The Sports Report

Press release from UCFAthletics.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – New UCF men’s basketball head coach Donnie Jones announced his team’s 2010-11 schedule Tuesday, and the Knights will meet squads that participated in the postseason a year ago on 14 occasions. Jones, who was named UCF’s head coach in March, will make his debut at the helm of the program on Nov. 12 when the Knights host West Florida.

The Knights will play a school-record 17 contests at the UCF Arena, including Conference USA matchups with UAB (Jan. 29), Memphis (Feb. 9) and Tulsa (Feb. 12). UCF will open C-USA play on Jan. 5, hosting Jones’ former program, Marshall.

Season tickets, which begin at just $96, are currently available by calling the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com. With each season ticket order, fans will receive a free 2010-11 Knightmare t-shirt.

The non-league schedule features two contests against squads that participated in the postseason last year. On Dec. 1, the Knights will faceNCAA Tournament participant Florida in the first collegiate contest at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando. UCF will also host cross-state rival USF on Nov. 18 at the UCF Arena. The Bulls played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament in 2010.

In total, the Knights will play 12 non-conference games in the state of Florida. Other notable in-state contests include a showdown with Miamion Dec. 18 in Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, and a game at local foe Stetson on Nov. 23. UCF and the Hatters have played on 35 occasions all time, but the Knights have not played in nearby DeLand since 2005.

“Scheduling is always a difficult task, especially when you are new and have some games to fill late,” Jones said. “But we are very excited about this non-league schedule. I think that the strength of the schedule gives us a chance to really play some big-time programs. I think that our non-conference schedule is really going to prepare us to play the type of opponents we will face in Conference USA.”

The field for the UCF Holiday Classic, which will be held Dec. 29-30, is the strongest in the event’s history. The Knights will open the tournament against Furman, and then meet either Northeastern or Princeton the following evening. Northeastern played in the NIT last spring, while Princeton was selected to the College Basketball Invitational. UCF’s lone trip outside the Sunshine State before conference play begins will come on Dec. 22 when the squad visits UMass.

In addition to UAB, Memphis, Tulsa and Marshall, the Knights will also host league foes East Carolina, Rice, Southern Miss and SMU. Jones’ team will conclude the regular season on March 5 at Marshall. The C-USA Championship begins March 9 in El Paso, Texas.

Two C-USA teams that the Knights will face on the road – Houston and UTEP – were NCAA Tournament participants in 2010. Memphis, Tulsa and UAB all played in the NIT and Marshall and Southern Miss both competed in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Before starting the regular season, UCF will host Flagler for an exhibition contest on Nov. 6.

A rising star in the coaching community, Jones spent three seasons at Marshall. In 2009-10, he led the Thundering Herd to 24 victories and the school’s first trip to the postseason in 22 years.

The Knights return some of the top players in C-USA, including junior guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.), sophomore forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) and sophomore guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.). Both Clanton and Jordan were C-USA All-Freshman team picks last season.

Jones has brought an impressive recruiting class to UCF, highlighted by the arrivals of junior-college transfer forward Dwight McCombs (Chicago, Ill.) and freshman guard/forward Isaiah Sykes (Detroit, Mich.).

In 2009-10, UCF established several attendance records at the state-of-the-art UCF Arena. With excitement surrounding the program at an all-time high, expect more attendance records to be set this upcoming year.

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Rob Calabrese said all offseason he was a different quarterback.

He proved that Saturday against South Dakota.

The junior threw for 176 yards and a touchdown and looked calm and poised in the pocket, leading UCF to a 38-7 season opening win over South Dakota on Saturday in front of 34,373 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium.

“He managed the offense really well, made the right checks and threw against some pressure,” head coach George O’Leary said. “I was happy to see him play well and hopefully he will grow with some confidence.”

Here is my post-game analysis:

Why UCF won the game

The reason is simple. No. 4 was on his game. For UCF to be successful this season, Calabrese has to come out and manage the game. He led the Knights down the field on the opening drive of the game, giving them their first score on the first possession to open the season since 2007. He started the game 9-of-9 before his first incompletion and continued to throw the ball accurately to his receivers.

They couldn’t keep the Knights out of their side of the field. UCF was 6-of-6 in red zone opportunities and had all eight drives in South Dakota territory. The Coyote defense couldn’t find an answer for both Calabrese and Jonathan Davis while the UCF offensive line just dominated the d-line of South Dakota.

Game Ball:

This one’s a no brainer. Calabrese was the man in this one. He proved a lot of doubters wrong and looked like a different quarterback than years past. He was efficient, accurate and composed. He gets my game ball.

What this all means:

UCF is 1-0 on the season, but they did see some promising signs. Again, this is South Dakota, a Division I-AA football team, so this doesn’t mean the Knights are going to go undefeated. The positives are that Calabrese and Davis looked good, the Knights didn’t turn the ball over and the defense made adjustments.

Up Next:

ACC opponent N.C. State. They’ve been deemed the game to be on the schedule. It will be the test to see if the offense we all saw today is what to expect the rest of the season. I expect the players to be ready for a dog fight.

Notable stat:

Davis and A.J. Guyton both had career highs in the game, with Davis rushing for 107 yards and Guyton snagging 127 reception yards.

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First-half reaction:

The Knight offense looked unstoppable from the opening snap as the Knights drove 75 yards down the field to get their first opening-drive score to start a season since 2007 when Kevin Smith ran 80 yards from scrimmage on the opening play against N.C. State.

Biggest winners in the first half: Rob Calabrese, Chris Gainous

Calabrese was 9-for-9 with 140 yards and a touchdown in the first half and looked like a new quarterback. He was fluid, seemed comfortable in the pocket and didn’t make a single mistake. He managed the game well and continued to find his receivers. Credit his offense line as well, who gave him tons of time to make decisions.

As for South Dakota, Chris Gainous was the first-half winner. He torched the Knights on the ground and showed how vulnerable they are on the inside tackles with 73 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown through the first half. His legs will continue to be counted on for the Coyotes to have a chance to get back into the game.

Biggest losers of the first half: Victor Gray/E.J. Dunston, South Dakota linebackers

The Knights showed just how young they are inside as Gray and Dunston struggled to contain Gainous on the ground. He continually ran through holes in the defense as the two freshman were dominated inside by South Dakota’s offensive line.

As for the Coyotes linebacking core, they were abused by Davis and Calabrese. The two make plays and were able to get to the second wave of defensive players.

Biggest play of the first half: Overturned fumble

That could have been the momentum right there. UCF was up by a touchdown and if South Dakota hadn’t been offsides then they would have had a chance to even up the score.

Final word:

Overall, the Knights are looking good. On offense, this is just what George O’Leary wanted. He couldn’t have written it better. Calabrese is shining and Davis is running like Harvey. Both look like all stars on the field. As for his defense, O’Leary will take just one score, but they must find an answer for Gainous if they want to continue to cruise in this game.

CHECK OUT OUR LIVE BLOG FROM THE GAME TODAY! Chat with Matt and I below

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Photo by: UCFSports.com

Already short starting running back Brynn Harvey to start the season, UCF learned they would be without transfer running back Jeff Brinson for the 2011 season.

Brinson, who was slated to get significant playing time this season behind starter Jonathan Davis, suffered an ACL tear in non-contact drills this week and will be out for the entire season, head coach George O’Leary announced during his weekly lunchin with fans on Thursday.

Brinson transfered from Iowa prior to the season and was granted a hardship waiver to play in 2011 prior to the injury.

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Officials from the Mountain West Conference plan to take conversations with officials of Conference USA to the “next level” regarding issues affecting the league, including access to the Bowl Championship Series and marketing rights, according to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

UCF is one of the schools with higher executives involved in the talks according to MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson, along with C-USA schools Tulane and SMU. Boise State, Air Force and TCU will have executives in representation for the MWC in the talks, which are scheduled to take place in Dallas-Fort Worth in late September or early October.

The purpose of the meeting would be to further extend the conversation concerning BCS access and a postseason championship game between the champions of both leagues that happened when commissioners of both leagues met about two weeks ago.

What does this mean for UCF?

Obviously it means they would get what they have been wanting: a legitimate shot to make a BCS Bowl. If both leagues agreed to play a postseason game between champions that would allow UCF to play much better competition, like Boise State and TCU, and it would give them a chance to get some national exposure. It would also further help recruiting.

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Photo: Orlando Sentinel

Nevada gambling regulators are investigation UCF basketball star Marcus Jordan’s recent partying in Las Vegas where he spent over $50,000, according to the Associated Press.

Officials are looking into whether the casino violated laws that prohibit minors to consume alcohol or compete in betting and gambling, according to Nevada Gaming Control Board enforcement chief Jerry Markling.

The 19-year-old guard said in a since-deleted tweet, “Last night was stupid … 35k at Haze… Totals 50k something the whole day.. Damn!! Going to the pool again today.. Gotta relax!”

Jordan lated apologized for the tweet in an interview with Foxsports.com’s Jeff Goodman.

“I didn’t mean it the way it came across,” Marcus Jordan said. “My family and friends know the type of person I am.”

Stay tuned for details.

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Here is the video from today’s press conference. Seniors Bruce Miller and Jah Reid break down South Dakota.

Bruce Miller, Jah Reid Preview South Dakota from TSRUCF on Vimeo.

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1. Rob Calabrese vs. Jeffrey Godfrey
Coach O’Leary has already said both quarterbacks will play with Calabrese as the starter against South Dakota. The real thing to watch here is how Calabrese will play as the starter and if he can prove he is the quarterback to lead this team. All the pressure is on him to perform as he has been the rumored front runner for the starting job. Jeffrey Godfrey has closed the gap as of late for the starting job and it will be interesting to see how he plays in spot situations and if he does play well if O’Leary will leave him out on the field longer.

2. Jonathan Davis as the starting running back
Davis won the job over Brenden Kelly in the absence of Brynn Harvey. It will be key to watch how Davis handles a pretty full load, seeing as he had just 64 carries last season. He had one of the best fall camps of any player and should carry the ball anywhere between 20-25 times during Saturday’s game.

3. Who will shine on the defensive line?
Torell Troup is gone, so the Knights have had to look elsewhere to replace the now Buffalo Bills defensive tackle. Wes Tunuufi Sauvao and Victor Gray saw the most time starting on the line in fall camps, but don’t forget that true freshman E.J. Dunston and JUCO transfer Barry Snider also made some solid plays in camp so they should see time as well. The true thing to watch is who will emerge as the go-to player on the line. Gray has impressed me during Fall, but Snider did as well. Let’s see who steps up.

4. Will Josh Robinson become more like Smokin’ Joe Burnett in the return game
He’s got to get to the return game, first. A.J. Guyton and Quincy McDuffie were the two that saw the bulk of the action last season, but Robinson has always been compared to Burnett, who was the best returner in UCF history. O’Leary hasn’t made it clear who will be the main guy returning kicks, but I can guarantee Guyton and McDuffie will be in the mix. Robinson may see time though because both those two will be heavily relied on on the offensive side of the ball.

5. Can Quincy McDuffie be a true No. 2 receiver?
It’s amazing to think that McDuffie had just eight receptions last season and had that big of an impact on the team. This year, O’Leary will rely on him in the passing game and it will be interesting to see how he handles being a downfield threat. His speed will be key on offense and he will be a good compliment opposite Kamar Aiken.

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Rob Calabrese will be the starting quarterback when the Knights hit the field Saturday against South Dakota.

Head coach George O’Leary announced his decision over a Conference USA teleconference with the media on Monday. He hinted that Calabrese would be the starter but that regardless of how the junior quarterback did that freshman Jeffrey Godfrey would see time in the game.

“Nothing has unseated Rob in my mind yet,” he said over the teleconference to the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m always going to go with experience.”

Godfrey will see time on the field. The only question is how early the freshman will see the field. O’Leary said that the gap between starter and backup has slowly closed over fall practices.

“Rob Calabrese is still the quarterback, but Jeff Godfrey has closed the distance some. But both will see the field.”

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Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com Press Release) – A total of six Major League Baseball Draft Picks highlight the 2010-11 UCF baseball recruiting class which was released Monday by head coach Terry Rooney. Of the 11 players slated to join the Knights, eight are pitchers including four southpaws.

“I am extremely pleased with this recruiting class,” said Rooney, who is entering his third year with the Knights. “Our recruiting coordinator Cliff Godwin, along with assistant coach Jeff Palumbo and our entire support staff did a tremendous job in landing one of the top classes in the nation.

“I think the level of talent in this class is clearly demonstrated by having six of the 11 players chosen in the MLB Draft. The main emphasis of this class was to create additional pitching depth on the mound, along with securing multi-skilled position players. This class will enable us to continue moving back to the upper echelon of college baseball.”

This year’s class consists of seven players from the state of Florida and two who call the Central Florida-area home in freshman left-handed pitcher Trevor Berry (Oviedo High School) and junior right-hander Matt Collins (DeLand High School). The Knights also welcome two student-athletes from California and one each from Illinois and Washington.

Meanwhile, freshman right-hander Ben Lively (Gulf Breeze, Fla.), freshman infielder Spencer Haynes (Valrico, Fla.), junior right-hander Danny Winkler (Effingham, Ill.) and junior right-hander Ray Hanson (Long Beach, Calif.) were all selected in the 2010 MLB Draft. Junior southpaw Chris Matulis (Lake Worth, Fla.) was taken in the MLB Draft in 2008 and fellow junior lefty Mark Peterson (Fort Pierce, Fla.) was selected in 2007.

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class B/T Hometown (High School/College)
Trevor Berry LHP 6-3 190 Fr. L/L Oviedo, Fla. (Oviedo)
Matt Collins RHP 6-5 210 Jr. R/R DeLand, Fla. (DeLand/Daytona State College)
Jeff Dally LHP 6-6 210 Fr. L/L Hernando, Fla. (Citrus)
Ray Hanson RHP 6-7 230 Jr. R/R Long Beach, Calif. (Wilson/Arizona State/Cypress College)
Spencer Haynes IF 6-0 165 Fr. R/R Valrico, Fla. (Brandon)
Erik Hempe UTIL 6-2 185 Jr. R/R Anaheim, Calif. (Katella/Cypress College)
Ben Lively RHP 6-4 195 Fr. R/R Gulf Breeze, Fla. (Gulf Breeze)
Chris Matulis LHP 6-6 215 Jr. L/L Boynton Beach, Fla. (Park Vista/LSU)
Mark Peterson LHP 6-5 185 Jr. R/L Fort Pierce, Fla. (Lincoln Park Academy/Florida State/Indian River S.C.)
Travis Shreve IF 5-10 170 Jr. R/R Auburn, Wash. (Auburn/Skagit Valley College)
Danny Winkler RHP 6-3 190 Jr. R/R Effingham, Ill. (St. Anthony/Parkland College)

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