Here’s one for the other ring finger: With a 17-7 win over SMU, the UCF Golden Knights earned their second Conference USA championship in four years.
Behind a dominant defense and an MVP performance from running back Latavius Murray, the Knights earned a trip to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs.
“How far we’ve come from January, having this as our goal for this year, and to make it happen and to leave here as a champion, I couldn’t ask for anything more out of the rest of these guys,” said senior defensive end Bruce Miller. “I’m proud of them.”
Murray picked up 94 yards and a touchdown on the ground and another 21 through the air, including his first career receiving touchdown.
Despite starting just three games this season, Murray ends the 2010 regular-season with 533 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is now the second Knights’ running back to earn title-game MVP honors, following Kevin Smith in 2007.
“It means a lot,” Murray said. “I couldn’t do it alone out there. Not being able to play last year, I was a little more hungry.”
Quarterback Jeff Godfrey continued his illustrious freshman campaign, throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown and picking up his ninth win as a starter. The freshman quarterback demonstrated his progression as the Knights’ signal caller when he led the offense 80 yards down the field in less than two minutes to end the first half. A 29-yard Nick Cattoi field goal capped the drive and gave the Knights a 10-0 halftime lead: the lowest-scoring first half in C-USA title game history.
SMU head coach June Jones acknowledged Godfrey’s potential to grow, and said that he doesn’t want anything to do with him as the freshman progresses.
“You’re not the Dade County Player of the Year being just an average guy,” Jones said. “Once he matures, I don’t want to see him anymore.”
The Knights’ defense lived up to its top conference billing, shutting out the Mustangs until the fourth quarter.
Miller’s second sack of the game gave him 34 for his career, tying with FSU’s Peter Boulware for fourth-most career sacks in the state. Miller is five and a half sacks back from tying Daniel Stubbs’ 1984-87 record at Miami. Not exactly a goal Miller is rushing to the video room to accomplish.
“Five sacks? Hoo, man,” Miller said. “… If I get five sacks in [the Liberty Bowl], great, holy cow.”
Josh Robinson, sophomore cornerback, finally had his breakout game, notching a third-quarter interception at SMU’s 18 and two deep one-on-one pass breakups.
Robinson ended the regular season with two picks, four fewer than his freshman year total. O’Leary thinks that his numbers decreased because teams learned to avoid the shutdown corner, but SMU quarterback Kyle Padron attacked Robinson often enough to showcase the talents that earned him a spot on the 2009 All-Freshman team.
Senior linebacker Derrick Hallman almost grabbed the Knights’ third pick of the day, but the linebacker flubbed the pass over the middle off his chest and dropped to the ground in regret.
“I prayed about it last night, and I prayed about it this morning. God told me he was gonna send me a gift … I didn’t accept it,” Hallman laughed.
He’ll have another chance.
The Knights will head to the Liberty Bowl, to face the Bulldogs on Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m.
The Knights’ secondary will have to deal with Georgia’s A.J. Green, one of the top receivers in college football, named to the All-SEC First Team and a finalist last year for the Biletnikoff Award.
The Knights will also face former Plant High quarterback standout Aaron Murray.
If they take the bite out of the Bulldogs (6-6, 3-5 SEC), the Knights will pick up their first bowl win in program history.
“Our mindset going into that game, and you can see from the season we’ve had, is ‘We’re going to win this game,’ ” Miller said. “We’re not just going to a bowl game, we’re not just going to play an SEC team. We’re going to win this football game.”