The 2011 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Knights played in the East Division of Conference USA, and played their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Knights were led by head coach George O'Leary, who was in his eighth season with the team. They finished the season 5–7, 3–5 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the East Division.
All games were broadcast live on the UCF-ISP Sports radio network. The Knights flagship station was WYGM "740 The Game" in Orlando.
Personnel
Coaching staff 2011 UCF Knights coaching staffHead coaches Head coach – George O'Leary
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Charlie Taaffe Running backs – Danny Barrett Wide receivers – David Kelly (Resigned mid-season) Offensive line – Brent Key Graduate assistant – Jonathon Ford
Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – John Skladany Inside linebackers – Al Seamonson Defensive backs – Sean Beckton Defensive line – Jim Panagos Graduate assistant – Mark Cammack Special teams Special teams coordinator/tight ends – Tim Salem
Administrative staff Athletic Director (A.D.) – VADM. Al Harms (Interim) Assistant A.D. for Football Operations – Marty O'Leary Director of player personnel – Albert Boone
Roster 2011 UCF Knights rosterQuarterbacks 2 Jeffrey Godfrey – sophomore 5 Blake Bortles – freshman
Halfbacks 13 Dontravius Floyd – Sophomre 40 Brendan Kelly – junior 44 Brandon MacMeekin – freshman
Fullbacks 32 Billy Giovanetti – junior
Running backs 17 Cedric Thompson – freshman 23 Ariel Hoffman – freshman 28 Latavius Murray – junior 31 Kerlon Williams – senior 34 Brynn Harvey – junior 35 Ronnie Weaver – senior
Wide receivers 3 A.J. Guyton – senior 4 Rob Calabrese – senior 7 Jared Greenaway – sophomore 9 J.J. Worton – freshman 14 Quincy McDuffie – junior 29 Andrew Schultz – freshman 80 Joshua Reese – freshman 81 Rannell Hall – freshman 82 Khymest Williams – senior 87 James Rose – senior 89 Jacques Mackeroy – freshman
Tight ends 39 Kevin Garvy Junior 84 Justin Tukes – freshman 85 Kevin Miller – freshman 86 D.J. Brown – sophomore 88 Adam Nissley – senior Offensive line 61 Tarik Cook – freshman 62 Rey Cunha – sophomore 63 Jordan McCray – sophomore 64 Justin McCray – sophomore 65 Cliff McCray – senior 66 Colton Odom – freshman 68 Theo Goins – junior 70 Chris Martin – sophomore 72 Torrian Wilson – freshman 73 Jordan Rae – junior 74 Brandon Bryant – sophomore 77 Nick Pieschel – senior 79 Tony Jacob – freshman
Defensive ends 53 Darius Nall – senior 59 LeBranden Richardson – freshman 90 Ash Weekley – junior 97 Robert Pritchard – junior
Defensive tackles 95 E.J. Dunston – sophomore 96 Andrew Rice – freshman 99 Jose Jose – sophomore
Defensive backs 11 Sean Beckton – freshman 15 Michael Easton – freshman 18 Kemal Ishmael – junior 19 A. J. Bouye – junior 21 Jordan Ozerities – sophomore 22 Jared Henry – freshman 26 Clayton Geathers – freshman 28 Connor Price – freshman 29 Lyle Dankenbring – junior 33 Jamar McClain – Freshman 36 Woodley Cadet – Freshman 37 Brandon Alexander – freshman 38 Bruce Dukes – freshman 39 Brandon Bragg – freshman Defensive line 47 Deion Green – freshman 48 Toby Jackson – junior 49 Cam Henderson – junior 58 Troy Davis – junior 69 Thomas Niles – freshman 88 Troy Stafford – senior 91 Victor Gray – sophomore 92 Barry Snider – senior 93 Josh Wofford – sophomore 94 Dalton Wertz – freshman 98 Joey Grant – freshman
Linebackers 10 Leilon Willingham – freshman 23 Willie Mitchell – freshman 27 Jonathan Davis – junior 30 Miles Pace – freshman 41 Terrance Plummer – freshman 42 Loren Robinson – junior 43 Josh Hood – freshman 45 Javen Harris – sophomore 46 Ray Shipman – junior 50 Josh Linam – senior 51 D.J. Williams – junior 52 Terran Buck – junior 54 Ray Cottman – junior 55 Vinny Mazzurco – senior 56 Cody Ralston – freshman 57 Troy Gray – freshman
Cornerbacks 20 Josh Robinson – junior
Safeties 25 Jarrett Swaby – sophomore Punters/Kickers 6 David Bohner – senior 16 Nick Cattoi – senior 18 Rodrigo Quirarte – freshman 43 Jamie Boyle – junior 83 Shawn Moffitt – freshman 87 Sean Galvin – freshman
Snappers 56 Scott Teal – freshman 59 Matt Morrison – sophomore 60 Charley Hughlett – senior
Terms: Freshman – A player in his first year. Sophomore – A player in his second year. Junior – A player in his third year. Senior – A player in his fourth year. Redshirt – A player who sat out a previous season.
Recruiting class
Schedule
Game summaries
Charleston Southern
2011 marked the fourth straight year that UCF opened the season against an FCS opponent, and the sixth straight opening win for the Knights.
The offense, led by sophomore quarterback Jeff Godfrey, got out to fast start against the Buccaneers, scoring on their first five possessions, including a 7-yard touchdown run by Godfrey 2:31 into the game. From there the Knights never surrendered the lead, only turning the ball over once on a fumble by Josh Robinson during a punt return. Godfrey rushed 46 yards for three touchdowns, and went 6-for-10 for 100-yards. Back-up quarterback Blake Bortles went 8-for-10 for 144 yards. Ronnie Weaver rushed for 107 yards on 8 carries for one touchdown, and Joshua Reese caught 4 passes for 97 yards.
UCF set a program record with eight rushing touchdowns, while the Knights had 560 yards of total offense, 244 by air and 316 rushing. The 62–0 score marked the second-largest shutout in school history and the third-most total points since UCF joined the FBS in 1996. The game also marked the Knights' first shutout since a 49–0 game against Tulane in 2009.
Boston College
The victory marks UCF's first ever home win against a BCS Automatic-Qualifying opponent, and only their fourth win over an AQ team in program history. The game marked the second meeting between the two schools, with the Eagles winning the first contest 7–34 in 2008.
The Knights defense held strong, only allowing a field goal to the Eagles on their first drive with 7:52 left in the first quarter. From that point on, UCF held the game firmly in its grasp, scoring three field goals and three touchdowns. Jeff Godfrey went 20-for-25 for 187-yards, and rushed for 69 yards for two touchdowns. Latavius Murray rushed for 72 yards on 10 carries for one touchdown, and A.J. Guyton caught 5 passes for 45 yards. The Knights caught two interceptions thrown by the Eagles in the fourth quarter, both resulting in a touchdown. UCF had 422 total yards of offense, with 235-yards rushing and 187-yards passing.
Dating back to last year, UCF has won six-straight games and 11 of its last 12, and hasn't allowed a touchdown in 12–straight quarters. With the win, the Knights move to 2–0 for the first time since 1998.
FIU
This game marked the first meeting between the two programs, and the first of a four-game series. The loss was UCF's first in seven games, and snapped the Knights' defensive record of 14 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown. UCF turned the ball over twice, on a fumble by Jeff Godfrey and muffed punt by Josh Robinson, with both turnovers resulting in touchdowns by the Golden Panthers.
Jeff Godfrey went 17-for-27 for 181-yards, and rushed for 65-yards for a touchdown. All three of the Knights running backs saw play, with Ronnie Weaver rushing for 34-yards on 9 carries, Brynn Harvey rushing for 31-yards on 6 carries and Latavius Murray rushing for 13-yards on 6 carries. Quincy McDuffie caught 6 passes for 70-yards, and Adam Nissley hauled in 4 passes for 53-yards. Nick Cattoi was one-for-two kicking, making a 31-yard field goal but missing a 51-yard attempt.
The Knights outgained FIU 266-yards to 204, but were flagged for nine penalties for 56-yards. After allowing just one sack in their first two games, UCF surrendered six against the Golden Panthers. The highlight of the night for UCF was an 18-play, 94-yard, 10-minute possession that led to the Knights only touchdown of the game in the second quarter.
BYU
This matchup marked the first game between the two programs, with BYU making a return trip to Orlando in 2014. For the second straight game UCF lost the turnover battle, turning the ball over three times, on a fumble by Dontravius Floyd, a muffed punt by J.J. Worton and an interception, with two turnovers resulting in touchdowns by the Cougars.
Jeff Godfrey went 17-for-25 for 272-yards, his third career 200-yard game, and rushed for two touchdowns. Ronnie Weaver rushed for 38 yards on 7 carries and Latavius Murray rushing for 31-yards on 12 carries. AJ Guyton was the big playmaker of the night for UCF, with 9 receptions for 163-yards, while Quincy McDuffie caught 5 passes for 50-yards. The Knights special teams woes continued, as Nick Cattoi was one-for-two kicking, making a 34-yard field goal but missing a 35-yard attempt, and as UCF allowed BYU's first kickoff return for a touchdown since 1998.
The Knights outgained BYU 399-yards to 260, but were inefficient on the ground with 34 carries resulting in only 81 yards. UCF suffered a scare in the second half when sophomore Jeff Godfrey went down with an apparent injury. Back-up quarterback Blake Bortles entered the game, resurrecting a drive deep in Knights territory and going 4-for-5 for 46-yards. The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak by UCF on ESPN, and marked the first time since 2008 that the Knights dropped two games in a row.
Marshall
UCF has now won 7-straight games against the Thundering Herd, never losing to them since both teams entered Conference USA in 2005. In a game that was marred by rain, the Knights possessed the ball for over 40 minutes while the Thundering Herd held the ball for under 20. Jeff Godfrey rushed for 15 yards, and went 13-for-22 for 147 yards. Brynn Harvey rushed for 180-yards on 30 carries for one touchdown, and Joshua Reese caught 4 passes for 42-yards.
UCF's defense continues to shine, allowing only 130-yards and no offensive scores. The Knights are the only team in the country that has not allowed a passing touchdown this season. UCF also earned its first safety since an October 2008 game against Tulsa.
The win marked George O'Leary's 100th career victory. Since joining C-USA, UCF is 4–3 in conference openers, opening the season with wins in 2005, 2007 and 2010, all years the Knights went on to play in the conference championship game.
SMU
In a game that was a rematch of the 2010 Conference USA Championship Game, the Mustangs dominated the Knights both offensively and defensively. SMU proved difficult to stop in the air, with UCF allowing 358 passing yards, and 440-yards of total offense.
The Knights dominated the time of possession, with over 37 minutes, but only scored 3 times. Jeff Godfrey went 23-for-32 for 231-yards for a touchdown, and rushed for 46-yards on 12 carries. Brynn Harvey rushed for 66-yards on 21 carries, and Joshua Reese caught 5 passes for 74-yards. Back-up quarterback Blake Bortles entered the game for the Knights in the 4th quarter, leading the team on a quick scoring drive and going 9-for-12 for 118-yards and a touchdown.
UAB
UCF suffered another devastating loss against an 0–6 Blazers team in Birmingham. The Knights woes continued on both the offensive and defensive fronts, as UCF lost the battle for the time of possession for the first time this season, and allowed UAB 501 yards and 27 first downs. The Knights scored early but surrendered the lead before halftime. Back-up quarterback Blake Bortles entered the game for the Knights in the 4th quarter, leading the team on a 10–0 run. With 21 seconds left, UAB kicker Ty Long struck a 40-yard field goal giving the Blazers a 26–24 lead, and sealing their first win of the season.