2008 Woodie Awards
Knights face a tale of two conferences
Melissa Heyboer
Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: Sports
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The UCF Football team accomplished a lot of feats this year.
The Knights accomplished their 10-win season, their division title and their conference championship.
They accomplished building one of the most fearful running backs in the country and one of the most potent defenses in its division.
So what else could the Knights possibly want? How about UCF's first bowl game victory.
On Dec. 29, the Knights will travel to Memphis, Tenn., to take part in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It will be just the second time that UCF has been to a bowl game. The Knights lost in the Hawaii Sheraton Bowl against Nevada two years ago.
UCF and Mississippi State have faced off one other time in history. It was on Oct. 25, 1997, when the Knights fell to the Bulldogs 35-28.
The Bulldogs enter the game with a 7-5 overall record, and although the Knights' 10-3 season and near advantage in every statistical category may look better, there is still one aspect that separates the two teams - their respective conferences.
The Knights - a member of Conference USA - are a far cry away from facing the type of talent that Mississippi State faces in the Southeastern Conference.
Not to discredit anything the Knights have accomplished all season, but while UCF was facing the likes of SMU and Marshall, the Bulldogs were holding their own against Auburn and Arkansas.
No matter the difference in talent inside the conferences, the Knights still have arguably one of the country's best running backs in Kevin Smith.
Smith finished the regular season with 2,448 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns and is just 181 yards away from becoming the NCAA's leading rusher in a single season, a record that is currently held by Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders.
Aside from that, Smith also leads the nation with 188.31 rushing yards per game and the most 100-yard games this year with 12.
Smith, however, has only faced a defense like Mississippi State's two other times this season, and they were both non-conference teams - Texas and South Florida.
The Knights accomplished their 10-win season, their division title and their conference championship.
They accomplished building one of the most fearful running backs in the country and one of the most potent defenses in its division.
So what else could the Knights possibly want? How about UCF's first bowl game victory.
On Dec. 29, the Knights will travel to Memphis, Tenn., to take part in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It will be just the second time that UCF has been to a bowl game. The Knights lost in the Hawaii Sheraton Bowl against Nevada two years ago.
UCF and Mississippi State have faced off one other time in history. It was on Oct. 25, 1997, when the Knights fell to the Bulldogs 35-28.
The Bulldogs enter the game with a 7-5 overall record, and although the Knights' 10-3 season and near advantage in every statistical category may look better, there is still one aspect that separates the two teams - their respective conferences.
The Knights - a member of Conference USA - are a far cry away from facing the type of talent that Mississippi State faces in the Southeastern Conference.
Not to discredit anything the Knights have accomplished all season, but while UCF was facing the likes of SMU and Marshall, the Bulldogs were holding their own against Auburn and Arkansas.
No matter the difference in talent inside the conferences, the Knights still have arguably one of the country's best running backs in Kevin Smith.
Smith finished the regular season with 2,448 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns and is just 181 yards away from becoming the NCAA's leading rusher in a single season, a record that is currently held by Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders.
Aside from that, Smith also leads the nation with 188.31 rushing yards per game and the most 100-yard games this year with 12.
Smith, however, has only faced a defense like Mississippi State's two other times this season, and they were both non-conference teams - Texas and South Florida.