After a subpar 2008 and rumors that coach George O’Leary might be out the door, Central Florida responded with a great 2009 campaign that included a bowl berth.
The defense is what kept the team afloat most of the season, so this spring is where the offense needs to come together, especially with a new starting quarterback.
Here’s a look at UCF’s strongest and weakest positions heading into this spring:
Strongest position: Running back
Key returners: Junior Brynn Harvey (261 carries, 1,109, 14 touchdowns), sophomore Jonathan Davis (64 carries, 310 yards, four touchdowns), sophomore Ronnie Weaver (19 carries, 86 yards, one touchdown).
Key departures: None
The skinny: Top running back Brynn Harvey eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last season, but the overall running game was inconsistent averaging just 130.54 yards per game. However, that wasn’t all on the running backs (see below). All three of the team’s top backs return and the group has the opportunity to be one of the top running games in Conference USA if it can get the offensive line to mature quickly.
Weakest position: Offensive line
Key returners: Junior left tackle Nick Pieschel, sophomore right guard Theo Goins, senior right tackle Jah Reid, senior left tackle Abré Leggins, senior right tackle Mike Buxton
Key departures: Left guard Cliff McCray, center Ian Bustillo
The skinny: The offensive line struggled mightily last season, which was part of the reason why coach George O’Leary signed six offensive linemen in his 2010 class (only five remain after Jose Jose had his scholarship yanked). The offensive line allowed 2.54 sacks, which hampered the production of quarterback Brett Hodges. The offense was better last year than it was in 2008, but it wasn’t where the Knights expected it to be. The offensive line, which is breaking in two new starters, including a center, will the focus this spring as O’Leary tries to find the right combination.
The defense is what kept the team afloat most of the season, so this spring is where the offense needs to come together, especially with a new starting quarterback.
Here’s a look at UCF’s strongest and weakest positions heading into this spring:
Strongest position: Running back
Key returners: Junior Brynn Harvey (261 carries, 1,109, 14 touchdowns), sophomore Jonathan Davis (64 carries, 310 yards, four touchdowns), sophomore Ronnie Weaver (19 carries, 86 yards, one touchdown).
Key departures: None
The skinny: Top running back Brynn Harvey eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last season, but the overall running game was inconsistent averaging just 130.54 yards per game. However, that wasn’t all on the running backs (see below). All three of the team’s top backs return and the group has the opportunity to be one of the top running games in Conference USA if it can get the offensive line to mature quickly.
Weakest position: Offensive line
Key returners: Junior left tackle Nick Pieschel, sophomore right guard Theo Goins, senior right tackle Jah Reid, senior left tackle Abré Leggins, senior right tackle Mike Buxton
Key departures: Left guard Cliff McCray, center Ian Bustillo
The skinny: The offensive line struggled mightily last season, which was part of the reason why coach George O’Leary signed six offensive linemen in his 2010 class (only five remain after Jose Jose had his scholarship yanked). The offensive line allowed 2.54 sacks, which hampered the production of quarterback Brett Hodges. The offense was better last year than it was in 2008, but it wasn’t where the Knights expected it to be. The offensive line, which is breaking in two new starters, including a center, will the focus this spring as O’Leary tries to find the right combination.
Graham Watson | email
College FootballWatson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Missouri Tigers and the Big 12 Conference for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also covered college football recruiting for the Dallas Morning News.
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