OwlSportsWatch.com - Gameweek Preview: Central Florida Offense

October 23, 2009

David Mooney
OwlSportsWatch.com Publisher

There's a fine line between winning and losing football games - just ask Central Florida Head Coach George O'Leary.

O'Leary has been up and down at UCF, after an 0-11 start in 2004, he was "up", winning titles in 2005 and 2007. But after finishing 10-4 in 2007 and playing Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl, O'Leary's Central Florida Knights finished 4-8 last year.

This year the Knights are down again, finding tough sledding with a record of 3-3. They are just 1-3 in C-USA play.

Though O'Leary has been at UCF twice as long as Bailiff has at Rice, he and Owl Coach David Bailiff and O'Leary share a lot in common in the challenges they face to build their respective programs. Most notably, recruiting in the same fertile talent grounds of Texas and Florida as virtually every other school in the country. In spite of this, both have done well in bringing in talent.

And both have also been architects of change, turning losing programs into winners, and as a result have each enjoyed C-USA Coach-of-the-Year awards.

You have to belief both programs will be back at the top in the near future - perhaps even playing each other for a C-USA Championship someday soon.

Meanwhile both are struggling through tough years in 2009. Injuries and youth, can quickly erase an otherwise generous margin for error.

Saturday, one team will be closer to improvement while the other will continue in in trying to solve another defeat.

Here's a look at the UCF Offense...

Probable Starting Lineup

POS ##OFFENSE
WR 14 Quincy McDuffie, 5-10 172, fr.
WR 81 Kamar Aiken, 6-2 213, jr.
LT 77 Nick Pieschel, 6-7 302, soph.
LG 70 Steven Robinson, 6-3 306, rs.-fr.
C 73 Ian Bustillo, 6-2 301, sr.
RG 65 Cliff McCray, 6-2 307, sr.
RT 76 Jah Reid, 6-7 314, jr.
TE 88 Adam Nissley, 6-6 264, soph.
HB 32 Billy Giovanetti, 5-11 225, rs.-fr.
QB 11 Brett Hodges, 6-1 191, sr.
TB 34 Brynn Harvey, 6-1 205, soph.

UCF - Inside the Numbers

Leading Rusher - Sophomore Brynn Harvey leads the Knights in rushing for 2009 with 140 carries for 588 yards.

Leading Receiver - Rocky Ross leads the team with 19 catches after breaking his collar-bone last year. Kamar Aiken is a big play threat with a 19.4 ypc average.

Completions - Wake Forest transfer Brett Hodges has completed 58.6% of his passes. He's thrown for 7 touchdowns this season - but has also thrown 7 interceptions.

Offensive Rank - Conference - Central Florida is 11th in the league in total offense.

Offensive Rank - Nationally - the Knights rank 106th nationally in total offense.

Game Notes

- Wide receiver A.J. Guyton missed the 2008 season with an injury. The sophomore from Homestead, Florida is third on the team in receptions and had a career-high 9 catches against East Carolina earlier this season.

- Quarterback Brett Hodges' dad was also a scholarship athlete for UCF. He played baseball for the Knights from 1979-1982.

- Every starter on the UCF Offensive Line is over 300 pounds.

- Sophomore Running Back Brynn Harvey averages almost 94 yards rushing per game - currently good for 26th in the country in that statistic. As a high school senior at Largo (FL) High School he set the Pinellas County single-season rushing record with 2,567 yards and 31 touchdowns.

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