UCF will open the season at home Thursday night, hosting the Akron Zips at Bright house Networks Stadium for a 7 PM kickoff.
This will be the second consecutive season in which the Knights play the Zips in the first week, having traveled to Akron last year to pull off a 56-14 victory in Blake Bortles’ first start for UCF. Bortles will look to carry the Knights to their eighth straight victory in a home opener.
The kid with the golden arm was near perfect in Ohio last year, scorching the Zips for 3 touchdowns and completing 13 of 16 passes for 168 yards. He currently holds a UCF record 174 straight pass attempts without throwing an interception.
The season opener in 2012 set a tone for the rest of the season; Bortles and the high powered Knights’ offense would score a school record 67 total touchdowns on the year. Expectations are running high once again for the unit, as five of their top six receivers will return to the roster in 2013.
Included in this stalwart group of receivers is ex-quarterback Jeff Godfrey, who may be one of the most versatile talents in UCF history, being the only Knight to ever amass 200 rushing, receiving and passing yards.
This will be tied for the earliest start in UCF history, dating back to August 29, 1996, when the Knights prevailed over William & Mary 39-36. Overall, the team is 22-12 to begin the season.
Akron finished their season last year with an underwhelming 1-11 record, but O’Leary is not dissuaded by any means by last year’s results.
According to UCF Athletics, Coach O’Leary gave credit to second year Head Coach Terry Bowden, saying that “I think Terry does a great job with their offense. They play a lot of wide receivers. We’ll be well tested.”
To be sure, a UCF defense that features a slew of new starters will be put to the test on Thursday night. Anchoring each position group is a solidified veteran, so the Knights will depend heavily on the presence of defenders such as safety Clayton Geathers, who had 186 total tackles last year, and middle linebacker Terrance Plummer, who accrued 125.
Defensive ends Thomas Niles and Deion Green combined for 48 tackles and 9 sacks in limited roles last year, and will look to make the transition to every-down playmakers.
The Knights 35th season opener has the potential to be one of the most memorable yet, with Blake Bortles in the midst of a historic career with UCF and the team debuting in the recently re-organized and renamed American Athletic Conference.
