The second-ranked Texas Longhorns get a breather
from their Big 12 slate and host the UCF Knights of Conference USA this
weekend in Austin.
The 'Horns are coming off arguably their biggest win of the campaign, as they
trounced than 13th-ranked Oklahoma State, 41-14, in Stillwater this past
weekend to all but lock up the South Division title and their spot in the Big
12 championship game.
"I'm really, really pleased with the team - the way they played, the attitude
they played with," said head coach Mack Brown, who is now 12-0 all-time
against OSU. "They rose to the challenge against an outstanding Oklahoma State
football team."
The triumph capped a tough three-game road swing that included wins over
Oklahoma (16-13) and Missouri (41-7), giving Texas its third 8-0 start under
coach Brown. The Horns also moved up to second in the BCS standings following
last weekend's win and they now have the inside track to the national title
game with no ranked teams remaining on their schedule. As a matter of fact,
the team won't even leave the state of Texas for the remainder of the regular
season, playing at Baylor and Texas A&M, while hosting Kansas in Austin.
As for the Knights, they enter the weekend with some momentum on their side,
having won two straight and three of their past four games. Most recently, UCF
hosted Marshall on Sunday and rallied for a 21-20 victory over the Thundering
Herd.
"Anytime you win a game it is great," said head coach George O'Leary. "It was
not pretty, but it was a good team win. We hung in there. As I tell the
players, it is a sixty-minute game for a reason."
UCF now sits at 5-3 on the campaign and is just one win away from becoming
bowl eligible after finishing just 4-8 a year ago.
The Knights and Longhorns met for the first and only time on the gridiron in
2007, with the Texas capturing a narrow 35-32 victory in Orlando.
Trailing 20-14 to Marshall with just under eight minutes to play, UCF rallied
for two scores, including the game-winner on a one-yard touchdown pass from
Brett Hodges to Rocky Ross with 23 seconds remaining.
"I think it shows team chemistry and maturity," said coach O'Leary when asked
about the come-from-behind win by the offense. "I think once you have been in
the program for a while, they understand it is never over until the whistle
blows at the end of sixty minutes."
The Knights rolled up 401 total yards, with no turnovers, against Marshall and
they have been vastly improved on offense this season, averaging 336.6 ypg
after posting a mere 230.0 ypg in 2008. A switch in quarterbacks can be
thanked for the improvement, as Hodges has done a solid job in managing the
offense and throwing for 1,558 yards and 10 scores. He is also coming off a
big performance in which he threw for 342 and two scores, becoming the first
UCF player to pass for 300 yards in a game since 2007.
Ross caught six passes from Hodges, including the game-decider, while A.J.
Guyton finished with a team-high 100 yards receiving in the win over Marshall.
On the season, Ross heads the roster in catches (27) and Guyton is tops
with 396 yards on a 17.2 yard per catch average.
In the backfield, Brynn Harvey has carried the load and he has accounted for
173 of the team's 277 rushing attempts. The sophomore back, who came on strong
last season, has rushed for 679 yards and seven scores in 2009, although he
was limited to just 47 yards on 21 carries against Marshall.
Aside from allowing 17 points in the second quarter, UCF's defense was pretty
stout versus Marshall last weekend and gave up just 293 total yards on the
night. The Knights did an especially good job against the run, surrendering
only 56 yards, and that is an area they have excelled in this year, permitting
just 87.8 ypg and six scores on the ground.
"We knew we had a great challenge tonight." said tackle Torrell Troup. "He
(Darius Marshall) is a great running back and they have a great offensive
line. We were ready for the challenge and we really stepped up big time."
UCF also came up with a couple of key turnovers, to go with four sacks, and
the defense has done a real good job brining down opposing quarterbacks all
season long, registering 27 sacks.
Bruce Miller is the team's most successful pass rusher and he has made nine
sacks and 11.5 TFLs, while posting 40 stops overall. The athletic end was on
top of his game against Marshall, leading the way with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks
and a forced fumble.
With their defense doing a large part of the work, the Horns' offense only
needed 275 total yards in a blowout of OSU last weekend. Texas, which is
averaging a much high 417.8 total ypg on the season, did most of its damage
through the air, as Colt McCoy completed an efficient 16-of-21 pass attempts
for 171 yards and a touchdown.
"Colt (McCoy) is playing as good as anybody in the country," said coach Brown.
"He moved the ball with his feet. He played with a great head. He was very
accurate, and we just felt like it was a complete team win."
McCoy did pace the team with 34 rushing yards, but more importantly, he didn't
throw a pick for the first time this season. The talented gunslinger is well
known for his accuracy, completing 72.0 percent of his throws this season, but
has been picked off on eight occasions, matching his entire total from a year
ago. Still, he remains an elite quarterback and the type of player that steps
up when needed.
Jordan Shipley is clearly McCoy's go-to-guy through the air, as the 6-0 senior
heads Texas with 64 catches for 777 yards and five scores. He had six
receptions for 64 yards in a quiet performance last weekend.
As for the ground attack, the Horns don't rely on any one individual to carry
the load, but they have still been able to manage a solid 155.9 rushing ypg,
with 17 touchdowns.
The Texas defense has been nothing short of outstanding this season and the
unit put on a show against OSU last weekend. The defense not only limited
OSU's high-powered offense to a mere 277 total yards, but it also came up with
five turnovers, including four interceptions. Two of the unit's picks even
resulted in scores, as Curtis Brown took one 77 yards to the house, while Earl
Thomas went 31 yards to paydirt.
"Our defense is continuing to score and we didn't score on special teams
tonight, but we usually do," said coach Brown. "Scoring in all three phases is
something that gives you a chance to be really, really good, and we've just
got to keep that hammer down and keep pressing in those areas."
The defense has had plenty of chances to score, forcing 26 turnovers, 10 more
than all of last season. Of those takeaways, 16 have come via interceptions.
The Horns, though, are even better against the run, holding opponents to a
mere 52.9 rushing ypg on a measly 1.8 yard per carry average.
Roddrick Muckelroy has played a big part in stuffing the run with a team-high
55 stops to his credit, while Thomas has shown a nose for the ball with a
club-best six interceptions the campaign.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
