UCF and FAU Agree to Home-and-Home Series

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/1/28/7928309/ucf-and-fau-agree-to-home-and-home-series

As reported by Owl Access, UCF and FAU have agreed to a home-and-home series for 2018 and 2019. The Owls come to Bright House Networks Stadium in 2018 and the Knights will reciprocate with a trip to Boca in 2019.

It's a solid scheduling choice for UCF despite not being a splashy one. Given the nature of our conference, I'd like see the Knights schedule aggressively against Power Five opponents when possible. But if you're going to schedule what ought to be a cupcake, it should be an in-state cupcake.[1] So bring on your FIU,[2] your Bethune Cookman, your FAMU, and (now) your FAU. Scheduling these games against in-state foes adds more fan interest and excitement. And the 2019 game in Boca provides an opportunity for UCF's large south Florida alumni base to watch the Knights without trekking to Orlando.

There's not much football history between UCF and FAU. In 2003, the Knights won 33-29, largely on the strength of QB Ryan Schneider's arm.  Schneider threw for three touchdowns and nearly 500 yards. Knights fans may remember the 2003 team for featuring current NFL players Brandon Marshall and Matt Prater.

The Knights out-of-conference schedule for 2019 currently includes a game at home versus Stanford. FAU is the only 2018 out-of-conference opponent currently scheduled.

---

[1] And I'll have to continue to say "ought to" until the frustration and indignity of seeing the Golden Panthers of FIU beat Jeff Godfrey-led UCF in 2011 fades a bit from my mind.

[2] See footnote 1. Sigh.

UCF Knights Season Recap: Life on the Edge (Again)

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/1/24/7460633/ucf-knights-looking-back-at-the-2014-season

GUILDENSTERN: Happy, in that we are not over-happy; On fortune's cap we are not the very button.

HAMLET: Nor the soles of her shoes?

ROSENCRANTZ: Neither, my lord.

- Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2.

Now that we have some distance between us and the end of the 2014 season, it's time to look back and take stock. For many, it's hard to know how to feel - sure, the Knights "won" the American Athletic Conference. And it's better to win the conference than to lose it (especially in ridiculously dramatic fashion). But "American Athletic Conference Champion" is an achievement shared with Memphis and Cincinnati. And it's just not quite the same when 27% of your conference "wins" it.

Part of the trouble is that there's an inevitable letdown following your best season in school history.  The 2013 season of course culminated in a Fiesta Bowl win over heavy-favorite and Big 12 Champion Baylor. Along the way, the Knights squeaked out games in exciting, uncanny fashion. There was "The Catch" by J.J. Worton. Breaking up a pass on fourth and goal against Houston. Beating #8 Louisville with a Bortles to Godfrey pass with less than 30 seconds left. The Memphis game, in which Will Stanback forced a fumble on a kickoff return - which was recovered for a touchdown - and Terrance Plummer picked off a pass in the endzone to seal the game.

This season the Knights continued to live on the edge, though fortune wasn't always with them. The regular season started with a heart-breaking loss to Penn State decided on a last-second field goal. It ended with "O Holy Knight," and the AAC-clinching play I'll never tire of finding reasons to include in posts:

In between, the Knights gutted out a victory in OT against BYU. And they locked up a win against Houston by forcing a fumble through the end zone for a touchback (at 1:30):

The game-saving play was made by Brandon Alexander, who had sealed the Houston game in 2013 by breaking up Houston’s pass on fourth and goal.

Luck wasn’t the only thing inconsistent for UCF this year. While Justin Holman showed tremendous promise at QB, and had moments of stellar play, he also made mistakes. He threw nearly every ball as if it had to go through a brick wall. And he threw four interceptions in UCF’s sole AAC conference loss (ever) against UConn.

Holman was not helped out by a revolving door on the offensive line. The Knights had to try numerous different combinations of players on OL, and none of them provided really solid protection. Though disappointing, at least none of this was a surprise – we knew it would be hard to replace nearly the entire OL, and even though Holman exceeded expectations (on balance, at least), Blake Bortles is a hard act to follow.

The surprise disappointment was at running back, where the Knights never found meaningful success. William Stanback tantalized us last year, in relief of Storm Johnson:

I thought Stanback would be a star once the training wheels came off this year. Of course, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. He missed time for injuries, played hobbled quite a bit, and never really got going this season. Here again, the OL didn’t do anyone any favors.

Not surprisingly, the wide receivers were excellent all year. Between this season and last year’s Fiesta Bowl-winning campaign, J.J. Worton, Rannell Hall, and Breshad Perriman, and Josh Reese ought to be considered the best wide receiving corps in UCF history.

The UCF defense was also great, and turned in a statistically-dominant performance. At the end of the year, UCF ranked #5 in total defense, #6 in rushing defense, and #9 in scoring defense. And they completely blanked rival USF, inflicting the Bulls’ first home shut-out their program’s history.

All of this was enough to take the Knights to a final record of 9-4 (after failing to complete a rally against NC State in the St. Pete Bowl) and a share of the AAC Conference title. It wasn’t a season for the ages, but UCF fans can feel satisfied. UCF is finally consistently winning or competing for conference championships and playing in bowl games. The Knights have now won nine or more games in four of the last five seasons. And when you’re a program with aspirations to grow, that’s the kind of consistent success you need.

UCF Shuffles Coaching Staff in Wake of Taaffe Retirement, Departures

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/1/12/7531459/ucf-shuffles-coaching-staff-in-wake-of-taaffe-retirement-departures

Knights fans have seen substantial coaching changes in the last few weeks. First, defensive coordinator Tyson Summers left for the same position at Colorado State under new head coach Mike Bobo. Next, defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan left for UF to join John McElwain's staff. Now, offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe is retiring. The result is some shuffling of existing UCF coaching staff and several new hires.

Charlie Taaffe will always be appreciated by UCF fans for vitalizing an offensive that had been conservative,  predictable, and downright bad before he came on board.  So long, Charlie, and thanks for the memories:

Brent Key now moves into the spot vacated by Taaffe and will also coach the running backs. Earlier this year, Key was rumored to be the next choice for Head Coach in the event of George O'Leary's retirement. The move to offensive coordinator would seem to support the belief that he is heir apparent to  O'Leary.

Key has been something of a do-everything coach for UCF, where he has spent virtually his entire career -- his UCF bio currently identifies him as "Asst. Head Coach of Offense/OL Coach/Recruiting Coordinator." Continuity can often be a good thing: ask the Oregon Ducks and Mark Helfrich (and Chip Kelly, and Mike Belotti). But Key's elevation should still give UCF fans some pause: Key has never before been an Offensive Coordinator. He did, however, "[shadow] Taaffe in the booth for the last half of the season." 

I'm reminded of the expression, "To damn with faint praise."

On the other side of the ball, Chuck Bresnahan replaces Tyson Summers as defensive coordinator. It's a move which can't help but cause Knights fans to cringe. Bresnahan is the recently-fired former defensive coordinator for rival USF.  USF's hiring of Bresnahan two years ago left our colleagues at Voodoo Five puzzled, and it's a hire which looks even worse for the Knights now (though to be sure, USF's bumbling on offense didn't do much to relieve the pressure on the defense).

While Bresnahan brings NFL coaching experience, his defenses weren't particularly good. Perhaps worse for the Knights, it's hard to see Bresnahan -- who hadn't coached at the college level for twenty years until USF hired him -- doing much to fill the recruiting void left by the departures of Summers and Callahan.

The other hires and staff changes provoke less of a reaction. Andrew Thacker was hired to coach safeties. The defensive backs coach will be Travis Fisher. Allen Mogridge replaces Key as offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. Director of player personnel Keegan Kennedy will now coach tight ends and H-backs and will in turn be replaced by Mike Buscemi. Danny Barrett will now coach QBs instead of RBs. Other than O'Leary, only two coaches remain in the same posts - Sean Beckton (wide receivers coach) and Lorenzo Constantini (defensive line coach).

UCF Defensive Backs Coach Kirk Callahan Expected to Accept Same Position at UF

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/1/5/7491645/ucf-defensive-backs-coach-kirk-callahan-expected-to-accept-same

The coaching carousel continues to spin for UCF. Defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan will reportedly leave for the same position with the Florida Gators. Callahan helped oversee a defense that was statistically dominant this year and enjoys a reputation as an excellent recruiter with ties to the Tampa area. This was Callahan's third year coaching DBs for UCF.

For UCF, the news adds to upheaval on the defensive side of the ball. Just a week ago, defensive coordinator Tyson Summers left for the same position at Colorado State. UCF already has to contend with significant player change-over as many key defensive players graduate. From Callahan's unit, the Knights will lose Brandon Alexander, Clayton Geathers, and Jordan Ozerites. Now, the Knights have another hole to fill.

The Gator made an excellent move in hiring Callahan. Callahan will replace recruiting ace Travaris Robinson who followed Will Muschamp to Auburn. Along with the recent hiring of former Canes HC Randy Shannon to coach linebackers, this move suggests an increased commitment by the Gators to capture elite Florida high school talent.

An official announcement is expected early this week.

UCF Defensive Coordinator Tyson Summers to Leave for Colorado State

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2014/12/30/7461007/ucf-defensive-coordinator-tyson-summers-to-leave-for-colorado-state

As now reported by multiple sources, UCF defensive coordinator Tyson Summers is leaving UCF to take the same position at Colorado State under its new head coach Mike Bobo. Summers was the defensive coordinator for a single season at UCF and oversaw a Knights defense that was statistically dominant.

Summers came to UCF in January 2012 as a defensive assistant and was quickly elevated to linebackers coach. His path to defensive coordinator was unorthodox. Summers became interim defensive coordinator for last year's Fiesta Bowl after Jim Fleming left for a head coaching job at Rhode Island. Paul Ferraro was hired to replace Fleming (though not to coach the Fiesta Bowl) and left the program before the spring game. Summers was again named "interim" defensive coordinator, and ultimately defensive coordinator for the 2014 season.

My own feelings are mixed. I hate for the Knights to lose a talented young coach, especially on a lateral or slightly-worse-than-lateral move. But it's hard for me to say that the loss of Summers will be a significant blow to the defense going forward (certainly, it seems less significant than the loss of so many senior defensive players to graduation). Under George O'Leary, the UCF defense has more or less been respectable-to-excellent each season. And O'Leary has always had a reputation for being hands-on with the defense. For example, Summer's UCF biography notes that as interim defensive coordinator he "helped call the plays in UCF's victory over high-powered Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl." (The emphasis here is mine, of course).

Good luck to Summers in his new position, and thanks for being a part of some memorable UCF seasons.

Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl Recap: Knights Rally Falls Short against Wolfpack

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2014/12/27/7452687/bitcoin-st-pete-bowl-recap-knights-rally-falls-short-against-wolfpack

NC State beat UCF 34-27 in the Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl, holding off a late rally by the Knights. The Wolfpack mauled the usually stout UCF defense throughout the game, as Jacoby Brissett was able to move the ball at will - passing, running, and even receiving.

NC State's offensive line opened huge holes for its running backs, who at times seemed impossible to tackle.  The Knights' failures on defense were compounded by an offense that sputtered far too often to keep pace. Though the Knights nearly sent off their senior-laden team with another trademark "cardiac" finish, it was not to be.

The Knights showed some promise in the first half. On the opening drive, UCF moved the ball methodically but settled for a field goal. NC State answered with a touchdown drive sustained by Brissett's elusiveness and capped off with a trick play for the score:

UCF responded and took the lead with a drive ending in Josh Reese's first of three touchdown catches. Unfortunately for the Knights, they would shortly fall behind again. The Knights would trail until the closing whistle.

Despite being outplayed, hope remained for the Knights at the close of the first half. The Knights went in to the locker room down 17-10, immediately following a sack of Brissett that prevented an NC State field goal attempt.

Things went poorly for the Knights after halftime. NC State largely owned the third quarter, which featured two touchdown runs by Matt Dayes. Between them, UCF recovered a bobbled NC State handoff. But the Knights failed to capitalize when the ensuing drive only ended in a field goal.

UCF entered the fourth quarter down 31-13 and NC State soon added to a field goal to make it 34-13. Early in the quarter, the ESPN broadcast flashed back to "O Holy Knight"[1] - the uncanny Hail Mary touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman to defeat ECU and win a share of the American Athletic Conference Title. At the time, it felt like a particularly bitter moment, especially given the Knights inability to contain Brissett or have sustained success on offense, UCF seemed well and truly out of it, but a couple of touchdown receptions by Josh Reese found them down by a score with two minutes left.

So many times this season (and last) the Knights had pulled off unlikely wins in other late game scenarios; the game-winning touchback against Houston, and the overtime win against BYU. Unfortunately, this senior-laden team did not have another "cardiac Knight" effort to give. NC State ultimately sealed the game when the Wolfpack recovered an attempted onside kick and was able to run out the clock.

For a program that has outgrown moral victories, the loss tonight was a disappointment. But it was not the kind of heartbreaking loss that Knights fans have experienced all too frequently in years past. Give credit to NC State - the Wolfpack was the better team today and it showed on both sides of the ball.  Brissett's ability to avoid sacks, and instead run or pass for key first downs, proved especially important in earning the win for the Wolfpack.  The Knights offense, which had been inconsistent and marred by spotty offensive line play during the year, stayed true to form.

With this loss, UCF fans now say goodbye to a senior class that elevated the program to a new level. UCF concludes the season with a 9-4 record, making this the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Knights have had eight or more wins. They can hang their hat on this as a lasting memory, though:

[1] As best I can tell, credit for the pun goes to Sports Talk Florida's Jeff Sharon.

Bitcoin St. Pete Bowl Preview: UCF Knights Vs. NC State Wolfpack

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/american-athletic-conference/2014/12/25/7431235/bitcoin-st-pete-bowl-preview-ucf-knights-vs-nc-state-wolfpack

What You Need to Know

American Athletic Conference Co-Champion UCF (9-3, 7-1 AAC) and NC State (7-5, 3-5 ACC) play on December 26 in what is perhaps the most absurdly sponsored bowl of all. The match-up is broadcast on ESPN at 8 PM.

UCF is here on the strength of its defense, which has provided cushion for an inconsistent offense. UCF fans will be looking to see whether the O Line can get its act together and whether they'll see "good Justin Holman" or "bad Justin Holman" at quarterback.

NC State boasts a balanced offense, with 2,472 rushing yards and 2,352 passing through the season. NC State has been especially buoyed especially by running back Shadrach Thornton. Thornton shares running back duties with Matt Dayes and Tony Creecy -- all three of whom are averaging 5.4 yards a carry or better this year.

What the Knights Stand to Gain

The Knights are a growing program looking to establish a pattern of sustained success. A win here means that the Knights will have earned their fourth consecutive bowl victory - with three of them coming in successive years.

Historically for the Knights, wins against now-P5  schools have been hard to come by. Last season saw the Knights beat Penn State and earn the program's all-time best win over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. This season has seen the Knights pull out a few thrillers (ECU, I'm looking at you!) and win a share of The American. But the Knights have yet to notch a win against a P5 program, having lost on a last second field goal to Penn State and gotten crushed by Mizzou. Beating NC State would be significant for a program that's looking to grow and prove it can compete.

Match-Up History

UCF and NC State have played twice before. In 2007, the Knights won on the road 25-23 to capture their second win over a BCS program (having previously upset Alabama in 2000). The 2007 win over NC State began with this little play by Kevin Smith, now an intern with the football program:

In 2010, a Russell Wilson-quarterbacked Wolfpack beat the Knights at Bright House Network Stadium 28-21, largely on the strength of five turnovers. Winner here takes the all-time series lead.

No Place Like "Home"

The Knights are playing just a two hour drive from campus -- and the ticket sales reflect this convenience. UCF quickly sold out its initial allotment of 6,000 tickets, followed shortly by selling out its second allotment of 1,500.

It's a bowl trip that's not only just convenient, but familiar. The Knights have played in the St. Pete Bowl twice, getting crushed by a much more physical Rutgers team in 2009, and dominating Ball State in 2012 (a game that saw Blake Bortles earn the MVP and begin to emerge on the national scene).

Observations from an Alternate Reality

NC State is led by QB Jacoby Brissett, who transferred from Florida after failing to start behind Jeff Driskel (Jeff Driskel!). That's a fun choice to scrutinize in retrospect. In 2013, while Brissett was sitting out post-transfer at NC State, Jeff Driskel broke his leg early in the season. The injury left the Gators to start back-up Tyler Murphy (now BC's QB) and, eventually, Skyler Mornhinweg. The 2014 season saw disaster-prone Driskel benched in favor of freshman Treon Harris. Abundant opportunities were there for Brissett, had he stayed a Gator.

Brissett has has been highly successful leading the Wolfpack. He's 206-for-344 for 2,344 yards with 22 TDs and 5 interceptions. So I figure that there's some alternate reality out there where Brissett is the starting quarterback of the Gators, who have probably achieved enough that Will Muschamp is still the head coach.

Intriguing Statistic of Dubious Significance

The Knights will be wearing black for the game. As Brandon Helwig recently observed, the Knights are 22-4 in black post-2004.

Ok, this is probably a statistic of no significance, but I'll take it.

Underdog Dynasty Posts

Will periodically be archiving some Underdog Dynasty Posts here for posterity and ease of reference in the future.