Last two C-USA teams undefeated in conference play. Latest a pair of undefeated teams in conference play have ever squared off in C-USA. A heated and hatred rivalry alive and cooking on message boards. The top two teams in C-USA in terms of attendance and overall fan support.

Yes this is a game of great anticipation as the 5-2 Knights face off against the 5-2 Pirates of ECU this Saturday at Bright House Network Stadium. A comparison of national stats shows one of the top ranked offenses (ECU) squaring off against one of the top ranked defenses (UCF) who are top 15 in 4 major statistical categories.

Big game, in fact John Denton puts it up there with Texas stadium opener, 2007 C-USA Championship Game, USF 2008, Miami 2009, and Houston 2009. I’d have to agree and I think I’d rank it 5th on that list above the Houston game just because of the implications to win another C-USA title are really on the line. Here’s hoping we draw a crowd fitting for significance of the game!

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I’m a little late with this as my home desktop is having HW issues, but here are tailgate pictures and crowd shots from the UAB @ UCF Wednesday night ESPN showdown. I have to give it up to the UCFAA that filled the place up very well for a midweek game by pushing the student angle hard. Well done!

As for the team, you have to love back to back beat downs on national TV the past two weeks. The defense is looking nasty while the offense seems to be clicking, although the loss of Rob Calebrese could be a big blow as he was really playing well in the Wild Knight role. A big four weeks are coming up with Homecoming vs Rice then the 3 games that will determine our season: ECU, Houston, and USM. ECU is coming off a big victory over NC State at their place so it looks like they are going to be a tough touch challenge. I think this team will be up for it, but first we need to beat Rice who took down Houston in a surprise upset this weekend.

UAB @ UCF Tailgate & Crowd Pics

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That was a heart breaker. Ranks right up there with other terrible last minute road losses I witnessed in person, like Auburn ’98, Georgia ’99, and Ga Tech ’00. Definitely a tough pill to swallow considering how we dominated KSU in many areas of the game, especially on the line of scrimmage. What can you do…

Beyond the game I was pretty impressed with downtown Kansas City, MO where we stayed (2 hours east of KSU campus in Manhattan, KS) this trip. It’s got a very friendly and small city type vibe, but it has a bunch of districts with different food/bar/entertainment options. Very clean and accessible, loved the Power & Light district which was a few blocks from our hotel and presented us with many options at night. Additionally we had some delicious KC BBQ during our stay, with the favorite being a Oklahoma Joe’s which is setup in an old gas station. Place was packed when we went there with a line out the door and winding through much of the interior but the wait was worth it! Neat place, I’d definitely go back on next trip!

We didn’t spend much time in Manhattan considering we were staying in KC, of course had we won the game we probably would have stuck around a bit longer. The rolling hills though leading to Manhattan from the Interstate was beautiful and it seemed like the campus had a nice setup. The fans were extremely friendly and if I only got a dime for every time I heard a “Well welcome to Kansas” during the weather delay! Definitely a road trip I’d do again in a heartbeat.

Here is a link to pictures with comments from the trip

And here is a photo I took of the crazy cloud formations that caused the delay:

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