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UCF Golden Knights (2000: 7-4)
Updated: Tuesday August 07, 2001 1:29 PM The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programThe highly successful 2001 football season served as further proof that the University of Central Florida (UCF) is in desperate need of a football conference it can call home.With winning records in two of their last three seasons (including a 7-4 mark last season after a 1-2 start), the Golden Knights have made the successful leap from the I-AA ranks to a legitimate independent team. But despite finishing three games above .500 and defeating mighty Alabama in what was the biggest win in school history, UCF was unable to get a bowl berth even though it seems that there are 198 different bowl games out there now. The reason? The bowl bids go to teams from power conferences for the most part, unless you're Notre Dame. UCF had a chance to take its homeless tag off. But it took a calculated risk last year, when it decided to pass on a chance to join the fledgling Sun Belt Conference. The decision not to join the likes of Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and North Texas in the new Sun Belt makes it clear that the Golden Knights have bigger goals, like joining the Big East, ACC or Conference USA. They want national recognition, bowl games and all the bells and whistles that go with being in a big-time conference. The school even hired a sports marketing firm to help spread the word in hopes of getting asked to the table by a major conference. So what's it going to take? First of all, time. And second, the Knights must continue to take steps in the right direction. It won't be easy to match last year's 7-4 mark, because UCF must take to the road four of the first five weeks of the year in a murderous September opening stretch. The Golden Knights play at Clemson, at Syracuse, at Tulane and at Virginia Tech before the calendar flips to October. Ouch! Making matters tougher is the fact that nearly a dozen players, including star-in-the-making quarterback Ryan Schneider, were on academic probation in the spring. "I think we can have a pretty good football team," Kruczek said. "I think we can be very competitive with the people we play and this is not an easy schedule this year."
OffenseOne of the brightest spots of the 2000 season was a Wally Pipp moment. When then-senior Vic Penn (who had thrown for 3,078 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1999) went down with a shoulder injury at mid-season, it was actually good news for the long-term future of Golden Knights' football.That's because then-redshirt freshman Schneider (6-2, 215) took over under center and proved to be an excellent passer and a fearless field leader. Although he wasn't expected to be UCF's quarterback of the future, Schneider completed 176 of 285 throws for 2,334 yards, 21 scores and just 11 interceptions, four of which came in the season's final game, against Virginia Tech. While passing the ball hasn't been a problem at UCF, a consistent running game has proven difficult to produce. The Knights again struggled to move the ball on the ground in 2000, averaging just 79.2 yards rushing per game. The squad has a nice deep stable of young runners, led by sophomore Corey Baker (417 yards, two touchdowns in 2000), last season's leading rusher. With the graduation of wide receivers Tyson Hinshaw and Kenny Clark, UCF lost 39 percent of its offensive production. The duo also accounted for 48 percent of the team's total receptions and receiving yards for the 2000 season. Despite the departures of Hinshaw and Clark (31 receptions, 474 yards, four touchdowns in 2000), the UCF pass offense should be productive once again, provided battle-tested wideouts like Jimmy Fryzel (5-11, 175), Tavirus Davis (6-2, 190) and Mario Jackson (6-2, 230) step up this fall.
Defense and special teamsAfter ranking 28th nationally in total defense last fall, the Golden Knights should be tough to block. That's because this year's defensive line, led by senior defensive tackle Josh McKibben (6-3, 270), might be the best in school history. McKibben finished with 80 tackles, 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage (for 64 yards lost) and had five sacks.Even with the loss of UCF's third-leading tackler Tony Hardman, the linebackers won't lack for senior leadership. Hardman will be missed, but the leader of this unit will remain senior middle linebacker Tito Rodriguez (6-2, 235). Rodriguez led the team in tackles with 121 (80 unassisted), despite missing the first two games with a knee injury. The leading suspects to man the safety spots are senior Ricot Joseph (6-0, 190) at free safety and juco import James Cody (6-1, 210) at strong safety. Joseph is a proven commodity, having recorded 74 tackles and a pair of interceptions in 2000. Cody has three years of eligibility left after playing last season at Butler (Kansas) Community College. The Knights continued to be outstanding at special teams, blocking five kicks in 2000. If junior college import Carlos Thompson 's seven blocked punts last year at Southwest Mississippi Community College are a true indication, then UCF should continue to give opposing punters and kickers the jitters this fall.
Bottom lineMatching last fall's seven wins could prove difficult for the Golden Knights, even though the overall talent base appears to be better than it was a year ago. The reason for the pessimism? UCF must survive an early schedule that includes trips to Clemson (Sept. 1), Syracuse (Sept. 9), Tulane (Sept. 22) and Virginia Tech (Sept. 29) in the first five weeks in order for 2001 to be successful.If UCF can beat Louisiana-Lafayette at home in mid-September and can somehow prevail in at least one of the four high-profile September road tests, then another winning season is possible. The key will be avoiding a major injury in the first month. Because the October and early-November slate (UAB, Liberty, Louisiana-Monroe, at Utah State, Akron) is much more manageable before a rugged season-ender at Arkansas.
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