UCF's Hail Mary Is A Conference Clincher

So Central Florida earns a share of the American Athletic Conference championship but it was a heck of a way to win it.

Knights quarterback Justin Holman connects with Breshad Perriman on the successful hail mary to lift UCF to a 32-30 win over East Carolina.


"Justin threw the ball."  Perriman said.  "I knew he was coming to our side. It was a perfect ball. I was blessed enough to come down with the catch."

"That was a great last play," UCF head coach George O'Leary said, "That's the second conference championship in a row, that's the first time in school history. That's great for the players and I'm happy so happy for them."

Here's how the voice of the UCF Knights Marc Daniels called it.




UCF shares the AAC title with Memphis giving the Knights claim to back to back conference championships.

It was a gut wrenching loss for East Carolina.

“I’ve experienced games like that before and it doesn’t get any easier. It’s tough." East Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill said.

You Gotta Feel For Houston

((HT: American Athletic Conference))

Thursday night games are ones prone to sneak up on you athletically...

Short week, faster time to get adjusted to your opponent, schemes are a little different to get squared away, injuries are not fully healed... all that stuff...

After a slow start between UCF and Houston last night, the Knights did just enough to get a lead late but Houston had a final chance...


Like the HQ said in the lead, you gotta feel for the Cougs- if only for the idea that a quarterback is trying to make something happen late...

And he fumbles it into the endzone...

Blake Bortles Nails His NFL Audition, If He So Chooses

You've got to think Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles might be thinking about going pro.

Especially after his performance Wednesday night in front of a national TV audience in the Fiesta Bowl.

Bortles completed 20 of 31 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a career high 93 yards and a touchdown in UCF's 52-42 Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor.

Thanks UCF Knights




"It's awesome to be a part of this." Bortles said. "We came in together.  We're all within one year of each other.  We weren't highly touted guys out of high school.  We came to UCF on a mission."

Bortles would win Fiesta Bowl MVP honors.

"I think he came back and made some big plays with his legs and also turned some plays that could have been very bad for us, into really good plays getting the ball downfield." UCF head coach George O'Leary said.

"He [Bortles] deserved it [Fiesta Bowl MVP Award]." O'Leary added, "I think he played very well."

What was important about Bortles performance against Baylor was that he was able to keep pace with Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel (should he choose to go pro) in jaw-dropping performance's in the collegiate finale's.

Those who evaluate talent for the NFL Draft (and those of us in the OSG HQ tend to stay out of that business) see a work in progress with Bortles.

Blake Bortles' conflict: media/mock drafts = top 10, NFL advisory panel = 2nd RD. 5th pick = 4yrs/18M, 40th pick = 4yrs/4M. #toughcall
— Phil Savage (@SeniorBowlPhil) January 2, 2014

Bortles is a special talent at quarterback and UCF Knight fans would love to see him stay for one more year.

The NFL lure might be to great though.

J.J. Whorton With The Catch Of The Year For Central Florida

Central Florida was trailing Temple 36-29 with two minutes left and then J.J. Whorton did this.



"Honestly it's a blur right now to me," Worton said. "Everyone is talking about it. I'll have to see if on film to remember it. I remember I caught it and after that everyone else was yelling and crazy. All glory to God right now. I couldn't be more happy with the team right now. It's a great day for UCF."

Whorton's touchdown just tied the game.  It took this Blake Bortles to Rannell Hall 64 yard completion....



To set up Shawn Moffitt's game winning field goal.



The Knights escaped Philly with a 39-36 win over Temple.

"I told the players when they go to church tomorrow, make sure they're in the front pew,"  UCF head coach George O'Leary said. "Somebody's looking out for them. That's why you never, never give up. That's the resiliency of the team."

One Bee-Cee-Ess Crasher's Dreams Smashed As Louisville Loses

((HT: ESPN))

And the big guys can thank...

Central Florida...???

A 31-7 run by the Knights and Blake Bortles' 11-play, 75-yard drive put his team up 38-35 with 23 seconds left gave Teddy Bridgewater little chance to do anything other than a Hail Mary to resurrect their season.

Here's the highlights...


"I said, 'Let's get some 2-minute calls ready,'" Bortles said after the game. "We knew we were going to have to go 2-minute. ... Our offensive line did a great job, and our receivers did a great job of getting yards after the catch."

Bortles finished 21-of-32 passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns while Storm Johnson rushed for 109 yards and a TD on 18 carries...

Ess-E-Cee The Early: Sakerlina Survives, Tennessee Survives, UGA Survives

((HT: SECDN/ESPN))

It was the theme of the day (early on, anyway) in the Ess-E-Cee where teams got skeered and still won...

Example Number One: Sakerlina was on the road and had to deal with this injury while playing in one of the more obnoxious environments around- the on-campus stadium at UCF...


The HQ covered Davis in high school at Stephenson High in suburban Atlanta... the kid can flat out run...
And UCF made a lot of people happy with their back door cover...

Example Number Two: The HQ never thought we would ever hear the voice of the Volunteers, Bob Kessling, ever talk about the Volunteers "surviving" a game against South Alabama (of all teams), but that did happen...

Vols only win by 7...
At home...
Against South Alabama...

The HQ would write that line again, but we don't know if we would believe it if we wrote it ourselves...

What is the world coming to...???


And, then, the 3:30 game...

Aaron Murray throws for four scores and may be the best one-loss team in 'Murica right now having gone 2-1 in the top ten with the early part of their schedule in a 44-41 win...

Evidence below that tied the game at 14...
((HT: SECDN/SEC on CBS))

UCF Gets Post-Season Bans In Two Sports For A Year

((HT: WESH-TV))

The NCAA piled on to Central Florida's self-imposed penalties after major recruiting violations were discovered in both their basketball and football programs.

The NCAA added one-year postseason bans for both men's basketball and football in addition to the $50,000 fine, adding two more years to UCF's proposed three years' probation, reduction of basketball scholarships, vacating three years worth of basketball victories and less days allowed for football recruiting.

UCF conducted its own investigation into the allegations of former AD Keith Tribble, former assistant football coach David Kelly, and head men's basketball coach Donnie Jones. Tribble and Kelly were cited for unethical conduct by the NCAA and eventually resigned. Jones served a three-game suspension during the season and was given a "failure to monitor compliance" charge by the NCAA. Tribble was also given a three year show cause penalty as well.

Here's an interview Tribble did for UCFTV a few years back describing his excitement for leading the program...


The punishments come from an investigation that found the programs were involved with runners for sports agents and made cash payments to recruits. As an example, Recruiter Kim Cadwell was also accused of making deposits into students bank accounts, paying tuition and providing laptops to athletes.

Head football coach George O'Leary received no punishments...

The HQ rubs its collective chin over that one... but isn't fully surprised at the insular behavior exhibited...

"My same message to the coaches and the players is that you know we do things by the rule book. Recruiting is a business but there is a correct way to do something," said football coach George O'Leary.

Conference USA has also told UCF that they cannot participate in the post-season tournament for basketball and the championship game in football. Since they're moving to the Big East Conference for the 2013-2014 season, this is the last activity the school is involved in in Conference USA...

More when we know more...

UCF Files Appeal In Plancher Case

Surprising no one, the Central Florida Athletic Association has filed an appeal in the ruling of the wrongful death of football player Ereck Plancher.

The university feels that one of three aspects of the ruling can be used in either overturning the ruling, ordering a new trial, or minimizing the financial settlement ordered by the court.

UCF is saying a waiver Plancher signed should have blown out any school liability, the judge in the case mismanaged the trial, and since the university views itself as a state agency the $10-million judgment is more than the $200,000 limit for liability.

From Iliana Limon's piece in the Orlando Sentinel...

The Plancher family attorneys are scheduled to file their response to the appeal later this month. UCFAA has requested the right to present its case in person via oral arguments. The two sides would likely appear at the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach late in the summer or early in the fall.

The Plancher family filed their wrongful death suit in 2009 claiming that sickle cell trait and the coaching staff's neglect in treatment at the time of Ereck Plancher's collapse on the practice field.

UCF's insurance company claim it was an undiagnosed heart condition.

And so we move on...

The HQ isn't surprised that UCF is bogging this down in the courts. IUt's their only recourse to save their own ass in a case that was mismanaged from the beginning...

Here's head coach George O'Leary's testimony from the trial as part of our flashback...
((HT: MyFoxOrlando))

UCF coach testifies in wrongful death suit: MyFoxORLANDO.com

BREAKING: Big East Adds Some For 2013

According to Brett McMurphy and his Twitter account:

Sources tell @CBSSports Big East will add Boise, San Diego St, Houston, UCF, SMU Wednesday. Will join league in 2013...

Interesting...

More when we know more...

UCF Fans Wear Red Bandanas Vs BC

((HT: MyFoxOrlando))

The story of Welles Crowther became more well known as we got closer to the anniversary of the 9-11 tragedies...

His post-Boston College career as a lacrosse player took him to one of the World Trade Center towers in a career in finance. He always wanted to do something more instead of sit behind a desk.

He rescued somewhere close to a dozen people from his tower before he lost his life when the buildings collapsed. When a story came out in the New York Times about someone wearing a red bandana doing this duty, Crowther's parents knew it was Welles.

As a tribute this weekend, UCF students got behind the idea of wearing bandannas like Crowther's in memoriam...

They did exactly that... here's the genesis of the idea...

Fans will wear red bandanas to honor 9/11 victims: MyFoxORLANDO.com

Very cool, guys... very cool...

Plancher Jury Starts Deliberations

((ht: orlandosentinel))

The trial of a now deceased UCF Football player's family versus the University of Central Florida Athletic Association is beginning to wind down.

The trial, which in a somewhat interesting twist, was promised to be over in 3-weeks, is about to hit that magical 3-week mark. And the judge in the case is holding the attorneys for both sides to that timetable.

Wednesday's testimony included a "Medical Expert" and a Boston area "Hematologist". Both testified they did not believe Ereck Plancher's diagnosis of "Sickle Cell Trait" contributed to his death at a UCF Football practice in 2008.

That testimony contradicted the testimony of the Orange County Medical Examiner who said he believes the trait is exactly what caused Plancher's death. Testimony has also included debate as to whether or not there was water made available to players at practice as well.

The Plancher family is seeking damages from the UCFAA and this case should be over soon. Final testimony is scheduled for Thursday and the case could be sent to the jury by the end of the day.

Your re-cap, includes George O'Leary testifying, and is courtesy of our friends at the Orlando Sentinel the one Orlando media outlet that isn't all "Casey Anthony" all the time.

 

PM UPDATE: As of 1730HRS Thursday afternoon, the jury has started deliberations in the case. Steve Yerrid, the Plancher family attorney, told jurors during his closing argument the UCF Athletics Association failed to follow its own policies and do everything possible to save Plancher's life.

UCFAA attorney Kevin Taylor countered there is "no evidence based proof" sickle cell trait caused death.

More when we know more...