U-C-F (5-3) at (2) Texas (8-0)

Published online on Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

GAME NOTES: The second-ranked Texas Longhorns get a breather from their Big 12 slate and host the UCF Knights of Conference USA this weekend in Austin.

The 'Horns are coming off arguably their biggest win of the campaign, as they trounced than 13th-ranked Oklahoma State, 41-14, in Stillwater this past weekend to all but lock up the South Division title and their spot in the Big 12 championship game.

"I'm really, really pleased with the team - the way they played, the attitude they played with," said head coach Mack Brown, who is now 12-0 all-time against OSU. "They rose to the challenge against an outstanding Oklahoma State football team."

The triumph capped a tough three-game road swing that included wins over Oklahoma (16-13) and Missouri (41-7), giving Texas its third 8-0 start under coach Brown. The Horns also moved up to second in the BCS standings following last weekend's win and they now have the inside track to the national title game with no ranked teams remaining on their schedule. As a matter of fact, the team won't even leave the state of Texas for the remainder of the regular season, playing at Baylor and Texas A&M, while hosting Kansas in Austin.

As for the Knights, they enter the weekend with some momentum on their side, having won two straight and three of their past four games. Most recently, UCF hosted Marshall on Sunday and rallied for a 21-20 victory over the Thundering Herd.

"Anytime you win a game it is great," said head coach George O'Leary. "It was not pretty, but it was a good team win. We hung in there. As I tell the players, it is a sixty-minute game for a reason."

UCF now sits at 5-3 on the campaign and is just one win away from becoming bowl eligible after finishing just 4-8 a year ago.

The Knights and Longhorns met for the first and only time on the gridiron in 2007, with the Texas capturing a narrow 35-32 victory in Orlando.

Trailing 20-14 to Marshall with just under eight minutes to play, UCF rallied for two scores, including the game-winner on a one-yard touchdown pass from Brett Hodges to Rocky Ross with 23 seconds remaining.

"I think it shows team chemistry and maturity," said coach O'Leary when asked about the come-from-behind win by the offense. "I think once you have been in the program for a while, they understand it is never over until the whistle blows at the end of sixty minutes."

The Knights rolled up 401 total yards, with no turnovers, against Marshall and they have been vastly improved on offense this season, averaging 336.6 ypg after posting a mere 230.0 ypg in 2008. A switch in quarterbacks can be thanked for the improvement, as Hodges has done a solid job in managing the offense and throwing for 1,558 yards and 10 scores. He is also coming off a big performance in which he threw for 342 and two scores, becoming the first UCF player to pass for 300 yards in a game since 2007.

Ross caught six passes from Hodges, including the game-decider, while A.J. Guyton finished with a team-high 100 yards receiving in the win over Marshall. On the season, Ross heads the roster in catches (27) and Guyton is tops with 396 yards on a 17.2 yard per catch average.

In the backfield, Brynn Harvey has carried the load and he has accounted for 173 of the team's 277 rushing attempts. The sophomore back, who came on strong last season, has rushed for 679 yards and seven scores in 2009, although he was limited to just 47 yards on 21 carries against Marshall.

Aside from allowing 17 points in the second quarter, UCF's defense was pretty stout versus Marshall last weekend and gave up just 293 total yards on the night. The Knights did an especially good job against the run, surrendering only 56 yards, and that is an area they have excelled in this year, permitting just 87.8 ypg and six scores on the ground.