The recruiting infractions regarding the UCF football and basketball teams led to the resignations of former Athletic Director Keith Tribble and UCF assistant football coach David Kelly.

UCF originally had 90 days to respond to the allegations, but UCF spokesman Grant Heston said the NCAA agreed to extend the deadline to Feb. 20 at the request of another party involved in the investigation.

The NCAA determined that the mentor of current UCF senior point guard A.J. Rompza, Ken Caldwell was affiliated with a professional agent. That led to Rompza’s 12-game suspension for receiving improper benefits and he was ordered to return the $900 he received.

Now, UCF will have until the 20th to respond to the allegations, and the NCAA will determine whether the school’s self-imposed penalties will be enough or if they will punish them further.

M.I.A. also appeared to sing “I don’t give a (expletive),” during the show, around the time she displayed her middle finger to the cameras.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzOEijWdr6o

Madonna behaved during the performance, although at one point it appeared she stumbled while stepping up during the show.

Following one of the best recruiting classes in school history last year, UCF football signed 19 players for the 2012 season, with 13 players hailing from the state of Florida.

With the Knights set to join the Big East in 2013, this year’s recruiting class filled a lot of needs with the addition of formidable size, speed and depth. While the names aren’t as high profile as last year, the Knights filled plenty of holes on the roster and prepared themselves for entering a BCS conference.

“We fulfilled our needs. We signed 19. It was an offensive class to start; we brought in lineman, quarterbacks and receivers. I think we brought in a lot of talented players. Defensively, we helped ourselves where we needed to help ourselves,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said.

Headlining the 2012 class was wide receivers Drico Johnson and Dareen Owi, and lineman Chester Brown.

Johnson is a 6’2″, 200-pound hometown receiver who was rated No. 87 nationally at the position by Rivals.com. The Agape Christian Academy product earned Class 2A Second-Team All-State honors last season after leading the Central Florida-area in receiving with 1,052 yards.

Johnson will provide solid height in the receiving corps after the Knights had to rely primarily on smaller receivers last season with Josh Reese (6’0″) and Quincy McDuffie (5’10″) being undersized.

Owi was highly recruited from Miami Norland High School and also brings in much-needed size to the receiving corps at 6’3″. He received interest from big-name schools, such as West Virginia, Wisconsin and Cincinnati after helping Miami Norland win the 2011 Class 5A State Championship. Owi could end up being the star of UCF’s 2012 class.

Brown is currently listed as both on offensive and defense lineman at 6’5″ and 340 pounds. The Samoa-native is ranked 48th nationally at his position by Scout.com and comes in with high praise from Coach O’Leary, who said the lineman told him he can bench press 445-pounds five times.

“I think hes a lineman…He has all the tools. He’s a big person and a great kid. When you watch him on film, he has great food speed, moves really well for a big guy. I could see him playing either side,” O’Leary said.

After losing out on the highly-touted Jonathan Wallace to Auburn after he originally verbally committed to UCF, the Knights still landed two quarterback prospects in Tyler Gabbert and Troy Green.

Gabbert, the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert, could immediately compete for the starting QB spot with incumbent starter Blake Bortles. The redshirt sophomore sat out last year after spending his freshman campaign at Missouri.

Green is a 6’1″ QB from New York, who was regarded as a top quarterback in the state. He garnered interest from Syracuse and Connecticut after throwing 34 touchdowns his senior season.

With the departure of Jeff Godfrey, the Knights will have an open spot under center that will see a lot of competition as the team enters Spring ball. Although Godfrey, who led the Knights to the 2010 Conference-USA Championship as a freshman, had a somewhat ugly ending with the team, O’Leary didn’t think that affected the program’s Miami-based recruiting.

“Miami Herald said we signed the best receiver out of Miami (Dareen Owi). I think a lot of that stuff with Jeff Godfrey was of his own doing,” O’Leary said. “I don’t think that was the feeling I got when I was running around Miami, talking to the coaches down there in high school.”

Other notable recruits are tight ends Cal Bloom and Blake Davis, as well as WR Taylor Oldham, cornerback Jacoby Glenn, and OT Colby Watson.

Bloom is a 6’5″ TE from Minnesota and a three-sport athlete. Davis is a 6’4″ TE from South Florida, who received interest from Georgia, Maryland, Miami, NC State and Boston College.

Oldham, a 6’1″, 195-pound receiver from Daytona Beach, was listed at No. 17 on Orlando Sentinel’s 2012 Central Florida Super60. He is a versatile player who Coach O’Leary compared to sophomore-to-be wide receiver J.J. Worton. Worton had a stellar redshirt freshman campaign, posting a team-high 531 yards and four touchdowns and was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

Glenn is a big-play defender who was rated the No. 34 overall prospect on Rivals.com Alabama Postseason Top 40 list and has a chance of replacing star cornerback Josh Robinson, who opted to enter the NFL draft.

Watson is a 6’5″, 310-pound offensive tackle who was noted as one of the most dominating prospects in Northern Florida. ESPN.com rates him as the No. 16 guard in the nation and No. 46 overall prospect in the Sunshine State.

Overall, UCF had a successful Signing Day with the depth and size they added to the roster. The Knights didn’t have one player who was under six-feet tall, and added three top lineman, who were all over 300 pounds.

“We wanted to get some range. We brought in more size at wide receiver, which I thought was needed. We brought in more range at the defensive back. The offensive line average was probably 6’5″ or 6’6″,” O’Leary said. “I thought we did a good job of securing the talent that we were looking for as far as from a height, speed and weight standpoint.”

The Knights will begin the 2012 season on Aug. 30 with a matchup against Akron at Bright House Networks Stadium.

UCF ANNOUNCES 2012 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Knights to host Missouri, FIU at Bright House Networks Stadium.

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – The 2012 UCF Football schedule has been announced and fans are in store for one of the most exciting seasons in school history. Several must-see games appear on the schedule including Missouri, the very first SEC opponent to take on UCF in Orlando, as well as a trip to hallowed football grounds when the Knights take on Ohio State at the “Horseshoe.”

UCF opens the 2012 season on the road at Akron, Thursday, Aug. 30, with a trip back up to the Buckeye State the following weekend to face Ohio State, Saturday, Sept. 8. The Knights will then open Bright House Networks Stadium for the 2012 home-opener on Saturday, Sept. 15, vs. state-rival FIU. After a bye week, the Missouri Tigers travel to Orlando for a highly-anticipated showdown at the Bright House on Saturday, Sept. 29.

The Conference USA schedule is set to open in Orlando in 2012 with back-to-back home games vs. C-USA East Division rivals East Carolina (Oct. 6) and Southern Miss (Oct. 13). The Knights also will host C-USA West Division power SMU (Nov. 3) and East Division foe UAB (Nov. 24) in the regular-season finale. C-USA road games include: Memphis (Oct. 20), Marshall (Oct. 27), UTEP (Nov. 10) and Tulsa (Nov. 17).

Homecoming 2012 is tentatively slated for the Nov. 3 game against SMU, while the home-opener on Sept. 15 vs. FIU will be the annual Family Weekend and College Open House events across the UCF campus.

2012 UCF Football Schedule

Aug. 30 – at Akron (Thurs.)

Sept. 8 – at Ohio State

Sept. 15 – Florida International (Family Weekend/College Open House)

Sept. 29 – Missouri

Oct. 6 – East Carolina*

Oct. 13 – Southern Miss*

Oct. 20 – at Memphis*

Oct. 27 – at Marshall*

Nov. 3 – SMU*

Nov. 10 – at UTEP*

Nov. 17 – at Tulsa*

Nov. 24 – UAB*

*Conference USA game.

– Game times are TBD.

– All C-USA game dates are subject to change during the upcoming television selection process.

The Conference USA league office will release television schedule information at a later date. It is not uncommon for presently scheduled C-USA games to change dates to accommodate a national television appearance. Please continue to check UCFAthletics.com for updated football schedule information prior to making game day plans. It will be the final season for the Black and Gold in C-USA before UCF heads to the BIG EAST in 2013-14.

The UCF Athletics Ticket Office is currently collecting season tickets deposits. Renewal information and invoices are scheduled for mailing on Feb. 8. Season tickets for 2012 also will go on-sale to the general public on Feb. 8. For more information regarding the 2012 UCF Football season, please call(407) 823-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com.

Ticket office staff will be on-site at the UCF Arena, Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the fan-favorite UCF Football Signing Day Show. The event is open to public and free for all fans to attend.  Doors to the UCF Arena will open at 5 p.m. with the show getting underway starting at 6 p.m.

Schedule Notes:

• ·         With Missouri (SEC) and Ohio State (Big 10) on the 2012 schedule, UCF has now played at least two schools from automatic-qualifying BCS conferences in 16 of 17 seasons since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.
• ·         With Missouri coming to Bright House Networks Stadium in 2012, the Knights will have hosted at least one school from an AQ conference at home since the 2006 season and eight of nine seasons under head coach George O’Leary.
• ·         All four 2012 non-conference opponents hail from FBS conferences: Missouri (SEC), Ohio State (Big 10), Akron (MAC) and FIU (Sun Belt).
• ·         The 2012 campaign will be the first in which UCF opens up on the road since 2007, when it defeated NC State, 25-23. That also was the last time all four of the Knights’ non-conference games were against FBS opponents.

Akron Zips – AWAY – Thursday, Aug. 30

UCF has not faced Akron since 2004, when the Zips pulled out a 26-21 MAC win at the Florida Citrus Bowl in what was Jim Fleming’s first year as Akron’s defensive coordinator. Fleming worked for the Zips from 2004-09, spent a year at Kent State in 2010 and was hired at UCF in December 2011 as the defensive coordinator. Akron, which was 1-11 in 2011, holds a 5-2 all-time lead in the series with UCF, and Aug. 30 will mark the first game for Akron’s new head coach Terry Bowden. Having served as head coach at Auburn from 1993-98, Bowden boasted a 47-17-1 record during his career with the Tigers.

Ohio State Buckeyes – AWAY – Sept. 8

The Knights return the following week to the Buckeye State to battle Ohio State for the first time in school history, and they have a 0-6 record against current Big Ten programs (including a 1997 trip to Nebraska). The seven-time national champion Buckeyes finished 2011 with top-25 victories against Wisconsin and Illinois en route to a berth in the Gator Bowl. OSU will be under first-year head coach Urban Meyer, who began his head coaching career in Ohio at Bowling Green from 2001-02. He then went on to lead Utah from 2003-04 before guiding Florida to two national championships in 2006 and 2008.

FIU Panthers – HOME – Sept. 15

FIU will be making the return journey to Orlando after UCF visited Miami in 2011, falling to the Panthers, 17-10, in what was the two schools’ first meeting. FIU completed last year with an 8-5 record, including a 3-0 mark to end the regular season, and earned a spot in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

Missouri Tigers – HOME – Sept. 29

Wrapping up 2011 on a four-game winning streak, Missouri was 8-5 with a 41-24 victory over North Carolina in the Independence Bowl. Running back Henry Josey was 12th in the nation with 116.80 yards per game as a sophomore, while classmate James Franklin started all 13 games under center, throwing 21 touchdowns and averaging 220.4 passing yards per game. Meanwhile, the Tigers ranked 12th in the FBS in total offense, and the defense registered 27 sacks. It will be the first meeting between UCF and Missouri.

East Carolina Pirates – HOME – Oct. 6

Led by C-USA Freshman of the Year in linebacker Jeremy Grove, East Carolina went 5-7 overall and 4-4 in C-USA. Grove was 10th in the country in tackles per game, however ECU will lose quarterback Dominique Davis who was second in the league in total offense during his senior season. The Pirates won a close 38-31 decision over UCF in Greenville last year to take a 9-2 series lead.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles – HOME – Oct. 13

Finishing as high as No. 19 in the 2011 national rankings, Southern Miss topped then-undefeated Houston for the C-USA title and also took down Nevada in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. The Golden Eagles were 12-2 on the year (6-2 in the league), but they also lose their starting signal-caller as Austin Davis was third in C-USA in total offense as a senior. In the two teams’ last get together, Southern Miss edged UCF in dramatic fashion, 30-29, in Hattiesburg and carries a 6-1 advantage in the series.

Memphis Tigers – AWAY – Oct. 20

Memphis went 2-10 in 2011 with its lone C-USA victory coming against Tulane, and that record also includes a 41-0 loss to UCF in Orlando as the Knights are 7-1 all-time vs. the Tigers and have won seven-straight meetings. Memphis was seventh in the FBS in turnover margin, and suffered three losses by just seven points or less.

Marshall Thundering Herd – AWAY – Oct. 27

The Thundering Herd closed out their season with a 20-10 win against FIU in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, posting a 7-6 overall record and a 5-3 C-USA mark. Defensive end Vinny Curry will be missed on the Marshall defense, as he grabbed C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final year in Huntington. Freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato threw for 15 touchdowns, but had just 87 passing yards in UCF’s 16-6 win during a rainstorm last year. The Knights have a seven-game winning streak in the series, which they lead 7-3.

SMU Mustangs – HOME – Nov. 3

Thanks to a 28-6 thumping of Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl, SMU was able to cap off the 2011 campaign with an 8-5 record (5-3 in the league standings). Running back Zach Line was seventh in the FBS with 122.40 rushing yards per game, and has 34 rushing touchdowns in three seasons in Dallas. On defense, SMU was second behind only UCF in rushing and total defense in C-USA. The Mustangs registered a 38-17 win over UCF in Texas last season, but the Knights boast a 3-1 record in the series.

UTEP Miners – AWAY – Nov. 10

Just one win shy of earning a bowl berth, UTEP was 5-7 with a 2-6 C-USA record in 2011. Special teams shined for the Miners as they were sixth in the nation in net punting and fourth in kickoff returns. UTEP also was fifth in C-USA with 26.6 points per game. The 2012 meeting between the Knights and the Miners will be UCF’s first trip to El Paso since 2008, and the Black and Gold carries a 2-1 advantage in the series.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane – AWAY – Nov. 17

Tulsa sported an 8-5 overall record in 2011 highlighted by a 7-1 mark in C-USA. The Golden Hurricane suffered a close 24-21 loss to BYU in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Senior quarterback G.J. Kinne was third in the league in passing efficiency as he helped Tulsa place third in C-USA in scoring offense and total offense. UCF fell in last year’s edition, 24-17, as the Golden Hurricane are 3-2 all-time vs. the Knights.

UAB Blazers – HOME – Nov. 24

All of UAB’s victories in 2011 came during league play as it defeated UCF, Memphis and Southern Miss to go 3-12 overall. It finished the campaign with a 2-1 record in its final three outings. The Blazers’ victory over the Knights in Birmingham moved the series record in favor of UCF to 7-2.

According to ABC, his family released this statement:

It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today. His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.

He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community.

He has been many things in his life – a soldier, scholar, mentor, coach, friend and father. To my mother he was and is her soul mate, and the last several weeks have shown the strength of their love. To his children and grandchildren he is a shining example of how to live a good, decent and honest life, a standard to which we aspire.

Devon Edwards

The following is a letter posted on the website of Onward State, by its Managing Editor:

Earlier this evening, Onward State reported that Joe Paterno had passed away. However, the mountain of evidence stacked opposite that report is too much to ignore. At this time, I would like to issue a retraction of our earlier tweets.

I never, in a million years, would have thought that Onward State would be cited by the national media, and today, I sincerely wish it never had been. To all those who read and passed along our reports, I sincerely apologize for misleading you. To the Penn State community and to the Paterno family most of all, I could not be more sorry for the emotional anguish I am sure we caused. There are no excuses for what we did. We all make mistakes, but it’s impossible to brush off one of this magnitude. Right now, we deserve all of the criticism headed our way.

I can only hope and pray that the outstanding work our writers and photographers do on a day-to-day basis is not overshadowed by the events of tonight. I understand that our reputation is in serious question, but I hope you will continue to stand by us as we do everything in our power to make amends.

To begin that process, I will be stepping down from my post as Managing Editor, effective immediately. I take full responsibility for the events that transpired tonight, and for the black mark upon the organization that I have caused.

I ask not for your forgiveness, but for your understanding. I am so very, very, sorry, and we at Onward State continue to pray for Coach Paterno.

Sincerely,

Devon Edwards

Initial Incorrect Report on CBS Sports, Linking to Onward State

Following the news, the Twitter page of Onward State, an online news organization serving the Penn State and State College community, stated: “A Paterno family spokesman has denied our initial report, which was corroborated by multiple sources. We’re working on finding out more.”

CBS then updated its story, saying, “a Paterno family spokesperson Dan McGinn told a New York Times reporter that the report is ‘absolutely not true.’”

Once KnightNews.com saw CBS reporting the initial death report, KnightNews.com also published the report of Paterno’s death, based on the CBS report. KnightNews.com never reported that we independently confirmed Paterno’s death. We provided the link to the CBS report, along with updates of the denials of the death report as they broke.

According to @ScottPaterno, a Twitter page reported to be run by Paterno’s son, Scott Paterno, the “CBS report is wrong – Dad is alive but in serious condition. We continue to ask for your prayers and privacy during this time.”

Onward State, the publication which initially reported to “break” that they confirmed Paterno was dead, which was then picked up by CBS, issued a tweet apologizing. “We were confident when we ran with it, and are still trying to figure out where our process failed. We apologize sincerely for error,” the Onward State tweet said.

The managing editor of Onward State later resigned in the fallout of CBS Sports going with their report.

Paterno has been receiving chemotherapy for lung cancer.

Paterno’s recent weeks followed controversy in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. However, many fans have stood by him.

According to the Huffington Post, Paterno notched 409 wins during the 46 seasons coaching Penn State — the record for a Division I football coach — and led his teams to earn national championships in 1982 and 1986.

Head coach George O’Leary announced Thursday that current linebackers coach Jim Fleming will take over as defensive coordinator for UCF. Fleming joined the staff about a month ago as the Knights linebacker coach after spending last year at Kent State as the linebacker coach.

Fleming has 15 years of experience as a defensive coordinator and will be entering his 26th season overall as a collegiate coach.

Coach O’Leary also announced the additions of  Allen Mogridge, who will oversee tight ends and the special-teams unit, and Tyson Summers to serve as a defensive assistant coach.

UCF’s starting QB the past two seasons, Jeff Godfrey, unexpectedly transferred last month after it was clear he and head coach George O’Leary weren’t seeing eye-to-eye. That left the Knights with unproven sophomore Blake Bortles as the team’s only No. 1 option under center going into next season.

However, it appears UCF will be getting a big boost to its quarterback depth with the addition of Gabbert, who is the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert.

Tyler Gabbert spent his redshirt freshman year at Missouri in 2010, but decided to transfer shortly after losing a QB battle with James Franklin the following spring.

He originally elected to attend Louisville, but quickly uncommitted and sat out all of 2011.  He spent the year in community college working on his degree.

The 6’0″, 200-pound St. Louis-area native fills a void left by Godfrey and provides insurance in case Bortles doesn’t pan out for UCF. Gabbert, a four-star recruit, will have three years of eligibility remaining.

The Orlando Sentinel report also stated that Phenix City (Ala.) Central prospect Jonathan Wallace, also a quarterback, committed to the Knights.

Rivals lists Wallace as three-star recruit with dual-threat abilities.

A once troublesome quarterback situation at UCF has taken a quick 180 with the addition of two promising players.

Here are some notable stats that were shown in the 3rd quarter:

On Passes:
Tim Tebow: Had only 3 completed passes
Tom Brady: Had 6 touchdown passes

In other words, Brady threw twice as many touchdown passes as Tebow threw complete passes.

Check back to KnightNews.com for more notable stats from this game.