florida’s collective BCS history with 27. He had 12 sacks in 12 games last season and was tied for 18th in the nation in tackles for loss with 16.5.

Other names on the line that will need to step up to replace Troup are redshirt freshman Frankie Davis and the versatile Wes Tunuufi Sauvao, who has seemed to dance between offensive and defensive line positions every spring.

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TSR’s Spring Football Blog: 3/20 Spring Practice Notes

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

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Courtesy UCFSports.com

Jeffrey Godfrey looked solid in his second day of spring practice in a UCF uniform.

Made it out to my first football spring practice today and compiled some interesting notes from the day’s work:

  • Today was the final day of workouts without pats. Players will dress in pads starting Monday morning for spring practice.
  • Nico Flores seems to be a spark plug for the receiving core. He made a couple of nice one-handed catches during drills this morning.
  • A number of defensive backs had trouble with their footing on the field in reaction time drills. The entire field was cut up from cleats today.
  • Brynn Harvey made a couple of nice cuts with the running backs today. He will not be known as a guy who will blow you away with speed, but he looks to be working on his cutbacks.

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  • As a weight room note, Kamar Aiken broke all of Brandon Marshall’s records for weights, including benching 485 pounds.
  • Jeffrey Godfrey really impressed me in the first live action I saw of him. He’s No. 2 right now behind Rob Calabrese but he definitley had the better practice today. He has a ton of zip on the ball and has a lot of control under center. He was also very successful with the roll-out pass. I also saw a very timely release in his three-step drop.
  • Aiken had a nice stop-and-go pattern down the field, but dropped a perfectly-placed pass by Calabrese on a go route.
  • Calabrese didn’t impress me too much today. With the exception of a couple of nice throws down the field, he had a tipped ball which was almost intercepted and struggled hitting his targets.
  • I saw a couple of different formations today, but according to rules I am not allowed to release them. Let’s just say there will be a new dynamic to the offense next season.
  • Flores made a nice shifty move on a stop and go route in the scrimmage. Looks to have a nice burst of speed once he makes the catch.

Note: Audio and videos of interviews from practice will be uploaded soon

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Orlando Sentinel: UCF signs five-year deal with Nike as official sponsor

Friday, March 19th, 2010

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Courtesy Orlando Sentinel

Marcus Jordan wore his father’s Air Jordan brand to start the season, sparking the divorce between UCF and Adidas.

UCF has officially found a replacement for Adidas as the school’s official sponsor.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, UCF and Nike signed a five-year agreement on Friday afternoon to provide the school with shoes and apparel for all sports.

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“We had explored a number of different options with a number of different manufacturers and equipment providers and ultimately we have reached an agreement with Nike,” David Chambers, UCF executive associate athletic director, said to the Orlando Sentinel.

Nike is said to have a nondisclosure agreement tied to all shoe and apparel contracts, so details for the deal could not be released, but the deal is said to have multiple options for extensions.

For updates on your news feed, become a fan of TSR on Facebook.

The Knights had a nasty divorce with it’s previous sponsor, Adidas, when Marcus Jordan, son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, refused to wear Adidas shoes in the opening game this season and dawned his father’s Air Jordan’s. Marcus was said to have cleared the ability to wear his father’s shoes with representatives of Adidas before the season, but the shoe company later changed it’s mind.

UCF and Adidas parted ways in December, paving the way for the school to begin a search for a new sponsor.

The current Adidas deal ends on June 30 while the Nike contract will begin on July 1.

UCF can expect to have all of it’s equipment in time for the start of football season, which will include new uniforms in each sport, including football.

“No question, we will see a new jersey,” Chambers said to the Orlando Sentinel. “A new uniform. It will be exciting.”

UCF Director of Athletics Keith Tribble released a statement about the partnership, which will outfit each of the 16 intercollegiate sports teams at UCF.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with NIKE,” Tribble said in a press release. “Most importantly, our student-athletes will be thrilled to wear the NIKE brand. We look forward to a long relationship with NIKE.”

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AUDIO: Possible Candidates to Replace Kirk Speraw

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

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UPDATE: Matt and I talked with RealGM.com columnist Jarrod Rudolph on Tuesday afternoon. Below is the audio. He talks about his feelings on the move to not retain Kirk Speraw and who he thinks will fill in as the UCF men’s basketball coach.

ORIGINAL POST: UCFSports.com writer Brandon Helwig compiled a pretty impressive list of possible replacements for Kirk Speraw as the UCF men’s basketball head coach.

In respect to his subscribers, I will not release his list, but I will tell you there are a lot of interesting and impressive names on there. There are current “big name” college basketball recruiters listed as well as a current assistant coach in the NBA.

If you are a subscribed and want to check out his list, click here. If you aren’t subscribed to UCFSports.com, go here to sign up for a free 7-day trial.

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TSR’s NCAA Tournament Picks: UK is the way

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

With the tournament so top heavy with the No. 1 and 2 seeds seeming so far ahead of those 3’s and 4’s, my bracket this year might not surprise you. My bracket is below, but here are some of my picks:

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Best overall team: This one was tough, because I’m between the team I feel that has the best chance of getting to the championship game (Kentucky) and the most balanced team in the tournament (Duke). I went with my national championship pick: Kentucky. They have the best player in the tournament in John Wall and his great sidekick, DeMarcus Cousins. My only concern for them is whether they can muscle past some of the pesky teams in their bracket in Temple and Wisconsin, but they should be on their way to a solid run deep into the tournament.

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Biggest sleeper: Rich-what? Richmond. They have a history of making some serious runs in the tournament and they have one of the most balanced teams with experience, guard play and defense in the tournament. I have their road to destiny being halted by Villanova in the second round, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they took down the Wildcats and made a run to the elite eight.

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Top seed most likely to fall: This one has to go to Syracuse, although Villanova made a run at this pick for me. Ask me this same question two weeks before the tournament and I wouldn’t even touch the Orange near this category, but late-season struggles lead me to believe that this team is susceptible to an upset.

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Surest lock for an elite eight bid: Duke, without question, is guaranteed a spot in the final eight. They rank in the tops in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency and have talent up and down the lineup. Of their five losses, only one of those were by double digits and that was to a very good Georgetown team that was ranked No. 7 when they lost 89-77 back on Jan. 30.

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Pre-Spring Football Report: Calabrese leading for job, Flores moved to WR

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

I was unable to make the George O’Leary press conference today, but thanks to great tweets by Orlando Sentinel beat writer Iliana Limon, I was able to get some pretty important notes.

George O’Leary said that it is an open quarterback race heading into spring football but it has been nailed to a two-man horse to start. O’Leary said Calabrese is so far the front runner for the position with Jeffrey Godfrey as the No. 2 guy behind him.

Another interesting note is that O’Leary has elected to move Nico Flores from QB to WR and he is said to be also working out of the wildcat formation as a quarterback next season.

Iliana also tweeted that DC Dave Huxtable said that “Frankie Davis, E.J. Dunston, Victor Gray and Wes Sauvao are strong candidates to play on the D-line.”

I’ll post more as the updates come in…

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UCF Football’s 2010 Schedule Released

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

UCF released it’s 2010 football schedule. Check out the press release below:

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – Conference USA announced its 2010 football schedules on Tuesday and UCF will play six home games at Bright House Networks Stadium this fall. There is no better way to catch the Knights in action than through a Golden Knights Club membership, or go online to UCFAthletics.com for several other season ticket package options starting at $99.

The Knights will play host to South Dakota (Sept. 4), NC State (Sept. 11), UAB (Wed. Oct. 6), Rice (Oct. 23), East Carolina (Oct. 30) and Southern Miss (Nov. 13). UCF’s annual Family Weekend is slated for Sept. 11, when the Knights face NC State of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Rice game on Oct. 23 will serve as a part of the campus’ annual Homecoming weekend festivities. In 2010, the Knights will take to the road for contests at Buffalo (Sept. 18), Kansas State (Sept. 25), Marshall (Wed. Oct. 13), Houston (Fri. Nov. 5), Tulane (Nov. 20) and Memphis (Nov. 27).

ESPN and C-USA announced that three UCF games have been picked up for national television and were moved to weeknight primetime broadcast windows. The Knights’ home game against UAB and road game at Marshall will be on Wednesdays, while UCF’s road game at Houston will take place on a Friday night. The two Wednesday night games will air on ESPN, while the Houston game will be seen on ESPN2. All three games are scheduled for 8 p.m. ET kickoffs. Additional television broadcasts will be added at later dates, sometimes as late as 12-days prior to the game, per Conference USA’s television contracts.

Amongst the treats on UCF’s 2010 home schedule are perhaps the Knights’ two most crucial divisional games as frequent C-USA East Division front-runners East Carolina and Southern Miss come to Orlando this fall. With its home game against NC State, UCF joins East Carolina and Memphis as the only C-USA teams to play a home a game against a school from an automatic qualifying BCS conference in each of the last five years. The Rice Owls will also be making their Bright House Networks Stadium debut. UCF is 6-0 all-time against C-USA West Division teams on their new home field, including a 2007 C-USA Championship Game win over Tulsa and last fall’s thrilling 37-32 victory over No. 13 Houston.

Fans who want to enjoy a full season of UCF home games in 2010 can purchase season tickets now, starting for just $99, by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000 or by logging onto UCFAthletics.com. Current season ticket holders are reminded that the renewal deadline is April 1. You can also purchase advance tickets there for the Spring Game on April 17 at Bright House Networks Stadium and the postgame barbecue with the Knights.

Tickets in the visiting team sections for all UCF football away games will go on sale May 1. Season ticket holders will be sent purchase information via email. All seating will be filled based on GKC Priority Points. Ticket prices for UCF Football away games are as follows: Kansas State – $35, Buffalo – $30, Houston – $35, Tulane – $35, Marshall – $32, Memphis – TBA.

Single game tickets for all UCF football home games will go on sale later this summer.

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com – the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF’s new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

DATE OPPONENT TV TIME
Sat. Sept. 4 SOUTH DAKOTA
Sat. Sept. 11 NC STATE (FW)
Sat. Sept. 18 at Buffalo
Sat. Sept. 25 at Kansas State
Wed. Oct. 6 UAB* ESPN 8 p.m.
Wed. Oct. 13 at Marshall* ESPN 8 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 23 RICE* (HC)
Sat. Oct. 30 EAST CAROLINA*
Fri. Nov. 5 at Houston* ESPN2 8 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 13 SOUTHERN MISS*
Sat. Nov. 20 at Tulane*
Sat. Nov. 27 at Memphis*
Sat. Dec. 4 Conference USA
Championship Game

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