Wake up UCF fans, Jeffrey Godfrey is here.
“I know a little bit of history about Daunte Culpepper,” says the Knights quarterback. “I’m trying to get up there where he was and break his records.”
Talk about swagger! What a way to start out!
Lets face it, Knights fans haven’t had much to cheer about since losing UCF’s all-time leading rusher, Kevin Smith, to the NFL. Sure, bowl games are nice to attend. But there’s nothing nice about getting blown out by an average team on basically your home turf.
UCF needs this type of guy. A guy that will step up and realize what type of position he’s in and embraces that pressure instead of folding under it. And who would have thought that a true freshman would be the guy to take that spot?
“I was brought up for this and that’s what I got recruited for,” says Godfrey. “I just want to make everybody happy – my teammates happy, my coaches happy and all the fans happy.”
And the fans need something to be happy about! It’s no secret that UCF has struggled to win the big games against BCS opponents. Not only that, they haven’t even been a consistent winning program in Conference USA. The Knights have been searching and waiting for that one guy that could change the face of the program – and they just may have found him.
Of course, Jeff Godfrey won’t agree with that. “The face of UCF football? I think all of us are the face of UCF football. We’re a team and it’s just UCF football. We’re a team. One team.”
No, Jeff. You are the face of UCF football now. Although talking about the team is a great way to the fans’ hearts.
It’s evident in the pure fact that Head Coach, George O’Leary, changed his policy to allow Godfrey the opportunity to be the only freshman to speak to the media. That just shows that even O’Leary recognizes his potential and importance to the state of UCF football.
And the Knights need him. Aside from his marketing upside, Godfrey has done a fantastic job leading the UCF offense. Since he replaced junior Rob Calabrese in the second half against NC State, Godfrey is 22/34 for 237 yards passing, and has 23 rushing attempts for 97 yards and 2 TD’s. Not huge numbers, of course, but the most important thing is he doesn’t turn the ball over. He can extend the play and make a play out of nothing. Much like Daunte Culpepper did starting all four years at UCF, although Godfrey compares more to a smaller, faster, version of Michael Vick.
His quickness and versatility make him extremely difficult to cover. His ability to avoid the rush and get to the outside for a big gain can stifle any defensive attack. Not to mention, he’s helped the Knights outscore opponents an astonishing 35-0 in the 4th quarter. The key in the next matchup against Kansas State (3-0), however, is how he manages to throw the ball downfield. The Wildcats are going to expect the run and therefore attack the line of scrimmage forcing Godfrey to use his arm instead of his legs.
“Deuce,” the players call him – is blessed to be surrounded by such a strong group of playmakers at the wide receiver position. A.J. Guyton, Kamar Aiken, Brian Watters, Jamar Newsome and Quincy McDuffie, are all more than capable of turning a small gain into a big-time touchdown. All Godfrey has to do is maintain control of the ball and deliver it to the receivers to make plays and the outcome of this game may surprise people.
The Knights are currently a 7-point underdog heading into Manhattan on Saturday. That’s Manhattan, Kansas – a.k.a. “The Little Apple.” And they certainly have their work cut out for them, facing a Kansas State team that is undefeated and boasts the best running back in all of college football in Daniel Thomas.
Thomas ranks second in the nation in rushing with 184 yards per game this season. His 552 yards rushing through 3 games leaves him only 7 yards behind potential Heisman Trophy candidate, Michigan quarterback, Denard Robinson. His strength and movement have drawn comparisons to Kevin Smith, only with bigger size, so he is sure to cause problems for the UCF defense – a defense that ranks just 45th nationally in rushing, allowing 128.7 yards per game.
With inexperience in the middle of the defensive line, it will be up to UCF defensive ends, Bruce Miller and Darius Nall to contain Thomas and force the offense to pass. Nall was named Conference USA’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Buffalo last week. In their last game, a victory over Iowa State, Kansas State only threw the ball twelve times! That’s compared to the 34 times that Thomas carried the ball. The Knights have to stop the run and force the Wildcats to pass if they expect to stay in this game.
Obviously, the Knights have the all the pieces in place to beat this Kansas State team on Saturday afternoon. UCF and their fans feel like they have a chance to win. They expect to win. And they expect quarterback, Jeffrey Godfrey, to lead them to a win. And that’s not something that has happened much around Orlando for many years. It’s the beginning of a new era. A time when the UCF faithful rise up and UKNIGHT around something, someone, that finally has the ability to jump-start this sleeping giant.
In Godfrey we trust.
