'Desperation Bowl 2015'

By Brian Bailey
©2015 Bonesville.net
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During the preseason many thought this week’s East Carolina-Central Florida game would help decide the East Division of the American Athletic Conference.

My how the mighty have fallen.

When last we saw UCF, the Knights were completing a Hail Mary on the final play of the game to beat East Carolina 32-30 last December.

Since that game these Knights lost in the Bitcoin Bowl to North Carolina State in St. Petersburg, Florida. UCF then opened the year with a 15-14 loss to Florida International, which guided them into the tailspin that they bring into this game.

The Knights are 0-10 in 2015. Ten games up. Ten games lost.

This is the same program that stunned 6th-ranked Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2013 football season. Two years later, George O’Leary announced his retirement with his team at 0-8, after a 59-10 loss to Houston.

I talked with Coach O’Leary at the American Athletic Conference media day in August in Newport, Rhode Island. He was upbeat and talked like a coach who had a team that would compete for the AAC title.

He even sheepishly grinned when I asked him about UCF’s Hail May win over East Carolina.

“We know we got lucky in that one,” said O’Leary. “Ruff is a good man and a great coach. We’ve become good friends over the years so I hated it for him. But it gave us a share of the American title.”

Coach Ruff spoke about that friendship at his weekly news conference on Monday.

“UCF is having a tough time too right now, but it’s a George O’Leary program,” said McNeill. “George built that program from the bottom, brick-by-brick.”

Danny Barrett is 0-2 as the Knights' interim coach after replacing O’Leary.

Call this the ‘Desperation Bowl’ because both teams are trying to snap a losing streak. UCF’s is at ten this season, while ECU has dropped three in a row.

But does that mean added pressure on the Pirates?

“I feel pressure each week,” said McNeill. “Thirty-six years, each game I feel pressure. I talked to my dad last night. Pressure is this: Your house payment is $2,000 per month and you only make $1,000. You have to find a way to get that $2,000. The pressure is I want to win for the seniors and I want to win for this team. That pressure is always there. It’s three times for me. I’ve been a student here, a player here and now a coach here. Three times the excitement and three times it’s tough.”

The Pirates will return to their two-quarterback system for this game. That system certainly worked better than James Summers having to carry the burden alone.

Many had wondered why the change of heart and philosophy for the quarterbacks.

McNeill addressed that as well.

“In fairness, James worked all summer at being Justin (Hardy) for us,” explained McNeill. “When both quarterbacks went down, Cody Keith included, putting James under the fire wasn’t really advantageous for him, but he didn’t flinch. Blake (Kemp) and James work well together.”

Here’s hoping the two quarterbacks can both find success, and that this Pirate offense returns to form against UCF Thursday night.

BB

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