By Ralph Lauro Aug 20, 2007, 14:20 GMT
OFFENSE: The Knights had no trouble moving the ball last season, averaging 373.2 total ypg, but they struggled greatly to turn those yards into points, scoring a mere 19.3 ppg. The team scored just 20 touchdowns in 50 trips to the red zone last season, a result of numerous poor decisions and turnovers. Still, there is hope for improvement in this area thanks to the return of eight starters and several other experienced players. The team is expected to lean a little more on tailback Kevin Smith, who rushed for 934 yards and seven touchdowns before injuring his shoulder last season. The 6-1, 211-pound junior has tremendous quickness and when healthy he is among the top backs in the league. Smith isn't the only weapon in this offense however, as senior quarterback Kyle Israel has the potential to be an all-league performer. Last season, Israel split time under center and he finished the year with 1,420 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He completed an efficient 65.1 percent of his tosses and that kind of accuracy should significantly help UCF's red zone woes. Israel should benefit from an offensive line that welcomes back four starters, and from the return of starting wideout Rocky Ross. The 6-2 Ross has good hands and size and he should have no trouble surpassing his last season's totals of 36 catches, 531 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
DEFENSE: Despite the return of nine starters, the Knights will turn to some new faces in '07 to help shore up a unit that ranked 106th in total defense (398.1 ypg) and allowed 28.8 ppg a year ago. Up front, UCF welcomes back three starters, including senior Leger Douzable. One of the few bright spots for this defense last season, the 6-4, 305-pound Douzable led the team with 10.5 TFLs and seven sacks in nine starts. He has the potential to be among the elite defensive linemen in the conference. In the middle of the field, the Knights were hit hard by injury and that was a big part in this unit's failure. Now healthy and ready to roll, senior linebacker Steven Baker and junior Corey Hogue should have a big impact on this unit's turnaround. As for the secondary, all four starters return, but that isn't necessarily a good thing considering the Knights allowed 248.8 passing ypg in 2006. The return of junior Johnell Neal however, is a positive, as he became the first corner in school history to lead the team in tackles with 66 last season. He is a solid player, but much like the rest of this secondary, he needs to become more aggressive when the ball is in the air.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior placekicker Michael Torres connected on 17-of-24 field goals last season and he will once again give UCF stability in the kicking game. He will also take a shot at the punting duties, with Parker Langley pushing him for that position.
OUTLOOK: The Knights return a plethora of starters on both sides of the ball, making them a legitimate candidate to win the C-USA title. The team should be able to solve its red zone woes this season and that alone could translate into a few more wins. If the defense can improve significantly, expect UCF to make a second appearance in the C-USA Championship game.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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