2007 UCF Knights football team

NCAATeamFootballSeason
Year=2007
Team=UCF Knights

---

Conference=Conference USA
Division=East
ShortConference=C-USA
Record=10-4
ConfRecord=7-1
CoachRank=
APRank=
HeadCoach=George O'Leary
OffCoach=Tim Salem
DefCoach=John Skladany
OScheme=
DScheme=
StadiumArena=Bright House Networks Stadium
Champion=C-USA Champions C-USA East Division Champions
BowlTourney= 2007 Liberty Bowl
BowlTourneyResult= L 3-10 vs. Mississippi StateThe 2007 UCF Knights football team represent the University of Central Florida in the 2007 college football season. Their head coach is George O'Leary. 2007 was the first year the UCF Knights played all of their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium on the UCF main campus in Orlando, FL. The Knights were led on offense by quarterback Kyle Israel and Consensus All-American running back Kevin Smith. [cite news | url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=157896 | title=#7 Kyle Israel | QB | work=ESPN.com | publisher=The Disney Company | accessdate=2007-09-15] [cite news | url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/knights/orl-fbcucffolo0307sep03,0,7398981.story | title=UCF upbeat as date with Texas looms | work=OrlandoSentinel.com | publisher=Tribune Company |author=Hightower, Kyle | date=September 3 2007 | accessdate=2007-09-15]

All games are broadcast live on the UCF-ISP Sports radio network, with 740 The Team as the flagship station.

chedule

CFB Schedule Start
ranklink=yes
time=yes
tv=yes
rank=no
attend=yesCFB Schedule Entry
date = September 1
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
time = 6:00pm
away = yes
opponent = NC State
rank = no
site_stadium = Carter-Finley Stadium
site_cityst = Raleigh, North Carolina
tv = ESPN360
w/l = w
score = 25-23
attend = 57,283CFB Schedule Entry
date = September 15
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
time = 3:30pm
opponent = Texas
opprank = 6
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = ESPN2
w/l = l
score = 35-32
attend = 45,622CFB Schedule Entry
date = September 22
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 3:30pm
opponent = Memphis
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = CSS
w/l = w
score = 56-20
attend = 42,153CFB Schedule Entry
date = September 29
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
time = 6:00pm
opponent = UL-Lafayette
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = -
w/l =w
score = 37-19
attend = 42,646CFB Schedule Entry
date = October 6
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 7:30pm
away = yes
opponent = East Carolina
rank = no
site_stadium = Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
site_cityst = Greenville, North Carolina
tv = CSTV
w/l = l
score = 52-38
attend = 42,777CFB Schedule Entry
date = October 13
nonconf = yes
homecoming =
time = 12:00pm
away = yes
opponent = South Florida
opprank = 5
rank = no
site_stadium = Raymond James Stadium
site_cityst = Tampa, FL
tv = ESPNU
w/l = l
score = 64-12
attend = 65,948CFB Schedule Entry
date = October 20
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 4:00pm
opponent = Tulsa
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = -
w/l = w
score = 44-23
attend = 45,510CFB Schedule Entry
date = October 28
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 8:00pm
away = yes
opponent = Southern Miss
rank = no
site_stadium = M. M. Roberts Stadium
site_cityst = Hattiesburg, MS
tv = ESPN
w/l = w
score = 34-17
attend = 27,103CFB Schedule Entry
date = November 3
nonconf = no
homecoming = yes
time = 3:30pm
opponent = Marshall
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = CSS
w/l = w
score = 47-13
attend = 46,103CFB Schedule Entry
date = November 10
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 7:30pm
away = yes
opponent = UAB
rank = no
site_stadium = Legion Field
site_cityst = Birmingham, AL
tv = CSTV
w/l = w
score = 45-31
attend = 12,621CFB Schedule Entry
date = November 17
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 3:00pm
away = yes
opponent = SMU
rank = no
site_stadium = Gerald J. Ford Stadium
site_cityst = Dallas, TX
tv =
w/l = w
score = 49-20
attend = 10,271CFB Schedule Entry
date = November 24
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 12:00pm
opponent = UTEP
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = CSTV
w/l = w
score = 36-20
attend = 41,967CFB Schedule Entry
date = December 1
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 12:00pm
opponent = Tulsa
gamename = C-USA Championship
rank = no
site_stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
site_cityst = Orlando, FL
tv = ESPN
w/l = w
score = 44-25
attend = 44,128CFB Schedule Entry
date = December 29
nonconf = no
homecoming =
time = 4:30pm
opponent = Mississippi State
gamename = Liberty Bowl
rank = no
site_stadium = Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
site_cityst = Memphis, TN
tv = ESPN
w/l = l
score = 10-3
attend = 63,816

Game Summaries

Week 1: North Carolina State (September 1)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=15
R2=10
R3=0
R4=0
Home=NC State
H1=0
H2=3
H3=7
H4=13The NC State Wolfpack played the Knights for the first game of the season. This is the first game where the UCF Knights played with their new logo and white helmet, and also marked UCF's first win over an ACC opponent ever, and was the first win over a BCS team since George O'Leary became head coach.

Week 2: Bye

Week 3: Texas (September 15)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=#6 Texas
R1=10
R2=10
R3=3
R4=12
Home=UCF
H1=7
H2=3
H3=7
H4=15This was the first ever meeting between the Texas Longhorns and the UCF Knights.cite news | url=http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=36&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=298&change_well_id=2 | title=All Time Record vs. Opponents | publisher=MackBrownTexasFootball | accessdate=2007-03-31] Texas was the first opponent in the Knights new stadium, Bright House Networks Stadium, and the 2007 game is the first of three scheduled meetings between the schools.cite news | url=http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/050906aaa.html | title=UCF Football to Face Texas in New On-Campus Stadium in 2007 - 2005 national champs will be first opponent in new stadium. | publisher=UCF Athletic Department | date=9 May 2006 | accessdate=2006-10-22]

During the game, lightning spotted near the stadium caused a fifteen minute delay.cite news | title=College Football - Texas at Central Florida | work=ESPN2 | publisher=The Disney Company | date=September 15 2007] . The game was a back-and-forth contest. Texas took an early three point lead and then UCF made a touchdown to go ahead 7 3. The Longhorns led 20 10 at half-time, but the Knights came back to take a 24 23 lead early in the fourth quarter. Texas then scored two field goals and a touchdown and appeared to be on the way to running out the clock before a Jamaal Charles fumble gave the Knights the ball back with about two minutes left in the game. UCF made a touchdown and a two-point conversion to cut Texas' lead to 35–32 with 35 seconds remaining. When the Knights were unable to recover their onside kick attempt, Texas was able to run out the clock and preserve their three-point victory.cite news | url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=272582116&period=0 | title=(6) Texas 35, UCF 32 Play-by-play | work=ESPNU.com | publisher=The Disney Company | date=September 15 2007 | accessdate=2007-09-15] cite news | title=College Football - Texas at Central Florida | work=ESPN2 | publisher=The Disney Company | date=September 15 2007] cite news | url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/drivechart?gameId=272582116 | title=(6) Texas 35, UCF 32 Drive chart | work=ESPNU.com | publisher=The Disney Company | date=September 15 2007 | accessdate=2007-09-15]

Jamaal Charles of Texas rushed 22 times for 157 yards and UCF's Kevin Smith rushed 27 times for 150 yards for UCF. UT's Colt McCoy completed 68% of his passes for a total of 227 yards; UCF's Kyle Israel completed 35% of his passes for a total of 133 yards. Texas ran 47 passing plays and 43 rushing plays to UCF's 26 plays passing and 41 rushing attempts.cite news | url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=272582116 | title=(6) Texas 35, UCF 32 Box Score | work=ESPNU.com | publisher=The Disney Company | date=September 15 2007 | accessdate=2007-09-15]

The loss represents the closest UCF has come in its history to beating a ranked I-A/FBS team.

Week 4: Memphis (September 22)

Linescore Amfootball
Road= Memphis
R1=0
R2=0
R3=6
R4=14
Home=UCF
H1=14
H2=28
H3=7
H4=7This was the first Conference USA game for both teams. UCF took a strong lead early in the game, with the halftime score at 42-0, and a lead at one point of 49-0. The UCF Knights have beaten Memphis every time they have played them since joining Conference USA three years ago. During the game Kyle Israel and freshman Michael Greco were used in tandem at quarterback, and their success in the game drew immediate comparisons to Chris Leak and Tim Tebow at Florida the previous year.

Week 5: Louisiana-Lafayette (September 29)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UL-Lafayette
R1=3
R2=3
R3=7
R4=6
Home=UCF
H1=10
H2=20
H3=7
H4=0UCF again took a command lead of 30-6 into halftime, but this time permitting the winless Louisiana team within 20 was more concerning. After the game, Coach O'Leary resolved to remind his team of the importance of playing hard all four quarters of the game, which would be important especially with two road games coming up.

Week 6: East Carolina (October 6)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=14
R2=14
R3=3
R4=7
Home=East Carolina
H1=7
H2=10
H3=28
H4=7After going into the half up 28-17, UCF took a surprising downturn with five turnovers in the third quarter: 2 Kyle Israel interceptions, one Michael Greco interception, and two lost fumbles between Israel and running back Kevin Smith. ECU outscored UCF 28-3 in the third to take the win.

Week 7: South Florida (October 13)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=7
R2=3
R3=0
R4=2
Home=#5 South Florida
H1=12
H2=17
H3=14
H4=21South Florida came into the game ranked #5 in both the AP and Coaches Polls going into the game, but UCF would not hold the game as close as they did when they faced then-#6 Texas. UCF scored their only offensive points—a Kyle Israel rush for a touchdown, and a field goal—in the first half. UCF and USF would also exchange safeties. UCF was held to just 145 yards total offense, while South Florida used several big plays to dominate the UCF defense, advancing 543 total yards even though UCF controlled the ball for three minutes longer than South Florida.

South Florida emerged #2 in the BCS and AP Polls, and #3 in the Coaches and Harris Polls.

Week 8: Tulsa (October 20)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Tulsa
R1=14
R2=3
R3=0
R4=6
Home=UCF
H1=7
H2=17
H3=7
H4=13UCF broke free of the two-game losing streak at home against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, taking the lead in the 2nd quarter and never looking back. Kyle Israel completed 21 of 29 for 229 yards, passing and running for touchdowns, and Kevin Smith rushed for 178 yards with three running touchdowns, catching another. Michael Torres kicked three field goals.

Week 9: Southern Miss (October 28)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=7
R2=14
R3=10
R4=3
Home=Southern Miss
H1=7
H2=3
H3=7
H4=0UCF's defense intercepted Southern Miss QB Stephen Reaves three times, and Kevin Smith ran the ball a UCF-record 43 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Smith reasserted himself as the nation's #2 rusher, and the Junior tailback took the school's career rushing yards record (3,372). UCF minimized its mistakes, getting through the game without turning the ball over for the first time since their first game against NC State.

Week 10: Marshall (November 3)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Marshall
R1=0
R2=3
R3=3
R4=7
Home=UCF
H1=10
H2=17
H3=0
H4=20This was the Homecoming game for UCF, and was the first time that all of the Homecoming festivities, including the Homecoming parade, occurred on campus. The Knights rolled over the Herd in this game.

Week 11: Alabama-Birmingham (November 10)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=10
R2=7
R3=14
R4=14
Home=UAB
H1=14
H2=3
H3=7
H4=7UCF traveled to Birmingham and went on to defeat UAB in a hard fought game. The 2-8 Blazers proved troublesome for the Knights, but UCF finished them off towards the end of the fourth quarter. Earlier in the day, Marshall defeated ECU giving UCF the lead in the C-USA East Division, and due to a blowout win over Houston by Tulsa, the Knights are set to host the Conference Championship at their new on-campus stadium. Kevin Smith broke more records this game. He had 320 yards, 41 carries, and 4 touchdowns. He became the state of Florida's all-time single season rushing yards leader. He won the ESPN All-America Player of the Week for his effort.

Week 12: Southern Methodist (November 17)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=21
R2=14
R3=14
R4=0
Home=SMU
H1=10
H2=3
H3=7
H4=0Khymest Williams started the game off with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the Knights. After trading scores through the first quarter, UCF took control of the game. Kevin Smith ran in two touchdowns, and Johnell Neal intercepted a pass and ran it back 72 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Week 13: UTEP (November 24)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UTEP
R1= 0
R2= 10
R3= 7
R4= 3
Home=UCF
H1= 0
H2= 16
H3= 6
H4= 14Despite suffering a 100-yard interception returned for a touchdown, UCF beat UTEP 36-20. Aided by two late touchdowns, UCF sealed the victory, their sixth straight. With the win, UCF clinched the Conference USA East Division crown, and will host the 2007 C-USA Championship against West Division winner Tulsa.

Kevin Smith rushed for 219 yards, continuing to add to his historic season. [cite web|title=Tulsa can't contain Smith as UCF clinches first C-USA title|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=273352116|work=ESPN.com|publisher=The Walt Disney Company|date=2007-12-01|accessdate=2007-12-01]

=Week 14: Conference USA Championship (December 1)=

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Tulsa
R1= 13
R2= 10
R3= 0
R4= 2
Home=UCF
H1= 10
H2= 21
H3= 6
H4= 7Tulsa and UCF met at the C-USA Championship for the second time; Tulsa beat UCF at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Downtown Orlando in 2005.

Kevin Smith continued his dominance, running for 284 yards with 4 touchdowns. Tulsa kept it close in the first half as UCF's defense seemed slow to get started. In the second half, however, they only scored on a safety. Paul Smith, the Tulsa quarterback, threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns, but also gave up three interceptions. UCF won their first ever conference title in football.

Kevin Smith is up to 2,448 rushing yards, which is second all-time for single-season rushing yards in FBS history. Only Barry Sanders, who rushed for 2,628 yards in 1989 for Oklahoma State, has rushed for more yards in a single season. [cite web|title=Tulsa can't contain Smith as UCF clinches first C-USA title|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=273352116|work=ESPN.com|publisher=The Walt Disney Company|date=2007-12-01|accessdate=2007-12-01]

=AutoZone Liberty Bowl (December 29)=

Linescore Amfootball
Road=UCF
R1=0
R2=3
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Mississippi State
H1=0
H2=3
H3=0
H4=7With their Conference USA championship, UCF got an automatic berth at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee on December 29, 2007. It was just their second ever bowl game. They faced Mississippi State from the Southeastern Conference.

After trading 2nd quarter field goals, neither team scored again until MSU's Anthony Dixon leapt into the endzone for a one-yard touchdown run with under two minutes remaining to put Mississippi State up by the final score.

Kevin Smith tried for Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record but was shy of it by 61 yards, finishing with 119 yards rushing against MSU. He was one of only four players to rush for over 100 yards on MSU's defense all season.

References

External links

* [http://www.ucfknights.com/ Official UCF athletics site]