2009 UCF Knights football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida
in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
. Their head coach was George O'Leary
, in his sixth season with the team. Coaching changes included new offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe
. For the third season, the UCF Knights played all of their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium
on the school's main campus in Orlando, Florida
.
All games were broadcast live on the UCF-ISP Sports
radio network. The flagship was WYGM "740 The Game" in Orlando, which had returned to a sports talk format after a year's absence but retained UCF's rights throughout. The games were called by Marc Daniels (play-by-play) and Gary Parris (color commentary), with Scott Adams and Jerry O'Neill as field reporters.
For the season, the Knights had an 8–5 record, 6–2 in Conference USA
, and placed second in the Eastern Division. The Knights finished the season with a six game conference winning streak, after starting conference play 0–2. The season included a 37–32 Homecoming win over the Houston Cougars
, who were ranked #12 in the Coaches' Poll, marking the first time in program history that the Knights had defeated a ranked opponent. For the third time in five years, the Knights became bowl eligible and lost to Rutgers
in the St. Petersburg Bowl
.
to be the teams new Offensive Coordinator
. The change occurred amid a staff shake-up by Head Coach George O'Leary after a disappointing 2008 season. Tim Salem, whom Taaffe replaced, will transition to being the tight-ends coach and special-teams coordinator, 2008 quarterbacks coach George Godsey will move to be the running-backs coach, and Brent Key will move from being the tight-ends coach and special-teams coordinator to offensive-line coach.
There were 48,453 fans on hand to watch the game, which was the largest crowd to watch a football game at Bright House Networks Stadium.
in Orlando. #8 Texas won the game 35–32.
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. Their head coach was George O'Leary
George O'Leary
George Joseph O'Leary is the head football coach of the UCF Knights football team that represents the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida; he previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1994 to 2001, and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota...
, in his sixth season with the team. Coaching changes included new offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe
Charlie Taaffe
Charlie Taaffe is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the UCF Knights. Taaffe's coaching career stretches back to 1973, when he was an offensive coach for the University at Albany...
. For the third season, the UCF Knights played all of their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I...
on the school's main campus in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
All games were broadcast live on the UCF-ISP Sports
ISP Sports
IMG College, is a sports marketing company formed from the acquisition of Host Communications in 2007 and ISP Sports in 2010.ISP Sports was founded in 1992 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina providing sports marketing and broadcast services for collegiate athletics across the United States. In...
radio network. The flagship was WYGM "740 The Game" in Orlando, which had returned to a sports talk format after a year's absence but retained UCF's rights throughout. The games were called by Marc Daniels (play-by-play) and Gary Parris (color commentary), with Scott Adams and Jerry O'Neill as field reporters.
For the season, the Knights had an 8–5 record, 6–2 in Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, and placed second in the Eastern Division. The Knights finished the season with a six game conference winning streak, after starting conference play 0–2. The season included a 37–32 Homecoming win over the Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
, who were ranked #12 in the Coaches' Poll, marking the first time in program history that the Knights had defeated a ranked opponent. For the third time in five years, the Knights became bowl eligible and lost to Rutgers
2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2009 college football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 9–4, 3–4 in Big East play and...
in the St. Petersburg Bowl
2009 St. Petersburg Bowl
The 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady's, formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl, was the second edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game began at 8:00 PM US EST on Saturday, December 19, 2009, was...
.
Coaching staff
On January 5, 2009, UCF hired Charlie TaaffeCharlie Taaffe
Charlie Taaffe is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the UCF Knights. Taaffe's coaching career stretches back to 1973, when he was an offensive coach for the University at Albany...
to be the teams new Offensive Coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. The change occurred amid a staff shake-up by Head Coach George O'Leary after a disappointing 2008 season. Tim Salem, whom Taaffe replaced, will transition to being the tight-ends coach and special-teams coordinator, 2008 quarterbacks coach George Godsey will move to be the running-backs coach, and Brent Key will move from being the tight-ends coach and special-teams coordinator to offensive-line coach.
Recruiting class of 2009
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | State | High School/Junior College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Ammons | |
6-1 | 275 | Florida | Archbishop Carroll |
| A.J. Bouye | WR/ CB | 6-0 | 180 | Georgia | Tucker |
| Jamie Boyle | PK | 5-10 | 193 | New York | Monroe Woodbury |
| D.J. Brown | TE | 6-4 | 225 | Florida | Dunnellon |
| Brandon Bryant | DL | 6-3 | 230 | Georgia | Washington |
| Frankie Davis | DL | 6-3 | 240 | Florida | East Ridge |
| Jonathan Davis | RB/ LB | 5-9 | 195 | Georgia | Tucker |
| Troy Davis | LB | 6-2 | 217 | Georgia | Berkmar |
| Nico Flores | DL/ QB | 6-2 | 199 | Florida | North Miami Beach |
| Dontravious Floyd | WR | 6-3 | 203 | Florida | South Dade |
| Victor Gray | DL | 6-4 | 235 | Florida | Dr. Phillips |
| Javen Harris | LB | 7-2 | 223 | Alabama | Eufaula |
| Tay Irvin | DT | 6-0 | 310 | Georgia | Troup County |
| Kemal Ishmael | WR/DB | 5-11 | 197 | Florida | North Miami Beach |
| Abre Leggins | DT | 6-3 | 280 | Florida | Westwood HS |
| Quincy McDuffie | WR | 5-10 | 160 | Florida | Edgewater |
| Deon Simon | DT | 6-4 | 280 | Louisiana | Glen Oaks |
| Jarrett Swaby | WR/DB | 6-1 | 189 | Florida | Glades Day |
| Jim Teknipp | TE | 6-5 | 225 | Georgia | Henry County |
| Leon Woods | WR | |
|
Florida | Lake Gibson |
| Henry Wright | DB | 6-1 | 185 | Florida | Edgewater |
Season schedule
Samford (September 5)
UCF and Samford last met for a Homecoming game in the 1990s.Southern Miss (September 12)
UCF and Southern Miss last met in Orlando on November 8, 2008. UCF lost the game 6–17.Buffalo (September 19)
UCF and Buffalo last met in Orlando in 2003.East Carolina (September 26)
UCF and East Carolina last met in Orlando on November 2, 2008. East Carolina won the game in overtime 13–10.Memphis (October 3)
UCF and Memphis last met in Memphis on November 22, 2008. UCF won the game 28–21.#9 Miami (October 17)
UCF and Miami met for the first time on October 11, 2008 in Miami. Miami won the game 20–14.There were 48,453 fans on hand to watch the game, which was the largest crowd to watch a football game at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Rice (October 24)
UCF and Rice last met in 2006.Marshall (November 1)
UCF and Marshall last met on November 15, 2008 in Huntington. UCF won the game 30–14. UCF is 5–3 all time versus Marshall. Marshall was leading 20-7 with less than 8 minutes to go in the game, but UCF staged a comeback to win the game 21-20.#2 Texas (November 7)
UCF and Texas last met on September 15, 2007 for the inaugural game at Bright House Networks StadiumBright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I...
in Orlando. #8 Texas won the game 35–32.