The Sports Report

Can Jonathan Davis (left) carry the load left behind by Brynn Harvey?

This is the first in a two-part series of questions about the football team.

Kevin C of collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com emailed TSR to get questions answered about the UCF football team, so I decided to post the questions and my answers for you.

1. What are the major strengths and biggest weaknesses of the team?

Even with the loss of Torrell Troup and Travis Timmons up front, the strength of the team is going to be the Knights’ defense. The welcome back the reigning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best defensive ends in the country in Bruce Miller and also feature a strong linebacking core of Derrick Hallman, Chance Henderson and Lawrance Young. Their secondary gained a year of experience last year and features a strong core of playmakers led by cornerback Josh Robinson and safety Kemal Ishmael.

Another strength of the team resides in the receiving corps. With Kamar Aiken, A.J. Guyton, Brian Watters, Jamar Newsome, Quincy McDuffie and newcomers Nico Flores and Cornelius Whitehead in the mix, the Knights are stacked downfield. The only issue will be if junior quarterback Rob Calabrese, who has been inconsistent in his two years with the Knights, can deliver the ball on time and with confidence to the number of options he’ll have.

The weakness of this team right now rests at the running back position. Brynn Harvey went down with a knee injury during the first scrimmage of the spring and isn’t expected back until after the first four games of the season. The bulk of the load will rely on backups Brendan Kelly and Jonathan Davis. Kelly has gotten bigger in the offseason, but has rushed the ball just 11 times in his career. Davis is a good second option, but it’s unsure if the 5-foot-9 back can shoulder the load left by Harvey.

2. Looking at the schedule, who will be the first major test and why?

North Carolina State will travel to Orlando for a game on Sept. 11 making the Wolfpack the first test for the Knights on the season. The Knights will have a chance to see how their talent ranks up against that of the ACC on both sides of the ball.

3. What team on the schedule should you fear the most?

The Knights’ toughest opponent resides in the conference with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. They’ve made a bowl game eight straight seasons and will ba hard-nosed, arial-attacking team. The Knights don’t have a player in the secondary physical enough to cover DeAndre Brown, and he has given them fits in the past. USM has also always been a tough team defensively at getting after the football and forcing the Knights to make mistakes. The only good part of this matchup is that it comes at home for UCF.

4. Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

When it comes to the secondary, most media members mention sophomore Josh Robinson as the key player, but there is another kid giving him a run for his money. Kemal Ishmael has been a nice surprise in the secondary for UCF, giving them a solid, hard-hitting safety that makes up a lot of room between receivers in the secondary. I like Ishmael’s physical nature despite being just 5-foot-11. He plays with swagger and confidence and gives it his all every play. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was in the top two in tackles on the team this season after coming in fourth in 2009.

5. Who is the best offensive player on the team?

When healthy, it’s hard to argue against junior running back Brynn Harvey. He’s continued to get better each season and runs with power between the tackles. He racked up 1,109 yards on the ground last season and scored 14 of the Knights’ 43 touchdowns last season. He’s quick once he gets in to the secondary and is hard to wrap up. It will be tough for Harvey to get over the 1,000-yard mark in 2010, especially if he misses the non-conference schedule as expected, but his impact on the offense should not be questioned.

6. Who is the most impactful defensive player on the team?

No doubt about this one, No. 49 takes the cake. Bruce Miller is the not just the best player on UCF’s defense, but he is the best defensive player in the conference. He rushes the passer better than anyone in the country and can get past the offensive line to make plays in the backfield. His numbers speak for themselves, topping all FBS players with 27 sacks and 44 tackles for loss in his career.

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