| From MOP Squad Sports UCF Golden Knights If you had told UCF last year at this time that it would end up in the Conference USA title game and in a bowl game, it would've been ecstatic. So why does 2005 feel so empty? Maybe it's because of a 44-27 loss in a home game against Tulsa for the Conference USA title. Maybe it was the missed extra point in the thrilling, but crushing, overtime loss to Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. It's easy to forget now that the George O'Leary era didn't exactly get off to a strong beginning with an 0-13 start as part of a 17-game losing streak with 19 losses in 20 games before going on an impressive run of eight wins in nine games before the unsatisfying finish. What was most impressive about the turnaround, the fourth greatest in college football history (bettered by 1999 Hawaii, 1940 Stanford and 2000 South Carolina), is how it happened. UCF appeared to need just a little bit of tweaking to be much better than the 2004 disaster, and those changes came in the form of true freshmen getting the start in the secondary and the backfield. Now the team should reap all the rewards of suffering through the youth and inexperience of last season. The disappointments of a job not finished last year will be part of the experienced and talented team all season long. No matter how well things are going, it's unlikely O'Leary will let his players forget how quickly it can all come crashing apart. The nice part about this team will be how few times he'll have to bring up any past failures; this group remembers them all too well. However, UCF isn't a lock to win anything even with 19 starters returning. All the fantastic looking young players in the secondary got torched last year and must prove they can be consistent. All five starters return to the offensive line, but that group couldn't stop anyone's pass rush. And then there's the question of wins; did UCF actually beat anyone last year? The best win of the eight last year was either against Memphis or Houston while the five losses were against, arguably, the five best teams on the schedule (South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Miss, Tulsa and Nevada). But who cares? After two straight losing seasons and a wildly disappointing four-year stint in the MAC, there's no arguing against the school's best season since 1998. Now the question becomes whether or not the team hit a ceiling or if the program is about to enter the stratosphere. The coaching, the recruiting base, and the potential is there for a bright future. If last year was any indication, the future might be now. The Schedule: The key will be getting off to a decent start and not getting down if the record is 2-4, or even 1-5, going into the layup against Rice. Forget about winning at Florida, but a home date with South Florida will be crucial for the team's psyche going into the start of the Conference USA season with a huge home game against East power Southern Miss followed up by a trip to play a resurgent Marshall. There's a tough stretch of three road trips in four weeks over the second half of the year that'll make or break bowl hopes. What you need to know on offense ... UCF made a night-and-day improvement from the year before helped immensely by the play of QB Steven Moffett and the arrival of star back Kevin Smith. Everything is in place for a huge season with all five starters returning to the line, a deep and talented backfield, and a good group of quarterbacks led by Moffett, the team's leader. The only concerns are pass protection and finding a reliable number two receiver to take the pressure off Mike Walker. Best Offensive Player: Sophomore RB Kevin Smith. He's the speedy, steady, reliable factor in the offense able to keep everything running smoothly when everything isn't working quite right. However, QB Steven Moffett has Conference USA Player of the Year potential if he improves as much from last year to this year as he did from his sophomore to junior seasons. What you need to know on defense ... UCF underwent an overhaul of talent last year basically throwing out all the veterans and starting from scratch in the back seven with freshmen. The D didn't stop anyone, but the move unearthed some potential superstars in the secondary led by corner Joe Burnett and safety Jason Venson setting the foundation for a potential fantastic defense either this year or next. There should be a big step up in overall production as long as there aren't the same mistakes made last year. The front four has to figure out how to generate a pass rush without Paul Carrington to rely on anymore. Best Defensive Player: Sophomore CB Joe Burnett. He's a good-sized corner with great hitting ability and a nose for the football. There are few better open field tackling corners and there likely won't be many, if any, in Conference USA who'll make bigger plays. Key player to a successful season: Senior DE Chris Welsh. The loss of Paul Carrington takes away the team's top pass rusher leaving a huge hole to fill. Welsh has been a steady defender over the last few seasons, but he, or senior Kareem Reid, has to get to the quarterback early and often. The season will be a success if ... UCF gets back to a bowl game. Yeah, it'll be Conference USA title or bust with the way last season went, but the schedule is too tough to demand or expect a second straight East championship. Another eight win season would better than the team would make it out to be. Key game: Oct. 14 vs. Southern Miss. Marshall and East Carolina are better and the road trip to Memphis in mid-November isn't going to be a walk in the park, but it's the Conference USA opener against Southern Miss that will set the tone for the season and put UCF in the driver's seat if it can come away with a win. USM won 52-31 last year. 2005 Fun Stats: The Last Time UCF … |