2008 UCF Golden Knights Football Preview

2008 UCF Golden Knights season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official UCF Golden Knights football preview as well as the 2008 UCF Golden Knights Football Schedule. Before leaving be sure and bookmaker our live college football odds page which offers up to the minute point spreads for this weeks games.

Coach: George O'Leary (5th year at UCF)
Team Name: Golden Knights
2007 Overall Record: 10-4
Returning Starters: 14

The UCF Knights (10-4 overall, 7-1 C-USA East) are one of the prime contenders in C-USA. Last season, after taking the East Division, they met Tulsa on December 1 for the league crown. The Knights won that game 44-25. UCF then went to the Liberty Bowl where they were defeated by Mississippi State 10-3.

UCF had the ninth-best rushing game in the nation in 2007. It was led by running back Kevin Smith, who scored 30 touchdowns. Smith left a year early for the NFL and replacing him will be a chore. Look for junior Phillip Smith (52 CAR, 246 YDS, 1 TD) to get the call. There’s a new QB on hand too—junior Michael Greco (45 ATT, 23 COMP, 303 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT). Greco is a fine athlete who is a capable passer and a good rusher. Although not known as a passing team, three starting pass catchers return. The offensive line has three new starters and may take some time to gel.

With big questions on offense, the defense will have to step it up a notch or two. Last season, they allowed 26.6 PPG. Nine starters return, including sophomore end Bruce Miller, who had seven sacks in his first season. The secondary sees four senior starters return. CBs Johnell Neal and Joe Burnett each had six picks in 2007. The linebackers are fast and experienced.

It will be difficult for this team to go 8-4 in the regular season but not impossible. The first swing game is on September 27 at UTEP. Then four tossups are played in November—East Carolina on the 2nd, Southern Miss on the 8th and Memphis on the 22nd.

The Knights will once again compete for the division crown. Head coach George O’Leary (22-28 in four years) has taken a team that had thee wins in 2003 and none in 2004 to the top of C-USA. In the past three years, the club has gone to two bowl games, taken one conference crown and won 22 games! This season will be a true test of this team as the Knights take on an especially tough non-conference schedule after losing their explosive running back and starting quarterback.

If you enjoyed this piece, underneath this article are more team previews of schools that dont reside in the major conferences.