The 2014 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Knights were members of the American Athletic Conference (The American), and played their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida. The Knights were led by head coach George O'Leary, who was in his eleventh season with the team.
The 2014 season was UCF's second as a member of The American. UCF set a program mark with its first undefeated home record since moving into Bright House Networks Stadium in 2007. On November 1, UConn snapped UCF's 11-game undefeated conference winning streak. The Knights were 8–0 in American Athletic Conference play in 2013, and won their first three conference games in 2014 to sit at 11–0 up to that point.
After a last-second loss to Penn State in the Croke Park Classic on opening day, the Knights lost to Missouri, eventual winners of the SEC East. The Knights won nine of their next ten games, including a 6–0 record at home, and became bowl eligible in mid-November. UCF clinched a share of the conference title on December 4 by virtue of a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown as time expired at East Carolina. Over two years, UCF is 15–1 in American Conference play. The Knights finished the regular season unranked, but received votes in both the AP and Coaches polls. They finished their season against NC State in the St. Petersburg Bowl, where they lost 34–27.
Personnel
Coaching staff 2014 UCF Knights coaching staffHead coaches Head coach – George O'Leary Asst. Head Coach/offensive line – Brent Key
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Charlie Taaffe Running backs – Danny Barrett Wide receivers – Sean Beckton Tight ends – Allen Mogridge
Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Tyson Summers Defensive backs – Kirk Callahan Defensive line – Lorenzo Costantini Special teams Special teams coordinator – Mike Buscemi
Supporting Strength & Conditioning coach S&C Support – Stefan Liskiewicz
Administrative staff Athletic Director (A.D.) – Todd Stansbury Asst. A.D. for Football Operations – Marty O'Leary Director of player development – Kristy Belden Director of player personnel – Keegan Kennedy
Roster 2014 UCF Knights rosterQuarterbacks 2 Nick Patti – sophomore 8 Tyler Harris – freshman 13 Justin Holman – sophomore 14 Pete DiNovo – freshman
Halfbacks 32 Mario Mathis – freshman 39 Joseph Puopolo – junior 43 Justin Rae – freshman
Fullbacks 17 Cedric Thompson – junior 44 Mark Messeguer – freshman 45 Daron Humphrey – sophomore
Runningbacks 4 Micah Reed – sophomore 7 Dontravious Wilson – sophomore 22 Michael Willett – freshman 24 Blake Tiralosi – sophomore 28 William Stanback – sophomore 29 CJ Jones – freshman
Wide receivers 3 Jackie Williams – senior 6 Rannell Hall – senior 9 J.J. Worton – senior 10 Kyle Coltrain – freshman 11 Breshad Perriman – junior 19 Joshua Reese – senior 20 Taylor Oldham – sophomore 23 Jonathan Boone – freshman 27 Tristan Reaves – freshman 30 Trace Ryan – freshman 80 Tre'Quan Smith – freshman 81 Chris Johnson – freshman 82 Jamari Fye – freshman 86 Michael Colubiale – freshman 88 Jordan Akins – freshman 89 Hayden Jones – sophomore Tight ends 46 Zack Laurinaitis – freshman 84 Justin Tukes – senior 85 Kevin Miller – junior 87 Cal Bloom – sophomore
Offensive line 51 Chris Larsen – freshman 55 Joey Grant – junior 60 Collin Mills – freshman 61 Tarik Cook – junior 62 Micah Anderson – sophomore 63 Tarik Milner – senior 66 Aaron Evans – freshman 67 Jared Warren – freshman 68 Charles Sprenkel – freshman 70 Luke Palmer – freshman 71 Chester Brown – sophomore 72 Torrian Wilson – senior 73 Jason Rae – sophomore 74 Michael Campbell – sophomore 75 Tate Hernly – freshman 76 Colby Watson – sophomore 78 Wyatt Miller – freshman 79 Chavis Dickey – freshman
Linebackers 15 Michael Easton – senior 23 Willie Mitchell – senior 34 Justin McDonald – sophomore 40 Chequan Burkett – freshman 41 Terrance Plummer – senior 46 Jordan Franks – freshman 50 Domenic Spencer – junior 51 Errol Clarke – junior 52 Maurice Russell – sophomore 53 Tyler Linde – sophomore 57 Troy Gray – senior 58 Caleb Perez – freshman 59 Demeitre Brim – sophomore Defensive line 42 Stanley Sylverain – sophomore 43 Deondre Bennett – sophomore 44 Miles Pace – junior 47 Deion Green – junior 49 Seyvon Lowry – sophomore 69 Thomas Niles – junior 90 Lance McDowdell – junior 91 Joey Connors – freshman 92 Luke Adams – sophomore 93 Tony Guerad – freshman 94 Demetris Anderson – junior 95 Jamiyus Pittman – freshman 96 A.J. Wooten – freshman 97 Jock Petree – freshman 98 Rob Sauvao – senior 99 Jaryl Mamea – senior
Defensive backs 10 Shaquill Griffin – sophomore 12 Jacoby Glenn – sophomore 16 Mark Rucker – sophomore 18 Shaquem Griffin – freshman 21 Drico Johnson – sophomore 22 Jared Henry – sophomore 24 D.J. Killings – sophomore 25 Kyle Gibson – freshman 26 Clayton Geathers – senior 27 Sean Beckton – senior 30 Brendin Straubel – junior 31 Chris Williams – freshman 33 Tre Neal – freshman 37 Brandon Alexander – senior 38 Jordan Ozerites – senior Punters/Kickers 18 Rodrigo Quirarte – senior 35 Sean Galvin – senior 36 Caleb Houston – sophomore 47 Connor O'Sullivan – freshman 48 Mac Loudermilk – freshman 49 Matthew Wright – freshman 83 Shawn Moffitt – senior
Snappers 54 Gage Marsil – sophomore 56 Scott Teal – senior 59 Mario Elliott – freshman
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.
Schedule The 2014 schedule was officially released by The American on February 12, 2014. The 2014 schedule was developed as a "bridge" schedule, until a permanent system was developed by the conference to address expanded membership and the creation of divisions by 2015. UCF faced eight conference opponents: UConn, East Carolina, Houston, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, and Tulsa.
The Knights played four non-conference games: Penn State (Big Ten), Missouri (SEC), Bethune-Cookman (FCS), and BYU (IND). UCF had three bye weeks in the 2014 season: their first during week two, before facing Missouri, the second during week five, before facing Houston, and the third during week nine, before facing Tulsa. UCF's opener in Dublin, Ireland marked the first time that the team played outside the United States.
Game summaries
Penn State
This was the fourth meeting between the Knights and Nittany Lions, with Penn State now holding a 3–1 record. UCF won the last meeting in 2013, 34–31. With both teams experiencing significant changes from the prior season, including both Blake Bortles and Storm Johnson who entered the 2014 NFL draft, the two teams started slow. The Knights offense was anemic in the first half behind redshirt freshman Pete DiNovo. Once DiNovo was replaced by sophomore quarterback Justin Holman in the third quarter, UCF's offense quickly gained traction, starting with a 70-yard drive which culminated with a quarterback sneak into the end zone. The Knights and Nittany Lions traded scores, and down by six points with 3:30 remaining, Holman led the Knights on a 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by a six-yard run by the quarterback. Unfortunately, the quick scoring drive left enough time on the clock for Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg to get the Nittany Lions in field goal range. As time expired, Sam Ficken hit a 36-yard field goal which gave Penn State the 26–24 win.
The loss snapped UCF's nine game winning streak dating back to October 5, 2013 – the third longest active streak amongst FBS schools at the time. It was also the Knights first loss to an unranked team since December 1, 2012. For Penn State, the victory marked the first for new head coach James Franklin. This was also UCF's first game played outside the United States, and the 2014 Croke Park Classic became the highest-attended college football game ever played in Ireland.
Missouri
After trailing 10–7 midway through the second quarter, the Tigers took control and scored 31 unanswered points to win 38–10. Mizzou quarterback Maty Mauk threw four touchdowns and one pick for 144 yards. UCF QB Justin Holman, earning his first career start, threw 209 yards and one touchdown. The Knights defense surrendered 322 yards of offense, 144 through the air and 178 on the ground. RB William Stanback had 33 yards on 15 carries, and WR Rannell Hall had 73 yards on 8 receptions. UCF and Mizzou had met once previously, a 2012 match-up in Orlando that Mizzou won 21–16. The loss marked UCF's first against a ranked team in its last three chances, and led to UCF's first 0–2 start since 2005.
Bethune-Cookman
The Knights started slow, trailing the Wildcats late in the first-quarter before UCF answered with 41 unanswered points. UCF had won the last game against Bethune-Cookman in 1995 with a score of 38–7. This victory marked the first win for the Knights this season, and the Knights now have an 11–5 winning record against the Wildcats. Quarterback Justin Holman 6-for-11 for 145 yards and two touchdowns. RB William Stanback rushed for a then-season-high 104 yards and two scores. Senior WR Breshad Perriman had 3 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. UCF's defense held BCU to 173 total yards of offense behind five first-half sacks.
Houston
For the second consecutive year, the Knights won a close contest against the Cougars. UCF and Houston played five times previously, with UCF winning four games, including a 19–14 homecoming contest in 2013 that helped to secure UCF's first BCS bid. The Knights took a 7–6 lead into halftime, and scored two more times to take a 17–6 lead into the third quarter. Houston responded with two field goals to narrow the score to 17–12. After holding the Cougars to four field goals, UCF prevailed 17–12, capped off by a remarkable goal line stand in the final seconds. Brandon Alexander saved the game for the Knights when he hit Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr.'s arm and knocked the ball loss for a touchback as he dove and stretched for the end-zone pylon with 24 seconds left in the game. Holman was 6-of-8 for 101 yards and two scores, Stanback had 44 yards on 14 carries, and Perriman had one touchdown reception for 52 yards.
BYU
This was the second meeting between the programs, with the Cougars winning the only prior game 24–17 in 2011. After the injury to Taysom Hill in the previous game against Utah State, Christian Stewart started his first game for BYU at QB. The Knights defense proved tough as UCF sacked Stewart twice, forcing one fumble, and intercepting one of his passes. After the Knights opened a 10–3 lead going into the half, the Cougar's defense stopped UCF's offense from scoring on 8 consecutive possessions. The defense picked off two UCF passes and forced two UCF fumbles, allowing BYU to have the short field and take the lead in the third quarter. The defensive stand led to 21 unanswered points by BYU. Down 24–10 late in the third quarter, Holman led the Knights on two late drives to tie the game. With 10 minutes left, and after BYU jumped into the neutral zone, Holman found Josh Reese for a 37-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. With the opportunity to take the lead, UCF missed two late field goals in the fourth, forcing the game into overtime.
In overtime, William Stanback caught a 4-yard pass from Holman to give the Knights a 31–24 lead. The Knights defense stood strong, and for the second consecutive game won the match-up on a goal-line stand after stopping the Cougars on fourth down in the redzone.
Tulane