Week 2
University of South Florida Bulls @
University of Central Florida Knights
Bright House Networks Stadium
Capacity: 45,301
Kickoff: 7:00pm ET
Line (As Of 9/4) : USF -14
Television: ESPN2 & ESPN2-HD
Radio: AM 740 (Orlando), 1350 (Cocoa & Dade City), 1340 (Daytona) 1240 (Melbourne)
UCF Record: 1-0, Last win against S.C. State
Opponents Record: 1-0, Last win against Tennessee-Martin
Series Record: USF leads the series 3-0.
UCF Depth Chart:Click Here To See
USF Depth Chart:Click Here To See

Analysis by: punk0mi of the ucflj community.

Here we go again…for the last time

…with that being the case, I am going to turn this analysis more personal than usual, so, do forgive.

The Bulls in Tampa don’t really want to play us anymore, or so they say. But is that really the case? All you have to do is go to any UCF or USF fan website to see how much drama has been stirred up over this last meeting. Go look at the Orlando Sentinel…perhaps some of the comments from Bulls fans will irritate you, perhaps even infuriate you. USF is a good team, but they can be beat – like any other team on any given Saturday. The question is will UCF do what it takes to do that? While I cannot answer that I can tell what needs to be done by us – the students and fans

Requirement 1 PACK THE HOUSE. I don’t want to see anyone sitting. Everyone needs to be there, sneak into the stadium if you have to. I don’t care. UCF NEEDS TO SHOW UP IN FORCE. We all need to rep our colors WEAR BLACK AND GOLD.

Requirement 2- BRING YOUR VOICE. Everyone needs to be SCREAMING. Prepare to lose your voice – I don’t care what you think – just lose your voice. BRING THE NOISE FOR 4 STRAIGHT QUARTERS. If we can hear USF’s marching band, then we aren’t LOUD ENOUGH.

Requirement 3- BRING THE RAGE. Bring all of it with you. Frustrations about school, teachers, life, the fact that the USF has beaten us three times in a row. Use it to power your voice and emotion. Make USF feel our rage. I want to hear ESPN refer to our student section as a rabid pack of wolves…foaming at the mouth and chomping at the bit.

Requirement 4- ADOPT THIS MENTALITY. General George S. Patton once said:

“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won’t”.

This is the attitude we all want this weekend. Show no fear. Show the enemy that we aren’t intimidated. Show no mercy. Why? Because of what Matt Grothe said last year:

“I hope they like what happened because we weren’t trying to run the score up on them. We’re that much better than them.”.

Enough said.

Bring noise makers. Bring signs. Make a ruckus. Just do whatever you do for all 4 quarters and make it count.

On to the pre-game analysis…

What can we expect from USF?
Hard hitting speed on defense and a pesky spread offense on the attack. USF is 1-0 after throttling Tennessee-Martin last week. It is hard to see how good the Bulls will actually be right now, since UCF will be the first Div -1A team played on their schedule. However, don’t expect the Bulls to be much different than last year. Expect high-speed defensive plays and an offense that can go any which way on a whim.

What can we expect from UCF?
Confidence. I seriously think that UCF went to Tampa last season scared. I don’t expect that to happen again. Expect to see more passing than running in this game. Expect to see the UCF backfield make picks. Expect the UCF D to run contain and spy looks to keep Grothe from running. It is hard to read UCF right now too, simply because last week was a bit of an over glorified practice and O’Leary was putting the last pieces of the puzzle together.

Who, What, Where, Why, When, How?
USF is a hard hitter. No doubt about it. The pure speed of the Bulls defense is quite amazing. George Selvie and Jariett Buie will be the powerhouses on the D-Line. Returning to the Linebacker position are Tyrone McKenzie and Brouce Mompremier. The defensive backfield is lead by Nate Allen, Carlton Williams, Jerome Murphy, and Tyller Roberts. What will UCF need to do on offense? The O-Line has its work cut out for them. Preventing Selvie and Buie from penetrating the line will be key. If either of these guys gets through, expect a sack. Greco needs to be focused and COMMIT to his decisions. Last week, Greco held the ball WAY to long and couldn’t make up his mind if he was running or passing. UCF Receivers need to be ready to make plays as I expect O’Leary to run a quick air attack with some runs sprinkled in between. If Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver need to be able to get 2-3 yards (if not more) on a consistent basis against USF. Turnovers and fumbles must not happen!

The Bulls offense is lead by a cocky Matt Grothe. Grothe is a pesky QB that most defenses have problems with. Grothe isn’t be best passer in the world, but for what he lacks in the air he makes up for in his ability to scramble. When Grothe is throwing expect passes to go to WR’s Taurus Johnson, Marcus Edwards, and A.J Love or even TE’s Cedric Hill and Trent Pupello (if recovered from ankle). When Grothe isn’t running with the ball himself expect RB’s Benjamin Williams, Jamar Taylor, and Mike Ford to take some carries.

What does UCF need to do on defense? The defensive line and linebackers need to CONTAIN! CONTAIN! CONTAIN! Why? Because Venson, Burnett, Neal, and Rashad should be able to cover the USF receivers with little issues thus forcing Grothe to scramble. When he scrambles (and Grothe will) the UCF D needs to punish him by hard tackles or even better sacks. I seriously expect UCF to run a spy on almost every defensive look to ensure that someone has an eye on Grothe at all times. UCF defensive players need to be on the lookout for fumbles and the chance to make an INT.

Other Contributing Factors: There are many contributing factors that will affect USF. Hostile Territory – Bright House Networks Stadium will be giving the Bulls and their fans from Tampa a warm welcome I am sure. Expect the student section to be the loudest it has ever been. Looking Ahead – Is the USF nation looking past UCF to their bout with Kansas next week? Most USF fans have written this off as a win already. Weather looks great for a game: – Mostly clear skies are the call. The forecast expects daytime high of 93 with a 20% of showers and an overnight low of 74 with 10% chance of showers. Winds are expected to be from the WSW at 3-5 MPH. Sunset is at 7:41PM

Summary:
USF is going to be a challenge. Can UCF win? Sure. Will they? Come out Saturday and find out. If UCF manages to pull out a win, it will be the programs first victory over a ranked BCS team. Also, beating USF will pretty much kill any hopes of USF going to a national championship (if they indeed get that far).
Last but not least, I leave you with the Keys to the Game and Players to Watch.

Keys to a Win: UCF PLAYS FOR 4 QUARTERS! NO TURNOVERS!! UCF STUDENTS AND CROWD KEEP UP THE INTENSITY Play smart	Keys to a Loss: UCF offense is shut down by USF UCF doesn’t play all 4 quarters Turnovers UCF gives up.
Key Players for UCF: QB – #2 – Michael Greco – 6’3”, 211 lbs LC – #31 – Johnell Neal – 5’10”, 176 lbs WR – #5 – Rocky Ross – 6’2”, 196 lbs WR – #6 – Brian Watters – 6’2”, 180 lbs	Key Players for ECU: QB – #8 – Matt Grothe – 6’0” 205 lbs DE – #95 – George Selvie – 6’4”, 245 lbs WR – #5 – A.J. Love – 6’3”, 202 lbs WR – #89 – Taurus Johnson – 6’1”, 205 lbs

Go Knights! And Good Luck!