UCF’s 2013 Football Season Officially Underway as Practice Begins

The UCF Knights kicked off preseason camp (and the season, for that matter) inside Nicholson Fieldhouse on Wednesday — with expectations for the team higher than ever.

It was the first time back on the field for the Knights since a spring game on April 13. The Knights know that this year is especially important because of the recent switch into the new conference.

“The first day is always intriguing,” Head Coach George O’Leary said. “(The true freshmen) are anxious, they don’t know what to expect. The thing that usually gets them is the speed of the game. Everything is so much quicker, everybody can run. Friday and Saturday that’s when you’ll see the ones that can help you out when you put pads on. Now you add contact speed to what they know, and that’s when you really find out the freshmen that are going to help. It’ll be tough for freshmen to help us out this year with the people back. But you’re always looking, and the skilled area has the best opportunity.”

One area in which a veteran leads the way is at linebacker, where Terrance Plummer enters his junior year after posting 108 tackles at middle linebacker in 2012.

“Everybody was running to the ball, everybody was enthusiastic. It was very exciting,” Plummer said. “We take out (of the first practice) effort and enthusiasm, so when we step on to the field we want to see how everybody’s running to the ball, if everybody is excited and getting their assignments done. You can’t get much out of it from a hitting standpoint because we don’t have shoulder pads on, but you can see who is flying around to the ball and see who is athletic.”

UCF gets back to work with its only morning practice of the preseason Thursday from 9:10-11:30 a.m.

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