2008 Woodie Awards
A record-breaking season
Padrick Brewer
Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: Sports
But UCF proved how this season was going to be different than previous ones, as something clicked, and the Knights did what good teams are supposed to do: rebound.
Since that fateful afternoon, the Knights have reeled off seven straight wins, the longest winning streak ever for a UCF Football team.
The Knights continued that streak with a 44-25 win over Tulsa on Dec. 1 to claim their first conference title in school history.
Offensive explosion
UCF had its most prolific offensive season in history. Its 499 points this season are 55 more points than any other season in team history.
The Knights, who scored just 232 points last year, more than doubled that output this season, and most of it came on the ground.
Along with Smith's touchdowns, UCF has also had Phillip Smith, Curtis Francis, Israel and Greco all record rushing touchdowns.
Heading into the season, UCF sported a receiving corps that looked as though it would struggle after the departure of Mike Walker. But the Knights got huge contributions from some unlikely players.
Junior Rocky Ross led the team with 48 catches, but freshmen Kamar Aiken - 32 catches - and A.J. Guyton - 23 catches - were right behind him.
Senior Sergio Joachim made a remarkable comeback, catching 19 passes, his first since the 2005 season.
In all, 15 Knights caught passes this season, and six of them were freshmen.
Protecting their Bright House
Playing their first season in Bright House Networks Stadium, the Knights made the most of it, creating quite the home-field advantage.
UCF went 6-1 at home this year, outscoring opponents by an average margin of more than 20 points.
And it was more than just the offense that made the new stadium tough to play in.
The UCF defense recorded 26 of its 38 sacks and 13 of its 23 interceptions at home.
Since that fateful afternoon, the Knights have reeled off seven straight wins, the longest winning streak ever for a UCF Football team.
The Knights continued that streak with a 44-25 win over Tulsa on Dec. 1 to claim their first conference title in school history.
Offensive explosion
UCF had its most prolific offensive season in history. Its 499 points this season are 55 more points than any other season in team history.
The Knights, who scored just 232 points last year, more than doubled that output this season, and most of it came on the ground.
Along with Smith's touchdowns, UCF has also had Phillip Smith, Curtis Francis, Israel and Greco all record rushing touchdowns.
Heading into the season, UCF sported a receiving corps that looked as though it would struggle after the departure of Mike Walker. But the Knights got huge contributions from some unlikely players.
Junior Rocky Ross led the team with 48 catches, but freshmen Kamar Aiken - 32 catches - and A.J. Guyton - 23 catches - were right behind him.
Senior Sergio Joachim made a remarkable comeback, catching 19 passes, his first since the 2005 season.
In all, 15 Knights caught passes this season, and six of them were freshmen.
Protecting their Bright House
Playing their first season in Bright House Networks Stadium, the Knights made the most of it, creating quite the home-field advantage.
UCF went 6-1 at home this year, outscoring opponents by an average margin of more than 20 points.
And it was more than just the offense that made the new stadium tough to play in.
The UCF defense recorded 26 of its 38 sacks and 13 of its 23 interceptions at home.