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CONFERENCE USA
FOOTBALL UCF,
Tulsa deliver encore; Bowl surprise
By
Kyle Hightower
©2007 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
ORLANDO — The second meeting this season between
Central Florida and Tulsa was supposed to be a closely contested rematch
between the league’s top two schools for the Conference USA title.
What fans got was a 44-25 UCF victory on
Saturday that had an eerie déjà vu feel that extended past the score. The
Knights beat Tulsa 44-23 back on Oct. 20.
Here are a few interesting notes from the game
to illustrate the point:
— In the regular season meeting between the
teams, UCF gained the clear upper hand when Paul Smith, Tulsa's usually
error-free quarterback, threw two interceptions to open the second half.
Saturday, he again opened the half with back-to-back picks.
Smith finished with four interceptions, which
might have been a surprise to some, but he credited the Knights' play up
front on the defensive line with forcing him to release the ball earlier
than he wanted to on Saturday.
— Of course, you can’t talk about similarities
without mentioning another stellar performance by UCF running back Kevin
Smith. Smith rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns in the first meeting,
but obliterated that total Saturday with 284 yards and four scores.
There is talk about a possible matchup with
Arkansas and Darren McFadden in the Liberty Bowl. If that materializes, fans
could be in for a nice treat watching the two backs go at it on Dec. 29.
There is also the added drama created by Smith
being overlooked as a finalist for the Doak Walker. Smith has said publicly
that he doesn’t care about the awards, but I’d think the competitor in him
would make want to go out there and make a point in that possible matchup
with the Razorbacks.
— Much like UCF needed a big x-factor-type play
to pull away from the Golden Hurricane in October, Saturday it happened
again. This time it came by way of an 83-yard punt return for a score by Joe
Burnett. Ironically, the last punt return for a score by UCF was made by
Burnett in 2005 against Tulsa. Cue Twilight Zone music.
Bowl
surprise
The most interesting
development of the day might have been the news that East Carolina — the
only league team to defeat the Knights this season — and not Tulsa is headed
for the Hawaii Bowl. The Pirates
scuttled UCF 52-38 on Oct. 6.
Through the grapevine
after the game, I heard that the decision by the GMAC Bowl people to take
the loser of the title game, no matter what, was finally decided late Friday
night. Until then, it was kind of a general consensus that Tulsa would go to
Hawaii, with the Hurricane's high-scoring offense a good matchup with a
similarly explosive WAC opponent. Turns out GMAC officials are going to roll
the dice and bank on getting a good turnout from the Tulsa fans.
Kyle Hightower, Orlando Sentinel
12/02/2007 05:54:44 AM |
Orlando
Sentinel sportswriter Kyle Hightower authored this
article for Bonesville. Hightower is also expected
to file a
report for the site after UCF's game
versus an SEC foe at the
Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Dec. 29.