Monday, September 19, 2016
Too Many Mistakes: UCF Knights Fall to Maryland in 2OT, 30-24
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/17/12956706/UCF-Knights-Maryland-Terrapins-Football-recap-Mackenzie-Milton-overtime
UCF outgained the Terps, but mistakes -- including four turnovers -- doomed them to a loss in double overtime.
Despite outplaying the Terrapins for much of the game, mistakes doomed the Knights to a 30-24 loss in double overtime.
The Knights second overtime possession was scuttled on a questionable call. With UCF freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton's throwing arm moving forward, the ball wobbled out into the helmet of a Maryland defender and bounced away. The play wasn't whistled dead, and Maryland fell on it. Ruled a Maryland recovery, it was upheld on review. On Maryland's possession, Freshman QB Tyrrell Pigrome would weave though the Knights defense for a touchdown run to win the game.
With Senior QB Justin Holman injured or hobbled, and Nick Patti having not impressed in relief of Holman last week, Scott Frost turned to one of his key recruits, freshman McKenzie Milton.
The Knights tried to ease Milton into it with easy passes throughout the day -€” the ‘long handoff' kind. Which was good. Because Milton had a lot of problems with actual handoffs. On UCF's first drive, he lost a fumble on a botched handoff. He would do the same early in the second. Which is not to say that the bobbled exchange was always a disaster for the Knights. In the third quarter, Milton picked up another fumbled handoff from the turf and ran it in for a touchdown.
All told, Milton fumbled six times. Three of them were lost. In contrast, the Terrapins continued their turnover-less season. Hard to win a game when you're -4 in turnover margin, as the Knights ended up tonight.
UCF suffered from failures of execution throughout the game. The
bobbled handoffs. A Milton throw that went too high and ended up tipped
for an interception. The Knights were also plagued with pre-snap
penalties, especially in the first half. And second string punter Mac Loudermilk made a bizarre decision and ran with what should have been a punt early in the third quarter.
That's not to say UCF was without heroic efforts tonight. Wide Receiver Tre'Quan Smith had a great touchdown catch to ensure the Knights survived into the second overtime period. He ended with over 100 yards catching. TE Jordan Akins had a huge catch in the third quarter to set up the eventual touchdown run by Milton. And the Knights got after Maryland QB Perry Hills all night. Hills was hammered repeatedly throughout the night by guys like Demeitre Brim, Shaquem Griffin, and Tony Guerard. All told, the Knights racked up five sacks. Give credit to the defense, who played fired up and exceeded expectations.
First year Knights head coach Scott Frost will deserve accolades for his gutsy choices, which mostly led to success. Early in the game, Brim had a stellar run on a fake punt. And the Knights went for it on fourth and one late in fourth, with the game tied, and in the shadow of the Knights' own goal posts. They converted. The drive didn't pan out, but it was the kind of aggressive call the Knights haven't seen in ages. UCF ended up 3/5 on fourth down.
While the Knights program has outgrown moral victories, there is a lot of good to take away from the near loss. Milton's mistakes look fixable, and he showed much promise. The defense played inspired for large stretches of the game. The UCF rebuild looks ahead of schedule, even in the wake of a disappointing loss.
UCF outgained the Terps, but mistakes -- including four turnovers -- doomed them to a loss in double overtime.
Despite outplaying the Terrapins for much of the game, mistakes doomed the Knights to a 30-24 loss in double overtime.
The Knights second overtime possession was scuttled on a questionable call. With UCF freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton's throwing arm moving forward, the ball wobbled out into the helmet of a Maryland defender and bounced away. The play wasn't whistled dead, and Maryland fell on it. Ruled a Maryland recovery, it was upheld on review. On Maryland's possession, Freshman QB Tyrrell Pigrome would weave though the Knights defense for a touchdown run to win the game.
The Knights tried to ease Milton into it with easy passes throughout the day -€” the ‘long handoff' kind. Which was good. Because Milton had a lot of problems with actual handoffs. On UCF's first drive, he lost a fumble on a botched handoff. He would do the same early in the second. Which is not to say that the bobbled exchange was always a disaster for the Knights. In the third quarter, Milton picked up another fumbled handoff from the turf and ran it in for a touchdown.
All told, Milton fumbled six times. Three of them were lost. In contrast, the Terrapins continued their turnover-less season. Hard to win a game when you're -4 in turnover margin, as the Knights ended up tonight.
That's not to say UCF was without heroic efforts tonight. Wide Receiver Tre'Quan Smith had a great touchdown catch to ensure the Knights survived into the second overtime period. He ended with over 100 yards catching. TE Jordan Akins had a huge catch in the third quarter to set up the eventual touchdown run by Milton. And the Knights got after Maryland QB Perry Hills all night. Hills was hammered repeatedly throughout the night by guys like Demeitre Brim, Shaquem Griffin, and Tony Guerard. All told, the Knights racked up five sacks. Give credit to the defense, who played fired up and exceeded expectations.
First year Knights head coach Scott Frost will deserve accolades for his gutsy choices, which mostly led to success. Early in the game, Brim had a stellar run on a fake punt. And the Knights went for it on fourth and one late in fourth, with the game tied, and in the shadow of the Knights' own goal posts. They converted. The drive didn't pan out, but it was the kind of aggressive call the Knights haven't seen in ages. UCF ended up 3/5 on fourth down.
While the Knights program has outgrown moral victories, there is a lot of good to take away from the near loss. Milton's mistakes look fixable, and he showed much promise. The defense played inspired for large stretches of the game. The UCF rebuild looks ahead of schedule, even in the wake of a disappointing loss.
UCF Knights vs Maryland Terrapins: Preview, Betting Line, Start Time, TV, Prediction
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/16/12929162/UCF-Knights-v-Maryland-Terrapins-Terps-football-preview-tv-streaming-betting-line-central-florida
Start Time: Saturday, September 17 at 7:00 PM.
Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL
TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network
Radio/Live Stats: 96.9 FM and 740 AM for radio. Live stats will be over here.
Betting Line: Depending on where you look, the Terps are an 8.5 to 9 point favorite.
Records: UCF is 1-1 while the Terps are 2-0. Neither team has played a conference game, though oddly enough the Knights have played a Big 10 team already.
All-Time Series: It's the first meeting of the teams in football.
UCF Outlook: The Knights have started the season with a home shutout of South Carolina State and a thumping at the hands of an excellent Michigan team in Ann Arbor. And while a 51-14 beating
can never be called a moral victory, there were some positives to take
away. UCF's rushing attack performed well against Michigan. The Knights
had a number of explosive plays in the running game, highlighted by
freshman running back Adrian Killins's lightning fast 87 yard touchdown.
UCF will need the running game to stay sharp against Maryland. The Terps defense looked questionable in giving up 202 yards on 40 carries (5.05 YPC), including a long run of 55 yards to FIU running back Alex Gardner. If the Knights can build on their successes running the football last week, it will go a long way towards winning the game.
But the quarterback play has just got to be better. It was uninspiring against an FBS defense in Week 1 (Holman had a remarkably poor first half) and both Holman and Patti looked utterly overmatched against Michigan. They combined to go a mere 6/22 for 56 yards. That's just not going to cut it.
It also remains to be seen just who will take the field for the Knights on Saturday. Holman appeared to injure his hamstring after a long run against Michigan, went into the locker room, and eventually returned to the sideline but not the game. UCF Head Coach Scott Frost doesn't talk about injuries, but video this week appeared to show Holman practicing. Given his history of looking bad when not 100%, Holman may wind up being a dicey choice this weekend.
If the Knights win here, it means Frost has the UCF rebuild substantially ahead of schedule.
Maryland Outlook: Speaking of being ahead of schedule, that's exactly where Head Coach D.J. Durkin has the Maryland Terrapins. Durkin's head coaching record at Maryland is a perfect 2-0,[1] with blowouts of Howard and FIU. Durkin has a great track record as an assistant coach, overseeing great defenses at Michigan last year and Florida before that. He also oversaw some excellent special teams play at Florida. The success seems to be translating to his head coaching tenure thus far.
The Terps are looking sharp and executing well. Maryland hasn't turned the ball over yet -€” a huge improvement from a three win 2015 campaign in which the Terps threw and FBS-leading 29 interceptions.
Quarterback Perry Hills (who threw 13 of Maryland's interceptions last year) has looked much improved so far. Against FIU, he was 13/18 for 210 yards and three touchdowns. If the Knights load the box to stop what has been an excellent Maryland run game (as the Knights did against Michigan to great effect), expect Hills to have opportunities in the passing game.
Prediction: I had this pegged as a potential UCF win before the season. Seeing where Maryland is now however makes me less bullish. I'm concerned about UCF's play at quarterback and am a skeptic regarding the Knights' pass coverage. I give the edge to Maryland, whom I predict to win - by more than the 8.5 or 9 points Vegas would think.
For more on UCF vs. Maryland, check out our Q&A with Maryland blog Testudo Times.
Start Time: Saturday, September 17 at 7:00 PM.
Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL
TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network
Radio/Live Stats: 96.9 FM and 740 AM for radio. Live stats will be over here.
Records: UCF is 1-1 while the Terps are 2-0. Neither team has played a conference game, though oddly enough the Knights have played a Big 10 team already.
All-Time Series: It's the first meeting of the teams in football.
UCF will need the running game to stay sharp against Maryland. The Terps defense looked questionable in giving up 202 yards on 40 carries (5.05 YPC), including a long run of 55 yards to FIU running back Alex Gardner. If the Knights can build on their successes running the football last week, it will go a long way towards winning the game.
But the quarterback play has just got to be better. It was uninspiring against an FBS defense in Week 1 (Holman had a remarkably poor first half) and both Holman and Patti looked utterly overmatched against Michigan. They combined to go a mere 6/22 for 56 yards. That's just not going to cut it.
It also remains to be seen just who will take the field for the Knights on Saturday. Holman appeared to injure his hamstring after a long run against Michigan, went into the locker room, and eventually returned to the sideline but not the game. UCF Head Coach Scott Frost doesn't talk about injuries, but video this week appeared to show Holman practicing. Given his history of looking bad when not 100%, Holman may wind up being a dicey choice this weekend.
If the Knights win here, it means Frost has the UCF rebuild substantially ahead of schedule.
Maryland Outlook: Speaking of being ahead of schedule, that's exactly where Head Coach D.J. Durkin has the Maryland Terrapins. Durkin's head coaching record at Maryland is a perfect 2-0,[1] with blowouts of Howard and FIU. Durkin has a great track record as an assistant coach, overseeing great defenses at Michigan last year and Florida before that. He also oversaw some excellent special teams play at Florida. The success seems to be translating to his head coaching tenure thus far.
The Terps are looking sharp and executing well. Maryland hasn't turned the ball over yet -€” a huge improvement from a three win 2015 campaign in which the Terps threw and FBS-leading 29 interceptions.
Quarterback Perry Hills (who threw 13 of Maryland's interceptions last year) has looked much improved so far. Against FIU, he was 13/18 for 210 yards and three touchdowns. If the Knights load the box to stop what has been an excellent Maryland run game (as the Knights did against Michigan to great effect), expect Hills to have opportunities in the passing game.
Prediction: I had this pegged as a potential UCF win before the season. Seeing where Maryland is now however makes me less bullish. I'm concerned about UCF's play at quarterback and am a skeptic regarding the Knights' pass coverage. I give the edge to Maryland, whom I predict to win - by more than the 8.5 or 9 points Vegas would think.
For more on UCF vs. Maryland, check out our Q&A with Maryland blog Testudo Times.
UCF vs. Maryland: Q&A with Testudo Times
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/15/12927906/ucf-Knights-Maryland-Terrapins-Terps-Central-Florida-Preview-Durkin
We sat down with Thomas Kendziora of Maryland Terrapins blog Testudo Times to get to know the Terps better in advance of Saturday's game. You can follow Thomas and Testudo Times on Twitter @TKendziora37 and @TestudoTimes.
Thanks for the insight Thomas.
We sat down with Thomas Kendziora of Maryland Terrapins blog Testudo Times to get to know the Terps better in advance of Saturday's game. You can follow Thomas and Testudo Times on Twitter @TKendziora37 and @TestudoTimes.
1. Maryland has looked great in D.J. Durkin’s first two games as
head coach with a 52-13 victory over Howard and a 41-14 beat down of
FIU (UCF’s next opponent). From an outsider perspective, it looks like
he has Maryland ahead of schedule. Do you agree?
The Terps definitely look way better than last year, and even
ahead of where we thought they'd be at this point. Durkin seemed like
the best human ever when he took the job and brought all of his energy
to the program, but he's quickly proven that all the gushing we did
over him was warranted. This team looks solid on both sides of the
ball. It's not turning the ball over, and it's not committing many
penalties. A lot of the credit for that has to go to Durkin and his new
staff.
2. What’s been the best surprise of the season for the Terps?
Perry Hills looked awful last year. He threw 13 interceptions
against only 8 touchdowns and completed only 50 percent of his passes.
In two games so far, he's 27-of-37 (73 percent) with three touchdowns
and no picks. Those stats are against Howard and FIU, but it's such a
drastic difference that it really can't be ignored.
3. Conversely, any unpleasant surprises?
Maryland's run defense has looked suspect, especially against FIU,
who gained 148 yards on 23 carries in the first half (they finished
with 202 on 40, which is slightly less alarming). The Terps have a
pretty big defensive line, even by defensive line standards, so that's a
little surprising. But given the small sample size, I'm still not sure
if this is something to be super concerned about.
4. Share with us whom you think we should be watching on
offense and defense! Maybe your biggest playmakers. Or someone who is
fun to watch. Whatever.
Always be on the lookout for Will Likely. He's a fourth-year
starter at corner, where he's been an all-conference selection in the
past (he'll mostly line up as the nickel guy, with JC Jackson and Alvin Hill
on the outside). But he's also one of the nation's most explosive
returners. He has six career touchdowns on special teams: four on punt
returns and two on kickoffs. Maryland is also starting to use him more
on offense, and we could see him join that unit for a few snaps Saturday.
On offense, the biggest threat is probably wide receiver D.J. Moore,
who torched FIU for 147 yards and two scores last week. And on
defense, watch Jermaine Carter Jr. He's always all over the place, and
he even returned an interception for a touchdown last week.
5. Maryland opened as a nine point favorite over the Knights. Where’s the smart money, in your view?
I think the smart money's on the Terps here. They were a
10.5-point favorite against FIU and won by 27. Any issues that come
from playing a night game in another state should be minimized because
the team did exactly that last week. DJ Durkin will have his boys
ready. This should be a fun ballgame.
"If You Hear Me Screaming" - A UCF Retrospective
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/10/12873282/UCF-Knights-Michigan-Wolverines-Recap-Central-Florida-Justin-Holman-Injury
This is a sad story and it's a true one. There's a shooting, death, and heartache.
Like most true stories, it's ambiguous. It lacks an obvious hero. In this story there are bad choices and mistakes. Many of them, all building on the ones that happened before. Events spiral and bring people crashing into each other. Any way you look at the events that occurred there is sorrow surrounding the UCF tragedy.
Life is complicated like that.
Death, too.
***
It is September 24, 2005. The UCF Knights hadn't dropped the "Golden" yet. They're playing in downtown Orlando at the Citrus Bowl. An on-campus stadium is still two years in the future, though UCF is studying whether one would be feasible.
George O'Leary is the head coach and in his second season with UCF.
The Golden Knights are winless at this point in the season and sit at
0-2 following losses to South Carolina and USF.
The Knights were also winless in 2004, O'Leary's first season. They dropped the last four games of 2003, when Mike Kruczek was fired and Alan Gooch served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Going into a home game against Marshall the Golden Knights lost seventeen straight. It is the nation's longest college football losing streak.
***
Mario Jenkins is wearing a floral print shirt. Underneath it, he's wearing a green shirt.
This seems like it should be a trivial detail.
It isn't.
The green shirt will matter later on.
***
UCF's prior game was a loss to USF, 31-14. It is the first football game played between the two schools. The seeds of a rivalry are apparent: it may be that a group of UCF fans beat up USF's mascot.
The several police agencies working the game against Marshall believe it, anyway. They're extra concerned about violence, rowdy crowds, and underage drinking.
To that end, two of the agencies will have officers not just in uniform, but also circulating through the crowds in normal clothes. That's the UCF Police Department and the Florida Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. There are Orlando Police Department officers at the game, too. The OPD officers are all in uniform.
***
Earlier in the day, Mario Jenkins was in a tent near the Citrus Bowl eating pizza with a group of police officers. He talks real estate for a few minutes. One of the people with him is an OPD Officer named Smith. Maybe. Smith will testify he doesn't remember meeting Mario Jenkins in the tent, though other people will place him in the conversation.
The tent is the police hospitality tent.
Mario Jenkins is a police officer. With the UCF Police Department.
And he's still wearing his floral print shirt over a green shirt.
***
Hours later, the game will start. UCF will pounce on Marshall immediately. On the second play of the game, UCF's Paul Carrington hits Marshall's Bernie Morris from behind, forcing a fumble that the Golden Knights recover on the Thundering Herd's twelve yard line.
Five plays later, Steven Moffett will hit Brandon Marshall for a five yard touchdown pass.
The Golden Knights take an early lead. It is 7-0.
***
Jenkins is patrolling the Citrus Bowl parking lots. He's alone -€” something that goes against the orders of his supervisor -€” and he's made a number of underage drinking arrests leading up to kickoff.
Jenkins has a Nextel two-way, but no radio. He jokes that day to a colleague, "Hey, I don't have a radio, so if you hear me screaming . . . come and find me."
Mario Jenkins has a gun. What he doesn't have is something short of a gun. No baton, pepper spray, or taser.
There's an expression that goes: when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
***
Marshall and UCF exchange missed field goals. Soon, the Golden Knights are on a grinding 84 yard drive that takes 5:24 off the clock. Kevin Smith -€” the first true freshman to start at RB for the Golden Knights since 1992 -€” punches the ball in on a one yard run to make the score 14-0.
On defense, UCF has stuffed the running game. Ahmad Bradshaw has been held to 3 yards on five attempts in the first half. The Herd only has eight yards rushing in total. They'll end the game with only three more rushing yards.
UCF kicker Matt Prater hits a field goal, and the Golden Knights go into the half with 17 points. Marshall is still scoreless.
***
Around 5:00 PM, the game is still an hour away. Mario Jenkins approaches a woman whom he thinks might be drinking underage (she is 24, as it turns out). He asks for her identification. He's wearing his green shirt, having taken off the floral one at some point. Green is one of Marshall's colors.
Things start to go sideways.
A group of people start throwing beer bottles at him. Jenkins tries to identify himself a cop. A witness tailgating nearby quotes Jenkins as saying, "I'm a police officer, I'm a police officer. Stop. Stop." Jenkins is still being pelted.
Soon after, a guy in the group named Robert McLintock starts running.
And Jenkins starts chasing.
***
Matt Prater hits another field goal in the third. It's now 20-0, and Marshall looks bad. It starts to feel like UCF has things well in hand.
Not so. The Golden Knights fumble in their own territory. Marshall freshman defensive end Albert McClellan returns the fumble to the UCF 24. And with 2:21 left in the third, QB Jimmie Skinner connects with Hiram Moore for a touchdown.
The Herd are on the board.
***
Jenkins catches McLintock. Jenkins holds his gun to the side of McLintock's head. Things look dire.
This is where Michael Young comes in. Young is just a bystander. He's tailgating.
He doesn't know McLintock and he doesn't know Jenkins (it took a day, he says, before he learned Jenkins was a cop). And what he sees is a man in Marshall colors holding a gun to another man's head. He thinks a crazy fan is going to kill someone.
So Young acts. He puts Jenkins in a bearhug. He picks Jenkins up. He wrestles Jenkins to the ground. They are surrounded by a large crowd of tailgaters.
Somewhere in here, Jenkins fires a "warning shot." Or shots. The testimony later on won't be in agreement on this. Or when exactly Jenkins fired them, for that matter.
And then Jenkins shoots Young in the abdomen.
***
Fortunately for the Golden Knights, Marshall is not done making their own mistakes. They end up going for it on fourth and five from the UCF 35 yard line. They fall a half yard short.
There are still more mistakes to be made. On both sides.
There's a flurry of turnovers. During Marshall's second drive of the fourth quarter, Kareem Reid forces and recovers a fumble by Skinner. And then Moffett throws a pick, preventing UCF from capitalizing.
But on the ensuing Herd drive, Skinner tosses an interception to Travonti Johnson. The Golden Knights have the ball once again.
***
Officer Smith is patrolling on a bicycle when he overhears a bystander telling another officer that there's a man with a gun in the crowd around the Citrus Bowl. Smith goes to investigate while the other officer calls in the report.
On his way over, what Officer Smith hears is this:
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
***
Prater makes his third field goal of the night with 5:45 left in the game, giving UCF a 23-7 lead. This game is out of reach.
The Herd do not lay down. Marshall moves the ball effectively on the next possession. The Herd go 80 yards for a touchdown in about minute and a half to cut the UCF lead to 23-13 with 4:12 left in the game. The two point conversion fails.
Then there is more chaos.
Marshall blocks a punt, recovering the ball at UCF's 16. But the Herd are now punched out. On fourth down, Skinner's pass sails over the head of Shawn Lauzon.
***
Officer Smith passes a panicking crowd of people who run past him. Then he gets to the man with the gun in a green shirt.
Officer Smith sees Jenkins standing. He sees Jenkins pointing his gun at Young. Young is on the ground. It's clear to Officer Smith that Young is injured or shot.
Now, Officer Smith sees Jenkins start to turn towards Smith. He thinks Jenkins will shoot.
So Smith shoots first and without warning. He shoots Jenkins twice in the back. Also once in the rear right arm.
Jenkins, in turn, shoots twice at Officer Smith. He misses. Then he falls.
***
In the waning minutes of the game, it has become clear the Golden Knights will win. The longest losing streak in the country is snapped (it is also the Golden Knights' first Conference USA win). Fans are moving down, towards the field. They will spill over the fence. They will surround a field goal post. Some of them will climb it. And they'll take it down.
It looks like this:
***
There are two other law enforcement officers near the shooting. One of them is an ABT agent who aimed his gun at Jenkins during the struggle with Young. He had met Jenkins in the police hospitality tent, but does not recognize him now. The agent does not shoot.
The other is an ABT captain who, like Jenkins, is not wearing a uniform. He doesn't draw his gun. He is worried about what would happen if he did so while wearing plainclothes.
Only when Jenkins swings his arm towards Officer Smith to return fire does the ABT captain realize that two cops are shooting at each other. And only when the shooting is over does he get out the words: "He's a cop."
***
The goal post is too big to fit through the tunnel, but that won't stop the students, it can be broken down further. If you are heading back to campus, you might see large sections of it in the back of a pick up truck. And if you follow it back to campus, you get to see it thrown into the reflection pond and see elated students climbing it. A crowd surrounds and takes photos. And cheers.
Police officers show up, and then everyone runs like heck.
***
Years later, Young will still have Jenkins' bullet in his left hip. Young will be charged with a crime for tackling a law enforcement officer. Young will maintain that he did not know Jenkins was a cop until he was told so the next day. Nonetheless, he will be sentenced to six months in jail.
Mario Jenkins passes away from the result of the gunshot wounds. His estate will sue the City of Orlando and Officer Smith and lose. The trial court says, "Confronted with an imminent situation where Young's life, his own life, and the lives of others appeared to be in danger, Officer Smith lawfully used deadly force without warning."
Mario Jenkins' estate will appeal and lose that, too.
A report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conclude that widespread failures to follow police practices contributed to the shooting. Also: "[T]he operation appears to have failed to incorporate many practices or techniques generally accepted to maximize officer safety during a plainclothes operation" and "there was no formal effort made to introduce the plainclothes officers to the uniformed OPD personnel involved."
***
This story is as deeply unsatisfying as it is sad.
It is an accumulation of mistakes piled one on top of another, over and over. A plainclothes officer in the opposing team's colors working without back-up, a rowdy crowd, an almost Good Samaritan. "Warning shots" that get fired. Officers who don't recognize each other. Utter chaos and tragedy.
Too many mistakes to be overcome.
Sometimes, that's how it goes.
This is a sad story and it's a true one. There's a shooting, death, and heartache.
Like most true stories, it's ambiguous. It lacks an obvious hero. In this story there are bad choices and mistakes. Many of them, all building on the ones that happened before. Events spiral and bring people crashing into each other. Any way you look at the events that occurred there is sorrow surrounding the UCF tragedy.
Life is complicated like that.
Death, too.
***
It is September 24, 2005. The UCF Knights hadn't dropped the "Golden" yet. They're playing in downtown Orlando at the Citrus Bowl. An on-campus stadium is still two years in the future, though UCF is studying whether one would be feasible.
The Knights were also winless in 2004, O'Leary's first season. They dropped the last four games of 2003, when Mike Kruczek was fired and Alan Gooch served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Going into a home game against Marshall the Golden Knights lost seventeen straight. It is the nation's longest college football losing streak.
Mario Jenkins is wearing a floral print shirt. Underneath it, he's wearing a green shirt.
This seems like it should be a trivial detail.
It isn't.
The green shirt will matter later on.
***
UCF's prior game was a loss to USF, 31-14. It is the first football game played between the two schools. The seeds of a rivalry are apparent: it may be that a group of UCF fans beat up USF's mascot.
The several police agencies working the game against Marshall believe it, anyway. They're extra concerned about violence, rowdy crowds, and underage drinking.
To that end, two of the agencies will have officers not just in uniform, but also circulating through the crowds in normal clothes. That's the UCF Police Department and the Florida Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. There are Orlando Police Department officers at the game, too. The OPD officers are all in uniform.
***
Earlier in the day, Mario Jenkins was in a tent near the Citrus Bowl eating pizza with a group of police officers. He talks real estate for a few minutes. One of the people with him is an OPD Officer named Smith. Maybe. Smith will testify he doesn't remember meeting Mario Jenkins in the tent, though other people will place him in the conversation.
The tent is the police hospitality tent.
Mario Jenkins is a police officer. With the UCF Police Department.
And he's still wearing his floral print shirt over a green shirt.
***
Hours later, the game will start. UCF will pounce on Marshall immediately. On the second play of the game, UCF's Paul Carrington hits Marshall's Bernie Morris from behind, forcing a fumble that the Golden Knights recover on the Thundering Herd's twelve yard line.
Five plays later, Steven Moffett will hit Brandon Marshall for a five yard touchdown pass.
The Golden Knights take an early lead. It is 7-0.
***
Jenkins is patrolling the Citrus Bowl parking lots. He's alone -€” something that goes against the orders of his supervisor -€” and he's made a number of underage drinking arrests leading up to kickoff.
Jenkins has a Nextel two-way, but no radio. He jokes that day to a colleague, "Hey, I don't have a radio, so if you hear me screaming . . . come and find me."
Mario Jenkins has a gun. What he doesn't have is something short of a gun. No baton, pepper spray, or taser.
There's an expression that goes: when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
***
Marshall and UCF exchange missed field goals. Soon, the Golden Knights are on a grinding 84 yard drive that takes 5:24 off the clock. Kevin Smith -€” the first true freshman to start at RB for the Golden Knights since 1992 -€” punches the ball in on a one yard run to make the score 14-0.
On defense, UCF has stuffed the running game. Ahmad Bradshaw has been held to 3 yards on five attempts in the first half. The Herd only has eight yards rushing in total. They'll end the game with only three more rushing yards.
UCF kicker Matt Prater hits a field goal, and the Golden Knights go into the half with 17 points. Marshall is still scoreless.
***
Around 5:00 PM, the game is still an hour away. Mario Jenkins approaches a woman whom he thinks might be drinking underage (she is 24, as it turns out). He asks for her identification. He's wearing his green shirt, having taken off the floral one at some point. Green is one of Marshall's colors.
Things start to go sideways.
A group of people start throwing beer bottles at him. Jenkins tries to identify himself a cop. A witness tailgating nearby quotes Jenkins as saying, "I'm a police officer, I'm a police officer. Stop. Stop." Jenkins is still being pelted.
Soon after, a guy in the group named Robert McLintock starts running.
And Jenkins starts chasing.
***
Matt Prater hits another field goal in the third. It's now 20-0, and Marshall looks bad. It starts to feel like UCF has things well in hand.
Not so. The Golden Knights fumble in their own territory. Marshall freshman defensive end Albert McClellan returns the fumble to the UCF 24. And with 2:21 left in the third, QB Jimmie Skinner connects with Hiram Moore for a touchdown.
The Herd are on the board.
***
Jenkins catches McLintock. Jenkins holds his gun to the side of McLintock's head. Things look dire.
This is where Michael Young comes in. Young is just a bystander. He's tailgating.
He doesn't know McLintock and he doesn't know Jenkins (it took a day, he says, before he learned Jenkins was a cop). And what he sees is a man in Marshall colors holding a gun to another man's head. He thinks a crazy fan is going to kill someone.
So Young acts. He puts Jenkins in a bearhug. He picks Jenkins up. He wrestles Jenkins to the ground. They are surrounded by a large crowd of tailgaters.
Somewhere in here, Jenkins fires a "warning shot." Or shots. The testimony later on won't be in agreement on this. Or when exactly Jenkins fired them, for that matter.
And then Jenkins shoots Young in the abdomen.
***
Fortunately for the Golden Knights, Marshall is not done making their own mistakes. They end up going for it on fourth and five from the UCF 35 yard line. They fall a half yard short.
There are still more mistakes to be made. On both sides.
There's a flurry of turnovers. During Marshall's second drive of the fourth quarter, Kareem Reid forces and recovers a fumble by Skinner. And then Moffett throws a pick, preventing UCF from capitalizing.
But on the ensuing Herd drive, Skinner tosses an interception to Travonti Johnson. The Golden Knights have the ball once again.
***
Officer Smith is patrolling on a bicycle when he overhears a bystander telling another officer that there's a man with a gun in the crowd around the Citrus Bowl. Smith goes to investigate while the other officer calls in the report.
On his way over, what Officer Smith hears is this:
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
***
Prater makes his third field goal of the night with 5:45 left in the game, giving UCF a 23-7 lead. This game is out of reach.
The Herd do not lay down. Marshall moves the ball effectively on the next possession. The Herd go 80 yards for a touchdown in about minute and a half to cut the UCF lead to 23-13 with 4:12 left in the game. The two point conversion fails.
Then there is more chaos.
Marshall blocks a punt, recovering the ball at UCF's 16. But the Herd are now punched out. On fourth down, Skinner's pass sails over the head of Shawn Lauzon.
***
Officer Smith passes a panicking crowd of people who run past him. Then he gets to the man with the gun in a green shirt.
Officer Smith sees Jenkins standing. He sees Jenkins pointing his gun at Young. Young is on the ground. It's clear to Officer Smith that Young is injured or shot.
Now, Officer Smith sees Jenkins start to turn towards Smith. He thinks Jenkins will shoot.
So Smith shoots first and without warning. He shoots Jenkins twice in the back. Also once in the rear right arm.
Jenkins, in turn, shoots twice at Officer Smith. He misses. Then he falls.
***
In the waning minutes of the game, it has become clear the Golden Knights will win. The longest losing streak in the country is snapped (it is also the Golden Knights' first Conference USA win). Fans are moving down, towards the field. They will spill over the fence. They will surround a field goal post. Some of them will climb it. And they'll take it down.
It looks like this:
***
There are two other law enforcement officers near the shooting. One of them is an ABT agent who aimed his gun at Jenkins during the struggle with Young. He had met Jenkins in the police hospitality tent, but does not recognize him now. The agent does not shoot.
The other is an ABT captain who, like Jenkins, is not wearing a uniform. He doesn't draw his gun. He is worried about what would happen if he did so while wearing plainclothes.
Only when Jenkins swings his arm towards Officer Smith to return fire does the ABT captain realize that two cops are shooting at each other. And only when the shooting is over does he get out the words: "He's a cop."
***
The goal post is too big to fit through the tunnel, but that won't stop the students, it can be broken down further. If you are heading back to campus, you might see large sections of it in the back of a pick up truck. And if you follow it back to campus, you get to see it thrown into the reflection pond and see elated students climbing it. A crowd surrounds and takes photos. And cheers.
Police officers show up, and then everyone runs like heck.
***
Years later, Young will still have Jenkins' bullet in his left hip. Young will be charged with a crime for tackling a law enforcement officer. Young will maintain that he did not know Jenkins was a cop until he was told so the next day. Nonetheless, he will be sentenced to six months in jail.
Mario Jenkins passes away from the result of the gunshot wounds. His estate will sue the City of Orlando and Officer Smith and lose. The trial court says, "Confronted with an imminent situation where Young's life, his own life, and the lives of others appeared to be in danger, Officer Smith lawfully used deadly force without warning."
Mario Jenkins' estate will appeal and lose that, too.
A report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conclude that widespread failures to follow police practices contributed to the shooting. Also: "[T]he operation appears to have failed to incorporate many practices or techniques generally accepted to maximize officer safety during a plainclothes operation" and "there was no formal effort made to introduce the plainclothes officers to the uniformed OPD personnel involved."
***
This story is as deeply unsatisfying as it is sad.
It is an accumulation of mistakes piled one on top of another, over and over. A plainclothes officer in the opposing team's colors working without back-up, a rowdy crowd, an almost Good Samaritan. "Warning shots" that get fired. Officers who don't recognize each other. Utter chaos and tragedy.
Too many mistakes to be overcome.
Sometimes, that's how it goes.
Recap: UCF Hammered by Michigan, 51-14
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/10/12873282/UCF-Knights-Michigan-Wolverines-Recap-Central-Florida-Justin-Holman-Injury
Michigan dominated UCF in every phase of the game, cruising to a 51-14 win. Despite having moved the ball a bit early and having some success stopping the run, the Knights were clearly overmatched by the first quarter. Special teams failures plagued the Knights throughout and poor quarterback play ensured there would be no miracles for UCF. Knights Senior Quarterback Justin Holman also suffered an apparent hamstring injury that took him out of the game, making this a game that will hurt the Knights going forward. How much it hurts remains to be seen.
The Good: It's hard to take away many good things after a 37 point pounding. But there are a couple for the Knights. UCF did a far better job stopping the run than most expected. And safety T.J. Mutcherson came up to make some plays (including a great sack on Speight).
There were some reasons to smile on offense. UCF had a handful of explosive plays, headlined by freshman Adrian Killins's tremendous 87 yard run in the second quarter (which got the Knights on the board and made it 31-7). He burned defenders and flashed tremendous speed. It was his only carry on the day.
Despite their mostly horrendous play, both UCF quarterbacks Holman
and Patti had some nice runs. Holman had runs of 30 and 36 yards (the
last run, he would injury himself). Patti had a 26 yard run himself. All
told, UCF had 275 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
The Bad: Things were mostly bad. But the quarterback play was remarkably poor. Holman went 3/11 for 37 yards. He also coughed up a fumble on a sack immediately after throwing a pass that should have been picked off. His deep ball was inaccurate. Everything was inaccurate. After his injury on the 36 yard run, Patti came in. He also looked bad, going 3/11 and 19 yards passing, or an abysmal 1.7 yards per pass.
Special teams -€” which were good last week and one of the few modest bright spots in last year's winless campaign -€” were beyond atrocious. Both of Matthew Wright's field goals were blocked. Two punts were blocked. There were other gaffes besides. Early in the second, the Knights nearly surrendered a punt return TD to Jabrill Peppers (who was tackled near the five). And on what should have been UCF's first possession in the third half, the Knights fumbled away the kickoff return.
It could have been worse. Early in the second, Tristan Payton
nearly took the ball out of the end zone before stepping back and
kneeling down. UCF was maybe inches away from a safety (recall that Hayden Jones actually did this in the game against UConn last year).
The Ugly: Poor Justin Holman's injury. Last year, he suffered a hand injury (also in the second game of the season) against Stanford. He was out for weeks, and his play never recovered last year. At the time of this recap, the extent and nature of Holman's injury is unclear, though it looked like a possible hamstring injury. It would be a sad thing if his season were to be derailed by injury for the second year in a row.
The Knights have what should be a tough game next week at home against a better than expected Maryland squad.
Michigan dominated UCF in every phase of the game, cruising to a 51-14 win. Despite having moved the ball a bit early and having some success stopping the run, the Knights were clearly overmatched by the first quarter. Special teams failures plagued the Knights throughout and poor quarterback play ensured there would be no miracles for UCF. Knights Senior Quarterback Justin Holman also suffered an apparent hamstring injury that took him out of the game, making this a game that will hurt the Knights going forward. How much it hurts remains to be seen.
The Good: It's hard to take away many good things after a 37 point pounding. But there are a couple for the Knights. UCF did a far better job stopping the run than most expected. And safety T.J. Mutcherson came up to make some plays (including a great sack on Speight).
There were some reasons to smile on offense. UCF had a handful of explosive plays, headlined by freshman Adrian Killins's tremendous 87 yard run in the second quarter (which got the Knights on the board and made it 31-7). He burned defenders and flashed tremendous speed. It was his only carry on the day.
The Bad: Things were mostly bad. But the quarterback play was remarkably poor. Holman went 3/11 for 37 yards. He also coughed up a fumble on a sack immediately after throwing a pass that should have been picked off. His deep ball was inaccurate. Everything was inaccurate. After his injury on the 36 yard run, Patti came in. He also looked bad, going 3/11 and 19 yards passing, or an abysmal 1.7 yards per pass.
Special teams -€” which were good last week and one of the few modest bright spots in last year's winless campaign -€” were beyond atrocious. Both of Matthew Wright's field goals were blocked. Two punts were blocked. There were other gaffes besides. Early in the second, the Knights nearly surrendered a punt return TD to Jabrill Peppers (who was tackled near the five). And on what should have been UCF's first possession in the third half, the Knights fumbled away the kickoff return.
The Ugly: Poor Justin Holman's injury. Last year, he suffered a hand injury (also in the second game of the season) against Stanford. He was out for weeks, and his play never recovered last year. At the time of this recap, the extent and nature of Holman's injury is unclear, though it looked like a possible hamstring injury. It would be a sad thing if his season were to be derailed by injury for the second year in a row.
The Knights have what should be a tough game next week at home against a better than expected Maryland squad.
UCF Knights vs University of Michigan Wolverines: Preview, Betting Line, Start Time, TV, Radio, Prediction
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/9/12857540/UCF-Knights-v-Michigan-Wolverines-football-preview-tv-streaming-betting-line-central-florida
Start Time: Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 PM EST
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan.
TV/Streaming: ABC
Radio/Live Stats: 96.9 FM and 740 AM for radio and over here for live stats.
Betting Line: UCF is a 35.5 point underdog.
Records: UCF and Michigan are both 1-0. Neither have played a conference game yet.
All-Time Series: This is the first meeting between the teams.
UCF Outlook: The Knights are 1-0 following their week one shutout of MEAC foe South Carolina State. It was the Knights' first win since 2014. While not the most interesting football ever played by the Knights, it felt dang good to break that losing streak.
Uncertainties still abound with this Knights team. QB Justin Holman picked things up in the second half last week to end 14/28 for 193 yards passing, and two touchdowns (as well as 40 yards rushing and a rushing TD). His play in the first half was atrocious, however. He was skittish and inaccurate. And clearly not accustomed yet to Scott Frost's spread-to-run offense, Holman made wrong reads a number of times and sent running backs straight into walls. Again, he settled down in the second half. But the Knights can ill afford Holman spotting Michigan a bad half of bad QB play.
Keep an eye on WR Tre'quan Smith, whom I believe has the athleticism
to challenge an excellent Michigan defense. He led the Knights last week
in receptions (4), yardage (65), and had one of the Knights' two
receiving touchdowns. I think highly of true freshman Jawon Hamilton,
who led the Knights on the ground last week. While I don't predict this
to be a breakout game for him, I'm eager to see how he can perform
against this level of competition. He's the future at running back (and
frankly probably most of the present, too).
The Knights defense will be challenged. The secondary (especially Shaquill Griffin) looked good against South Carolina State. But it's hard to get too excited in light of how bad the Bulldogs' quarterback play was. I worry about how much better a unit that got routinely torched in 2015 can be in a year. Especially going up against a guy like Jehu Chesson on the outside.
Michigan Outlook: The Wolverines looked stellar last week in drubbing a hapless Hawaii team, 63-3. Michigan excelled on both sides of the ball. The defense had two pick sixes. Also four sacks. Hawaii only scored in the fourth quarter thanks to a 55 yard field goal. The Michigan offense rolled along as well, racking up 306 yards rushing to go with 206 passing.
The real question mark for Michigan going into the season was at quarterback. And the answer was supplied last week. Despite a terrible interception to start the game, Wilton Speight showed that he could be very effective and finished 10/13 with three touchdowns. He looks to be an excellent game manager. With good quarterback play in place, this is a truly dangerous team.
True freshman Chris Evans was a revelation for Michigan last week, and our sister site Maize n Brew is firmly on his hype train. Evans had two touchdowns and 112 yards rushing. On eight carries. In relief of senior running back De'Veon Smith. Yikes. If the Knights' rebuilt front leaves holes for Evans, expect him to wreck havoc.
The defense is led by Jabrill Peppers who was a monster last week against Hawaii. He racked up eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. The guy can do anything and allows the Wolverines tremendous flexibility in responding to different offensive personnel.
Look also Don Brown's defense to blitz often and take advantage of Holman's lack of comfort in this offense.
In candor: there is no evidence to suggest that the Knights can beat the Wolverines. In my Q&A with Maize n Brew, I predicted a 16-42 loss, I'm at peace with what I think is the likely result. The Knights are climbing out of last year's crater and are not going to be a good team overnight. But this is a great opportunity to see how the Knights are progressing and how the young players on this team perform against excellent talent.
Start Time: Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 PM EST
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan.
TV/Streaming: ABC
Radio/Live Stats: 96.9 FM and 740 AM for radio and over here for live stats.
Betting Line: UCF is a 35.5 point underdog.
Records: UCF and Michigan are both 1-0. Neither have played a conference game yet.
UCF Outlook: The Knights are 1-0 following their week one shutout of MEAC foe South Carolina State. It was the Knights' first win since 2014. While not the most interesting football ever played by the Knights, it felt dang good to break that losing streak.
Uncertainties still abound with this Knights team. QB Justin Holman picked things up in the second half last week to end 14/28 for 193 yards passing, and two touchdowns (as well as 40 yards rushing and a rushing TD). His play in the first half was atrocious, however. He was skittish and inaccurate. And clearly not accustomed yet to Scott Frost's spread-to-run offense, Holman made wrong reads a number of times and sent running backs straight into walls. Again, he settled down in the second half. But the Knights can ill afford Holman spotting Michigan a bad half of bad QB play.
The Knights defense will be challenged. The secondary (especially Shaquill Griffin) looked good against South Carolina State. But it's hard to get too excited in light of how bad the Bulldogs' quarterback play was. I worry about how much better a unit that got routinely torched in 2015 can be in a year. Especially going up against a guy like Jehu Chesson on the outside.
Michigan Outlook: The Wolverines looked stellar last week in drubbing a hapless Hawaii team, 63-3. Michigan excelled on both sides of the ball. The defense had two pick sixes. Also four sacks. Hawaii only scored in the fourth quarter thanks to a 55 yard field goal. The Michigan offense rolled along as well, racking up 306 yards rushing to go with 206 passing.
The real question mark for Michigan going into the season was at quarterback. And the answer was supplied last week. Despite a terrible interception to start the game, Wilton Speight showed that he could be very effective and finished 10/13 with three touchdowns. He looks to be an excellent game manager. With good quarterback play in place, this is a truly dangerous team.
True freshman Chris Evans was a revelation for Michigan last week, and our sister site Maize n Brew is firmly on his hype train. Evans had two touchdowns and 112 yards rushing. On eight carries. In relief of senior running back De'Veon Smith. Yikes. If the Knights' rebuilt front leaves holes for Evans, expect him to wreck havoc.
The defense is led by Jabrill Peppers who was a monster last week against Hawaii. He racked up eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. The guy can do anything and allows the Wolverines tremendous flexibility in responding to different offensive personnel.
Look also Don Brown's defense to blitz often and take advantage of Holman's lack of comfort in this offense.
In candor: there is no evidence to suggest that the Knights can beat the Wolverines. In my Q&A with Maize n Brew, I predicted a 16-42 loss, I'm at peace with what I think is the likely result. The Knights are climbing out of last year's crater and are not going to be a good team overnight. But this is a great opportunity to see how the Knights are progressing and how the young players on this team perform against excellent talent.
UCF vs. Michigan Q&A with Maize n Brew
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/8/12847834/UCF-Knights-Michigan-Wolverines-UM-Jehu-Chesson-Scott-Frost-Jake-Butt
Drew Hallett from Michigan blog Maize n Brew joins us this week for a Q&A about this week's contest between the Knights and the Wolverines. You can follow Drew on Twitter @DrewCHallet.
Our answers to Drew's questions about UCF are over here at Maize n Brew.
1. This Michigan team absolutely steamrolled Hawaii last week. Who are the most dangerous playmakers the Knights should be wary of?
Big thanks to Drew for answering our questions. Thoughts on his analysis? The comments are yours.
Drew Hallett from Michigan blog Maize n Brew joins us this week for a Q&A about this week's contest between the Knights and the Wolverines. You can follow Drew on Twitter @DrewCHallet.
Our answers to Drew's questions about UCF are over here at Maize n Brew.
1. This Michigan team absolutely steamrolled Hawaii last week. Who are the most dangerous playmakers the Knights should be wary of?
It's difficult to narrow down whom Michigan's most dangerous
playmakers are. The Wolverines are in a fortunate position where they
possess a pack of experienced, NFL-ready talent -- CBS Sports listed Michigan at #4 in its top-25 NFL Draft rankings
-- and just landed a heralded class of true freshmen with endless
potential that already are contributing on the field. However, if I
must, I will list three playmakers each on Michigan's offense and
Michigan's defense.
Offensively,
Michigan arguably has the nation's best receiving tight end and
definitely has the tight end with the most (in)appropriate name in Jake
Butt. He caught 51 passes for 654 yards and three touchdowns in 2015
and is on his way to rewriting the tight end section of Michigan's
record book. At 6-foot-6, Butt has the prototypical frame of a tight
end, but what makes him special is his ability to run crisp routes that
shake defenders and high point the football in what Michigan fans like
to call the "Butt Zone." He was an All-American last season and should contend for the Mackey Award this season before becoming a top-50 draft pick.
While Butt is Michigan's weapon in the middle of the field, wide receiver Jehu Chesson has become Michigan's weapon on the outside. For much of his career, Chesson
was a raw speedster, being used more on end-arounds and jet sweeps
because he had not developed his route-running or ability to adjust to
the ball in the air. However, in the final six games of 2015, something
finally clicked for him because, in that span, he caught 33 passes for
574 yards and nine touchdowns. Suddenly, he was Michigan's
deep-threat, #1 receiver and torching future first-round cornerbacks like Florida's Vernon Hargreaves.
Now,
as a senior, Chesson has a chance to put it all together for one
memorable season. If he does, some scouts have claimed he could be the
first receiver off the NFL Draft board.
As for Michigan's third offensive playmaker, I will go out on a limb and say true freshman Chris Evans
despite that he's worn the winged helmet for one game. Evans was a
former four-star athlete that wasn't pegged for a certain position.
Some thought he would be an H-back or slot on offense, while others
liked him better in the defensive backfield. However, Jim Harbaugh put
him at running back, and Evans dazzled in his college debut against
Hawaii, toting the ball eight times for 112 yards and two scores.
Although Evans currently is only Michigan's #3 running back behind
DeVeon Smith and Ty Isaac,
Evans brings something to the table that the other two don't:
decisiveness and explosiveness. He had a 43-yard touchdown sprint that
saw him burst through a hole that would have closed on Smith --
Michigan's bruiser and current starter -- after 12 yards. Evans won't
be the running back that UCF sees first, and he won't be the back that
they will see most. But, if the Knights leave him in open space, they
will regret it the most.
Defensively,
the first two playmakers are obvious because they have been plastered
over All-American lists for the past year. The first is cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who was arguably the best cover corner in the country last season. Lewis
tallied 37 tackles, 3.5 TFL, a sack, a forced fumble, two
interceptions, and a whopping 20 PBUs. That his interceptions were on
the low side likely cost him his shot at the Thorpe Award, but here is
the stat that matters: quarterbacks targeted Lewis an absurd 90 times, yet completed only 33 of those passes (36.7%) for 416 yards (4.6 YPA).
Simply, Lewis thrived in press man coverage and shut down one half of
the field. Lewis missed the 2016 opener with a minor injury, but Jim
Harbaugh said it was a precautionary measure. Expect Lewis to be on the
field.
The other obvious defensive playmaker is do-it-all Jabrill Peppers.
The former five-star utilizes his world-class athleticism at safety,
corner, nickel, linebacker, slot receiver, H-back, running back,
Wildcat QB, and returner. However, do not expect him to appear on the
offensive side of the ball in this one. Peppers will be on defense in a
SAM/nickel role where his versatility allows Michigan to adapt to
various offensive schemes without changing its personnel. Though
Peppers' coverage in the slot can be shaky at times, he is a violent
force near the line of scrimmage and in the flats because he bursts
past blockers in those areas to blow up screens and create tackles for
loss. This was on display against Hawaii when he racked up eight
tackles, two TFL, and a sack. Peppers is the quintessential
hybrid-space player, and he likely will be a first-round selection in
the spring.
The
third defensive playmaker is not one that stands out on the stat sheet
but on the game film: nose tackle Ryan Glasgow. The former walk-on
doesn't receive the attention that his linemates do, but he is the glue
that holds together what some pundits believe is the nation's best
defensive line. Glasgow is impressive against both the run and the pass.
He knows how to hold up against double teams, and he has become so
proficient at shedding offensive linemen with an explosive first step or
with his hands. It wasn't a surprise when Michigan's defensive line
began to get shredded by run-heavy spread offenses in the final weeks of
last season after Glasgow suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
Now, Glasgow is back, and, given how he tore Hawaii's interior line to
pieces, he is fully healthy again.
2.
Michigan replaced an outstanding DC in D.J. Durkin with another
outstanding DC in Don Brown. Is his defense much different than
Durkin's, and if so - how?
There are
many similarities between the defenses of D.J. Durkin and Don Brown,
but Don Brown's defenses seems to be more aggressive and complicated.
There was no secret to Durkin's defense last season. Michigan would run
a 4-3 with a press man Cover 1 or 3 behind it, daring the opponent's
offensive linemen to win their assignments against Michigan's defensive
line and the opponent's receivers to beat Michigan's corners one on
one. Most times, Michigan won those battles.
On the
other hand, while Michigan still is running a 4-3, Brown's defense has a
lot more variation to it and more blitzes. In terms of alignment,
Michigan might be in a typical 4-3 on one snap. Then, on the next snap,
Michigan could be in a 4-2-5 where the defensive linemen will be in
wide splits that allow Michigan's two inside linebackers to sandwich
its defensive tackle at the line and crash the B gaps. Jabrill Peppers
is being moved around from nickel to linebacker to safety every play,
which alters Michigan's scheme and tries to keep offenses guessing
about what is coming next. Plus, Michigan no longer is exclusively
relying on press man coverage. Brown has installed some trap and robber
coverages, which will be disguised and should lead to more
interceptions for the Wolverines. In fact, they had two pick-sixes
against Hawaii, one of which was the result of the Warriors'
quarterback not seeing Michigan's Delano Hill
in a robber zone underneath. It will be interesting to see if Brown
has installed too much to the point that Michigan is more prone to
mental mistakes. But the defense looked very stout versus Hawaii.
3. Speight had a great debut at QB. Do you think he's as good as his three touchdown performance against Hawaii suggests?
No. There was much talk about who would replace Jake Rudock
as Michigan's starting quarterback this season, but Wolverine fans
were not as worried about it because Jim Harbaugh has an excellent
track record with quarterbacks and has shown himself to be a guru of
sorts. Nonetheless, when it was rumored that Wilton Speight had beaten out John O'Korn
for the gig, it was understood that Harbaugh was making this move
because Speight had more control of the offense and could move the
chains without making many mistakes. Of course, Speight just happened
to have his first throw of the season picked off due to a poor
decision, but he bounced back by completing 10-of-13 throws for 145
yards, three touchdowns, and just the one interception. However, it was
not as if Speight was throwing darts around the field. He had a couple
of nice throws, but most of his passes were easy because Michigan was
ahead on down and distance all game and Hawaii's secondary was just not
good. Speight likely fits the mold of a game manager, and it still
remains to be seen if he can pick apart great defenses.
4.
Michigan is deservedly a heavy favorite. Knowing the strengths and
weaknesses of this team as you do, what scenario exists in which you can
see a UCF upset?
The only
scenarios that exist in which UCF can upset Michigan is if the
Wolverines get an extreme case of turnover-itis or their defensive line
goes down in a flurry of injuries. Offensively, Michigan likely will
replicate the gameplan it had against Hawaii and keep the ball on the
ground (39 runs to 20 passes). UCF's defensive front struggled to stop
the run last season (95th in YPC and 105th in S&P+), so it's
difficult to predict that the Knights will win that battle in the trench
given they have a dearth of defensive ends. Michigan will use an array
of tight ends and H-backs to blow them off the line, so, unless
Michigan's running backs start fumbling or Wilton Speight gets the yips, Michigan should move the ball.
Defensively,
Michigan was vulnerable to uptempo spread-to-run offenses at the end
of 2015 after it had lost three defensive linemen to season-ending
injuries. The Wolverines no longer had the depth it desired to keep a
full rotation of talented linemen, and, as they pace quickened, they
became exhausted as they were trapped on the field, unable to sub. The
good news for UCF is that Scott Frost has brought an uptempo spread
offense with him from Oregon to Orlando. The bad news for UCF, though,
is that the Knights likely do not yet have the proper personnel to
execute it well -- 3.58 YPC vs. South Carolina State in the opener is
alarming -- and Michigan's depth at defensive line remains somewhat
intact for the moment. Nose tackle Bryan Mone and defensive end Taco Charlton are expected to miss Saturday's
game, but Michigan also will be getting back defensive tackle Maurice
Hurst, Jr. If the defensive line stays healthy, it is hard to imagine
that UCF will be able to run effectively through the Wolverines' front.
And I don't think Justin Holman will have much fun against Michigan's secondary either way.
5. Off
the field - What do you recommend for Knights fans visiting Ann Arbor?
Any restaurants, bars, non-game activities that are not to be missed?
I reside
in Los Angeles and actually haven't been back to Ann Arbor since 2012,
which is crazy to me as I type it out. So I'm not entirely sure what
has changed in the past four years. Nonetheless, when people ask me for
Ann Arbor restaurant and bar recommendations, I always direct them to this guide constructed by MGoBlog's Brian Cook.
It wonderfully breaks down your options based on the type of meal you
want or the bar you want to frequent.However, I do think Brian is too
harsh on the restaurants on Main Street, such as Chop House. They are
pricey, but I do not find them as overrated as he does. And Brian omits
my favorite "spot" in Ann Arbor: Mr. Spots. It is located on State and
Hill and known for its Philly cheesesteaks. But their hot wings are the best I have ever had.
Oh, and if
you want to try the ever-popular Zingerman's Delicatessen, call in
your order ahead of time and pick it up. Otherwise, have fun standing
in a line around the corner for 30 minutes to an hour. Or just go to
Maize & Blue Deli. It's better.
To those of you making the trip to Ann Arbor, have a wonderful time!
Recap: UCF Beats South Carolina State 38-0 for First Win Since 2014
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/3/12789684/UCF-Knights-South-Carolina-State-Bulldogs-Recap-Instant-Analysis-Central-Florida
The Knights had not won since the improbable Hail Mary hauled in by Breshad Perriman against ECU on December 4, 2014. After a long drought, the Knights have finally notched a win. Sure, it was "only" a win over FCS South Carolina State, but the Bulldogs have a fine defense and were a team with a pulse.
So I'm still not sure which Justin Holman we have. I asked -€” as have most Knights fans, I'm sure -€” whether we would have "2014 Holman" or "2015 Holman" this year. It turns out we had a half of each. Holman started poorly -€” jittery, inaccurate, and too amped up. But by the second half, he had largely settled down. He threw some lasers and ended up 14/28 for 193 yards, with two passing touchdowns and one on the ground. Take out a terrible first half (and account for the fact that Nick Patti came in for most of the fourth quarter), and those statistics look better. And it has to be said that even for a guy no one will mistake for a prototypical mobile quarterback, Holman can make some plays with his legs (as he did on the touchdown run).
Still, the Knights still have a question mark here. Let us hope these early jitters won't be repeated.
The Griffins were great. Twins Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin
stood out on what was mostly a very good night for the UCF defense.
Shaquill Griffin had a ridiculous interception in the third quarter
where he tipped the ball into the air before coming down with it.
Shaquem's move from safety to outside linebacker has been a huge success. He delivered some absolutely huge hits. He looks like a great fit in the Knights' 3-4 defense.
They were a big part of the reason the Knights ended up with a shutout (just like the last time the Knights played South Carolina State, winning 18-0 in 2008).
Special Teams allowed the Knights room to breathe. In the first half, the Knights moved the ball but bogged down often on the South Carolina side of the field. Matthew Wright
hit field goals from 46, 34, 45, and 37 yards to put the Knights up
12-0. The Knights would go into the half up only 18-0 following a ten
yard run by Justin Holman near the end of the half. Had it not been for Wright's reliable kicking, the first half would have had a much different feeling.
Tristan Payton had a great 47 yard kickoff return, and Chris Johnson was effective on punt returns.
There was a dicey special teams moment in the fourth quarter where a UCF punt was nearly blocked. But the Knights ended up stopping the ball's roll at the 1 so things ended up with a happy result.
No doubt a sharper debut on offense (especially in the first half) would have pleased Knights fans better, but just getting a win after such a long drought felt great. Question marks still surround the offense, especially Holman's play.
The Knights had not won since the improbable Hail Mary hauled in by Breshad Perriman against ECU on December 4, 2014. After a long drought, the Knights have finally notched a win. Sure, it was "only" a win over FCS South Carolina State, but the Bulldogs have a fine defense and were a team with a pulse.
So I'm still not sure which Justin Holman we have. I asked -€” as have most Knights fans, I'm sure -€” whether we would have "2014 Holman" or "2015 Holman" this year. It turns out we had a half of each. Holman started poorly -€” jittery, inaccurate, and too amped up. But by the second half, he had largely settled down. He threw some lasers and ended up 14/28 for 193 yards, with two passing touchdowns and one on the ground. Take out a terrible first half (and account for the fact that Nick Patti came in for most of the fourth quarter), and those statistics look better. And it has to be said that even for a guy no one will mistake for a prototypical mobile quarterback, Holman can make some plays with his legs (as he did on the touchdown run).
Still, the Knights still have a question mark here. Let us hope these early jitters won't be repeated.
Shaquem's move from safety to outside linebacker has been a huge success. He delivered some absolutely huge hits. He looks like a great fit in the Knights' 3-4 defense.
They were a big part of the reason the Knights ended up with a shutout (just like the last time the Knights played South Carolina State, winning 18-0 in 2008).
Tristan Payton had a great 47 yard kickoff return, and Chris Johnson was effective on punt returns.
There was a dicey special teams moment in the fourth quarter where a UCF punt was nearly blocked. But the Knights ended up stopping the ball's roll at the 1 so things ended up with a happy result.
No doubt a sharper debut on offense (especially in the first half) would have pleased Knights fans better, but just getting a win after such a long drought felt great. Question marks still surround the offense, especially Holman's play.
UCF Knights vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs: Preview, Start Time, TV, Streaming Information
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/9/1/12729866/UCF-Knights-v-South-Carolina-State-Bulldogs-football-preview-tv-streaming
Start Time: Saturday, September 3 at 7 PM
TV/Streaming: ESPN3
Live Coverage: FM 96.9 & AM 740 - Orlando
Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL
All-Time Series: UCF won the only prior meeting between the teams, a 17-0 shutout, in 2008. UCF QB Michael Greco (who would later be converted to safety) played poorly and passed for only 90 yards. The defense carried the day, holding South Carolina State to less than 22 minutes of possession.
UCF Outlook: The UCF program and its fans are energized, and remarkably so for a team coming off a winless and joyless slog of a season in 2015. New Head Coach Scott Frost has done all the right things so far, and Knights fans will finally get a chance to see this team in a game situation.
It will look much different from the O'Leary era. Frost has imported
the up-tempo spread from his time as offensive coordinator at Oregon. DC
Erik Chinander has the Knights in a base 3-4 defense.
There's an interesting dichotomy with this team, which returns 10 starters on offense and 7 on defense. The Knights are still young at some position groups -€” wide receivers, running backs. And yet these are some of the more promising groups. Where the Knights can field older players, they have mostly not impressed to date. That includes the offensive line. And the secondary. And at QB where the Knights start Senior Justin Holman (who showed promise in 2014 before getting injured in 2015 and throwing twice as many interceptions as touchdowns) and Redshirt Senior Nick Patti (who, at least, has been serviceable).
I have to believe that UCF has progressed enough under Frost to handle South Carolina. But my crystal ball has been murky before when it comes to games against FCS schools from the Palmetto State ("The game against Furman is the only ‘gimmie' game left on the schedule [. . .] ").
For more on the Knights, our season preview is over here.
South Carolina State Outlook: South Carolina State is coached by Buddy Pough, an alumnus of the school. In his fourteen seasons, the Bulldogs are 112-51. Last year South Carolina State went 7-4 with a 6-2 record in the MEAC.
The team's strength last year was its defense. South Carolina State lead the FCS with 46 sacks. The defense averaged 15.2 points allowed per game. The Bulldogs return six players from that defense, but among those lost is defensive tackle Javon Hargrave who went in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft to the Steelers. He accounted for 13.5 of those sacks.
On offense, the Bulldogs return most of last year's offense, including quarterback Caleb York, now a sophomore. Keep an eye out for offensive tackle Javarius Leamon, a former Clemson commit (academic issues kept him from being a Tiger). He's a potential draft prospect himself and excels in pass protection.
The Bulldogs have been picked to finish a respectable fourth in the MEAC.
Start Time: Saturday, September 3 at 7 PM
TV/Streaming: ESPN3
Live Coverage: FM 96.9 & AM 740 - Orlando
All-Time Series: UCF won the only prior meeting between the teams, a 17-0 shutout, in 2008. UCF QB Michael Greco (who would later be converted to safety) played poorly and passed for only 90 yards. The defense carried the day, holding South Carolina State to less than 22 minutes of possession.
UCF Outlook: The UCF program and its fans are energized, and remarkably so for a team coming off a winless and joyless slog of a season in 2015. New Head Coach Scott Frost has done all the right things so far, and Knights fans will finally get a chance to see this team in a game situation.
There's an interesting dichotomy with this team, which returns 10 starters on offense and 7 on defense. The Knights are still young at some position groups -€” wide receivers, running backs. And yet these are some of the more promising groups. Where the Knights can field older players, they have mostly not impressed to date. That includes the offensive line. And the secondary. And at QB where the Knights start Senior Justin Holman (who showed promise in 2014 before getting injured in 2015 and throwing twice as many interceptions as touchdowns) and Redshirt Senior Nick Patti (who, at least, has been serviceable).
I have to believe that UCF has progressed enough under Frost to handle South Carolina. But my crystal ball has been murky before when it comes to games against FCS schools from the Palmetto State ("The game against Furman is the only ‘gimmie' game left on the schedule [. . .] ").
For more on the Knights, our season preview is over here.
South Carolina State Outlook: South Carolina State is coached by Buddy Pough, an alumnus of the school. In his fourteen seasons, the Bulldogs are 112-51. Last year South Carolina State went 7-4 with a 6-2 record in the MEAC.
The team's strength last year was its defense. South Carolina State lead the FCS with 46 sacks. The defense averaged 15.2 points allowed per game. The Bulldogs return six players from that defense, but among those lost is defensive tackle Javon Hargrave who went in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft to the Steelers. He accounted for 13.5 of those sacks.
On offense, the Bulldogs return most of last year's offense, including quarterback Caleb York, now a sophomore. Keep an eye out for offensive tackle Javarius Leamon, a former Clemson commit (academic issues kept him from being a Tiger). He's a potential draft prospect himself and excels in pass protection.
The Bulldogs have been picked to finish a respectable fourth in the MEAC.
UCF 2016 Football Season Preview: The Restoration Project Begins
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/8/30/12690324/UCF-Knights-2016-Football-Season-Preview
UCF won the off-season. The hiring of Scott Frost has -€” so far -€” seemed a coup. He reeled in a recruiting class that was far better than a winless program had any right to. He brings an up-tempo, Oregon-esque style that fans have responded to. Attendance at the spring game was a UCF record at 23,147 (also the best spring game attendance for any G5 program this year) and UCF's FanFest was also ridiculously well attended. There is a tremendous level of excitement surrounding the program despite the crater that the O'Leary era ended in.
The overhaul has carried through to other elements of the program. Bright House Networks Stadium is in the process of getting a new video board added. The Knights' uniforms have also been updated and vastly improved (and will have player names on the back for the first time since O'Leary ordered them removed years ago).
The burning question -€” soon to be answered -€” is how the team will perform on the field. Is the success on the field this season going to mirror the run up to the season's start?
Uh, nope. Probably not quite.
But don't let that be dispiriting. The Knights are still young at a number of positions[1] and I see them as winding up in the bottom tier of the AAC this year. But dang, the Knights are finally going to be interesting again. The Knights will play fast (so fast that the program is adding another statistician for game day operations). And they'll doubtlessly improve from last year's winless, injury-plagued campaign. It would be hard not to.
On offense, the Knights have a lot of upside. I'm excited by this group of receivers and believe that in a year or two we'll be thinking of them the way we think of the stellar group that had Breshad Perriman, Ranell Hall, J.J. Worton, and Josh Reese. Jordan Akins, who looked great before his early season injury last year, has been moved from WR to TE where he should continue to be a fast, strong target. Even with unreliable quarterback play, Tre'quan Smith garnered AAC Rookie of the Year honors and thrilled with numerous highlight reel catches in 2015. He should look even better as a sophomore. Tristan Payton is another sophomore to watch -€” he was second on the team last year in both receptions and receiving yards. Plus he just chased down and caught a fleeing voyeur, so he's extra worthy of our rooting interest.
The key will be quarterback play. Senior Justin Holman is the starter as of the Knights' first depth chart. He looked good back in 2014 and his deep ball could be a thing of beauty. But he was a disaster last year, suffering the early season injury against Stanford, missing a substantial stretch of time, and then playing poorly and turnover-prone. If he continues to play like his 2015 self, Nick Patti is a legitimate option at QB.
I look to Jawon Hamilton as a freshman whom I think will impress. When he committed,
I predicted him as the next great UCF RB and he drew praise during fall
practice as well. He's listed as co-starting running back with senior Dontravious Wilson
and so ought to have plenty of opportunities. He's fast and had
tremendous stats his senior year of high school (1,259 yards on 131
carries, or 9.6 yards per carry) -€” I am a believer that his success
will continue at the college level.
On defense, the Knights will now be in a base 3-4 after years of being in O'Leary's 4-3. Last season the lack of communication on defense was painful and resulted in frequent blown coverages and defenders being out of place. We have to hope that the linebackers, especially, will communicate better. I'll look for Chequan Burkett to be a playmaker again this year (yes, even though the depth chart lists him as an "Or" at one of the ILB spots).
Overall, progress should be meaningful and I emphasize that the Knights should be much more fun to watch. But my gut says this is a four win team. Despite some of the reasons to be optimistic, I just don't know how far we can reasonably expect to advance -€” in one year -€” from a winless team that only played close games against Furman and FIU. Don't take me for a pessimist though. Even with all of those cautionary notes, I predict the season ends with Knights fans thinking the future is bright. The Scott Frost era is just getting started.
The restoration project begin the season at home versus South Carolina State at 7 PM on Saturday.
[1] And where the Knights are experienced, they're also mostly not very accomplished.
UCF won the off-season. The hiring of Scott Frost has -€” so far -€” seemed a coup. He reeled in a recruiting class that was far better than a winless program had any right to. He brings an up-tempo, Oregon-esque style that fans have responded to. Attendance at the spring game was a UCF record at 23,147 (also the best spring game attendance for any G5 program this year) and UCF's FanFest was also ridiculously well attended. There is a tremendous level of excitement surrounding the program despite the crater that the O'Leary era ended in.
The overhaul has carried through to other elements of the program. Bright House Networks Stadium is in the process of getting a new video board added. The Knights' uniforms have also been updated and vastly improved (and will have player names on the back for the first time since O'Leary ordered them removed years ago).
The burning question -€” soon to be answered -€” is how the team will perform on the field. Is the success on the field this season going to mirror the run up to the season's start?
But don't let that be dispiriting. The Knights are still young at a number of positions[1] and I see them as winding up in the bottom tier of the AAC this year. But dang, the Knights are finally going to be interesting again. The Knights will play fast (so fast that the program is adding another statistician for game day operations). And they'll doubtlessly improve from last year's winless, injury-plagued campaign. It would be hard not to.
On offense, the Knights have a lot of upside. I'm excited by this group of receivers and believe that in a year or two we'll be thinking of them the way we think of the stellar group that had Breshad Perriman, Ranell Hall, J.J. Worton, and Josh Reese. Jordan Akins, who looked great before his early season injury last year, has been moved from WR to TE where he should continue to be a fast, strong target. Even with unreliable quarterback play, Tre'quan Smith garnered AAC Rookie of the Year honors and thrilled with numerous highlight reel catches in 2015. He should look even better as a sophomore. Tristan Payton is another sophomore to watch -€” he was second on the team last year in both receptions and receiving yards. Plus he just chased down and caught a fleeing voyeur, so he's extra worthy of our rooting interest.
The key will be quarterback play. Senior Justin Holman is the starter as of the Knights' first depth chart. He looked good back in 2014 and his deep ball could be a thing of beauty. But he was a disaster last year, suffering the early season injury against Stanford, missing a substantial stretch of time, and then playing poorly and turnover-prone. If he continues to play like his 2015 self, Nick Patti is a legitimate option at QB.
On defense, the Knights will now be in a base 3-4 after years of being in O'Leary's 4-3. Last season the lack of communication on defense was painful and resulted in frequent blown coverages and defenders being out of place. We have to hope that the linebackers, especially, will communicate better. I'll look for Chequan Burkett to be a playmaker again this year (yes, even though the depth chart lists him as an "Or" at one of the ILB spots).
Overall, progress should be meaningful and I emphasize that the Knights should be much more fun to watch. But my gut says this is a four win team. Despite some of the reasons to be optimistic, I just don't know how far we can reasonably expect to advance -€” in one year -€” from a winless team that only played close games against Furman and FIU. Don't take me for a pessimist though. Even with all of those cautionary notes, I predict the season ends with Knights fans thinking the future is bright. The Scott Frost era is just getting started.
The restoration project begin the season at home versus South Carolina State at 7 PM on Saturday.
[1] And where the Knights are experienced, they're also mostly not very accomplished.
Obscure Stats: UCF Brags About New Video Board
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/8/24/12594186/ucf-football-stadium-new-led-video-board
I love the Knights. And I love the efforts made this off season to build fan excitement following a dreadfully dull and winless 2015 campaign.
And I love UCF's command of obscure and silly statistics.
In that vein, here is UCF Athletic Director Danny White dropping what can only be described as an exceedingly specific UCF factoid:
That . . . that's some statistic. It's the best possible gloss for
‘our stadium is modest but the new video board is a pretty good size,
actually.' Not that I'm complaining, odd stat notwithstanding. The new LED display clocks in at 4,104 square feet, an impressive 640% improvement over the current video display.
But why stop at second highest ration of video board size to seating capacity? Let me humbly submit the following alternatives for the edification of my fellow Knights fans:
I love the Knights. And I love the efforts made this off season to build fan excitement following a dreadfully dull and winless 2015 campaign.
And I love UCF's command of obscure and silly statistics.
In that vein, here is UCF Athletic Director Danny White dropping what can only be described as an exceedingly specific UCF factoid:
But why stop at second highest ration of video board size to seating capacity? Let me humbly submit the following alternatives for the edification of my fellow Knights fans:
24.429 square feet of LED display for each 1,500 watt metal halide lighting fixture in the stadium!A glorious factoid, to be sure. But only time will tell whether UCF has truly found a worthy successor to such gems as "#1 Video Game School in North America," and "More National Merit Scholars than the University of Texas."
4.434 square feet of LED display for each linear foot of ornamental fencing and gates surrounding the stadium!
And of course, 0.0928 square feet of LED display for each seat in the stadium![1]
Former UCF Football Coach George O'Leary To Be Honored With Statue
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/8/23/12613534/former-ucf-football-coach-george-oleary-statue
Appropriately enough, a guy I once compared to Shelley's "Ozymandias" is getting a statue. A statue of former head coach George O'Leary is expected to be installed in 2017, probably on or near Bright House Networks Stadium. As the Orlando Sentinel reports, the effort to install the statue was organized by a group of private donors and approved by the UCF Athletic Association.
No word yet on whether the statue will feature ecstatic ‘post-ECU in 2014 O'Leary' or ‘wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command O'Leary.'
O'Leary is a complicated figure, but undeniably worthy of a statute from a football perspective (despite the winless seasons that bookended his UCF tenure). The Knights' eighth head coach, O'Leary oversaw virtually every major achievement in program history. He coached UCF to the program's first bowl appearance and later to its first bowl win, a Liberty Bowl victory over Georgia in 2010.
The Knights won four conference titles with O'Leary at the helm: two
in Conference USA and two in the American Athletic Conference. The
inaugural AAC season in 2013 was the high point of both O'Leary's tenure
and UCF's football history to date: the Knights went 11-1 in the
regular season, won the AAC outright, and smashed Big 12 Champion Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl to end the season ranked #10.
O'Leary's emphasis on player discipline and academics was praiseworthy. There were few player arrests in his tenure and football players succeeded academically. UCF had a 90 percent graduation success rate in 2014: third among public universities, first in the state of Florida, and first in the AAC. And of course, O'Leary was instrumental in UCF getting the on-campus stadium where his statue will likely rest.
Other aspects of O'Leary's time at UCF were less than salubrious. A player's death in 2008 (arising from sickle cell trait complications) following conditioning drills led to extensive civil litigation. Though O'Leary was not a defendant in the case, he featured prominently in the litigation.
Appropriately enough, a guy I once compared to Shelley's "Ozymandias" is getting a statue. A statue of former head coach George O'Leary is expected to be installed in 2017, probably on or near Bright House Networks Stadium. As the Orlando Sentinel reports, the effort to install the statue was organized by a group of private donors and approved by the UCF Athletic Association.
No word yet on whether the statue will feature ecstatic ‘post-ECU in 2014 O'Leary' or ‘wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command O'Leary.'
O'Leary is a complicated figure, but undeniably worthy of a statute from a football perspective (despite the winless seasons that bookended his UCF tenure). The Knights' eighth head coach, O'Leary oversaw virtually every major achievement in program history. He coached UCF to the program's first bowl appearance and later to its first bowl win, a Liberty Bowl victory over Georgia in 2010.
O'Leary's emphasis on player discipline and academics was praiseworthy. There were few player arrests in his tenure and football players succeeded academically. UCF had a 90 percent graduation success rate in 2014: third among public universities, first in the state of Florida, and first in the AAC. And of course, O'Leary was instrumental in UCF getting the on-campus stadium where his statue will likely rest.
Other aspects of O'Leary's time at UCF were less than salubrious. A player's death in 2008 (arising from sickle cell trait complications) following conditioning drills led to extensive civil litigation. Though O'Leary was not a defendant in the case, he featured prominently in the litigation.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Big 12 Expansion Awkwardness: USF Edition
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/8/17/12516408/big-12-expansion-awkwardness-usf-edition
Big 12 expansion, like much of
the realignment situation, is awkward. Awkward for the Big 12 which,
though in the driver's seat, probably has to expand or eventually die.
And certainly awkward for the universities that prostrate themselves
before the Big 12 in efforts to secure an invitation.
USF may have raised the awkwardness to a new level. Its Big 12 promotional submission "case statement" includes an egregious spelling error. Naturally, it comes in a section which touts USF's academics:
"Reasearch." In the second
sentence. Immediately following a sentence with "research" spelled
correctly. The message: ‘Of course I know how to do it right, but I
stopped paying attention while proofreading.' Ouch.
The Bulls seem to have a
problem with these things from time to time. Their football media guide
notes USF's status as an "ermerging" preeminent research university:
That puts other schools' sometimes criticized pitches into perspective, doesn't it?
To be fair to USF, these Big 12 promotional materials were provided in response to a public records request and it's not immediately clear
that the error-plagued version has been actually sent to the Big 12.
And these are the kind of errors that just sneak through some times. I'm
reminded of when UF put a crocodile on its media guide instead of an alligator back in 2003.
Obviously, the Big 12's
expansion choices are not going to hinge on typos. And plenty of
expansion candidates have warts. BYU, for example, has been correctly
criticized for its institutionalized discrimination against LGBT individuals. That's a real problem.
All the same, I'm sure USF
would rather the first reaction to its (frankly quite good) submission
focus on something other than spelling errors.
UCF's New Football Uniforms: Too Great to Be Done Talking About Them
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/5/26/11722824/ucfs-new-football-uniforms-too-great-to-be-done-talking-about-them
Knights fans:
We need to talk more about UCF's new uniforms.
Yes, I know we already talked a bit about them when the designs were first released. But I'm not done. They're too great for me to be done. And I really like this modernizing trend they're a part of.
Did you see the design inspiration board for this stuff? It is ridiculously cool in its own right. Go and look at it. Seriously. I'll wait.
It's
Game of Thrones-y in all the right ways, with an awesome knight dude who
should totally replace train-face Knightro (if only that would happen).
And sleek aerospace designs. And what may or may not be a subtle homage
to Vinny the Vulture, the highly unofficial mascot during 1970 (hard to tell, but I'm saying that bird is BALD and looks more vulture than raven).
But these uniforms.
There's much to love here. This "anthracite/white/black/pewter" palette
is tremendous. And it's also got the benefit of minimizing the washed out yellow "gold" we've been saddled with for a while:
The details here are great. The sleeves feature UCF's Pegasus logo,
looping UCF's academic symbol into athletics uniform design for what is
(I believe) the first time ever. And the helmets have a sword mohawk on
them. A SWORD MOHAWK. Nine-year-old me is jumping up and down with glee
somewhere.
The inside neckline will read
"Rise & Conquer" which is -€” in my view at least -€” a far better
slogan than "#ChargeOn." And of course, names return to the back of
jerseys for the first time since 2004, when George O'Leary had them pulled.
Great as these changes are, I can't help but wish list. I'm dying to see one-off versions of:
1. Faux-retro Citronaut era uniform and helmet. Baseball sort of did this back in 2014. But I'd love to see football get an even more thorough Citronaut treatment.
2. A "modern" Citronaut uniform. Give me alternate reality threads, as though UCF had never changed to the Knights.
Seriously UCF. Seriously Nike. Make it happen.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Former UCF Football Coach George O'Leary To Be Honored With Statue
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/8/23/12613534/former-ucf-football-coach-george-oleary-statue
Appropriately enough, a guy I once compared to Shelley's "Ozymandias" is getting a statue.
A statue of former head coach George O'Leary is expected to be
installed in 2017, probably on or near Bright House Networks Stadium. As
the Orlando Sentinel
reports, the effort to install the statue was organized by a group of
private donors and approved by the UCF Athletic Association.
No word yet on whether the statue will feature ecstatic ‘post-ECU in 2014 O'Leary' or ‘wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command O'Leary.'
O'Leary is a complicated
figure, but undeniably worthy of a statute from a football perspective
(despite the winless seasons that bookended his UCF tenure). The
Knights' eighth head coach, O'Leary oversaw virtually every major
achievement in program history. He coached UCF to the program's first
bowl appearance and later to its first bowl win, a Liberty Bowl victory over Georgia in 2010.
The Knights won four conference
titles with O'Leary at the helm: two in Conference USA and two in the
American Athletic Conference. The inaugural AAC season in 2013 was the
high point of both O'Leary's tenure and UCF's football history to date:
the Knights went 11-1 in the regular season, won the AAC outright, and smashed Big 12 Champion Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl to end the season ranked #10.
O'Leary's emphasis on player
discipline and academics was praiseworthy. There were few player arrests
in his tenure and football players succeeded academically. UCF had a 90
percent graduation success rate in 2014: third among public
universities, first in the state of Florida, and first in the AAC. And
of course, O'Leary was instrumental in UCF getting the on-campus stadium
where his statue will likely rest.
Other aspects of O'Leary's time
at UCF were less than salubrious. A player's death in 2008 (arising
from sickle cell trait complications) following conditioning drills led
to extensive civil litigation. Though O'Leary was not a defendant in the
case, he featured prominently in the litigation.
UCF and UNC Agree to Football Home-and-Home Series
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/8/10/12428674/ucf-and-unc-agree-to-home-and-home-series-in-football
UCF and UNC announced today that they will play a home-and-home series in football. The Knights will travel to Chapel Hill in 2018 with the Tar Heels making the return trip to Bright House Networks Stadium in 2020.
UCF and UNC announced today that they will play a home-and-home series in football. The Knights will travel to Chapel Hill in 2018 with the Tar Heels making the return trip to Bright House Networks Stadium in 2020.
It's a great addition for the
Knights' future schedules. UCF has historically struggled to schedule
home games with Power Five programs, a fact often lamented by prior head coach George O'Leary.
UCF's only other currently
scheduled out of conference game for 2018 is with Florida Atlantic
University, so some gaps remain to be filled in the near term.
UNC will be UCF's second ACC
foe in 2020. An away game at Georgia Tech is scheduled for September 19,
2020. UCF also has games against AAC opponents scheduled this year
(home versus Maryland) and in 2017 (home versus Georgia Tech, and away
at Maryland).
The agreed series now completes
UNC's 2018 schedule. Their out of conference opponents in 2018 will be
UCF's fellow AAC member ECU, Cal, and the Catamounts of Western
Carolina.
The Knights and Tar Heels have never previously met in football.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Another Big Step for UCF Recruiting Under Scott Frost
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/1/18/10784398/another-big-step-for-ucf-recruiting-under-scott-frost
UCF's sluggish recruiting for 2016 took a clear leap forward once Scott Frost was in as head coach. On Sunday it took another step forward with the commitments of Jawon Hamilton and Nate Evans.
Hamilton especially is a
tremendous pick-up for the Knights. The 5-foot-9, 185 pound Hamilton is
an exciting prospect, one whom I believe will be vastly better than his
three star ranking suggests. This season, the South Dade High Prospect
rushed for 1,259 yards on 131 carries (9.6 ypc!) and 16 touchdowns.
Those stats come against strong competition, by the way. Also promising,
Hamilton recently won the South Florida Player of the Year Award[1] (which went to a guy named Dalvin Cook in 2013, by the way). And his highlights on Hudl are full of I-can't-believe-the-guy-has-not-gone-down moments:
Hamilton clearly fits this
staff's mold of pursuing fast, in-state players. Of the Knights' 13
commits, he's the seventh from Florida and the fourth from south Florida
(joining Dontay Mayfield, Bryon Brown, and classmate Boman Swanson).
There's an excellent chance
that Hamilton competes immediately for playing time at UCF. He just may
be our next great Knights running back (I know, I know: I said this about Will Stanback, but I really think I'm right this time).
I'm certain to sound too bullish on Hamilton, and I get that. But the
guy's the real deal and should make Knights fans cheer for years to
come.
His commitment came to be
expected, especially once he de-committed from the University of Miami
(having previously also de-committed from FIU). Frost made it clear that
Hamilton was a priority for this class - Hamilton was the first recruit
that Scott Frost called in December and (seemingly) the first offer he
extended. Hamilton's commitment is solid: though he had official visits
to Syracuse and Louisville scheduled, the Orlando Sentinel quotes Hamilton as saying he's now "done visiting" and "locked in" to UCF.
Three star linebacker Nate
Evans also pledged the Knights on Sunday. A 6-foot-one, 230 pound inside
linebacker from New Orleans, Evans was one of the first recruits
contacted by defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. Evans pledged at the
conclusion of his visit to UCF. Evans had previously taken an official
visit to AAC Champion Houston.
These two commitments continue
the big strides that Frost and company are making at UCF. The Knights
get better on both sides of the ball with RB recruit Jawon Hamilton and
ILB Nate Evans. Hamilton, in particular, may be someone the Knights lean
on early.
[1] . . . From the "Warren Henry Auto Group and Tournament of Champions, Inc." Dang that's a mouthful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)