Konference Kombat: UCF VS. Tulsa

Uh…What? Where? When?: University of Central Florida Knights vs. University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Brighthouse Stadium, Orlando Florida. Thursday, November 3rd @ 8:00 PM

Overall Record: Knights 2, Golden Hurricane 2. (2005, 2007 (2x), 2008)

Last Meeting: 10/26/2008 - Knights lose , 19-49

Opponent’s weirdest school tradition: Oozefest. “Hey bro, let’s go frolic together in the mud for the whole day and, you know, play games and stuff. Oh, what’s that? You would rather sit by the pool and get tan and talk to chicks? Bro, you’re crazy!” If your friend, roommate or loved one is displaying similar symptoms, he or she may be suffering from oozefest, or the unexplainable urge to revert back to a child and lay in leech-infested mud water as if you were a regular on Swamp People. While it’s not clear where the malady originates from, it’s going strong in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Officials are still debating the origin of the disease. Deranged capuchin bite? Virus from outer space? Or maybe, it was because there’s nothing else to do in Tulsa, Oklahoma (run, I hear banjos.) We may never know. The disease has spread like wildfire down across the Florida border, turning UF into a sea of mindless, zombie-like mud creatures. While most people were already mindless, zombie-like creatures to begin with in Gainesville, the mud infatuation is alarming nonetheless. Ever worse? The sickness has made its way to Orlando. Just say no, UCF!!!

“I went to Tulsa and all I got were three tapeworms and a bad staph infection!”

Former hottest body in student body: Kim Manning. You don’t know Kim Manning? You know, accomplished song writer and singer? No? Okay, how about actress that’s appeared on The Bernie Mac Show and The Man Show? Still nothing? Okay, what about the woman that went by Peaches on Flavor of Love? Oh. OH. OHHHHHHHH. Yeah, that one.

Well, it’s clear Tulsa doesn’t have very many public enemies.

Outlook: UCF continued to show its dominance on home turf by smoking the Memphis Tigers 41-0 last weekend, a display that capped off a 4-0 home record without allowing a single touchdown at Brighthouse stadium. That statistic will be put to the test on Thursday when a very able Tulsa team treads into Orlando to challenge the Knights. Tulsa is coming off a huge win over a Southern Methodist squad that recently trounced the Knights 38-17. A large key to Tulsa’s success has been Senior Quarterback G.J. Kinne, who is second in Conference USA in passer rating behind Case Keenum (but hell, so is 99% of the United States for that matter.) Kinne works with a receiving core lead by Junior Willie Carter, a former running back who’s slowly become one of the biggest receiving threats in the conference at 702 receiving yards. Carter is also coming off of the biggest game of his career against a solid SMU defense with 13 receptions for 173 yards. While the Tulsa passing game has been great, it’s the unheralded heroes on the Tulsa offensive front that are the glue that’s held things together. The line showed its colors last weekend against SMU, holding firm and allowing Tulsa to rip into the Mustangs with 38 points.

Key to victory: With Tulsa’s o-line proving they’re nothing to gawk at, a lot of responsibility is going to come down to UCF’s secondary. Not only are the deep backs going to have to help with extra pressure to force Kinne into making bad passes, but their going to have to be ready to disrupt some deep balls themselves; let’s be honest, with as many skills players as Tulsa has, Kinne is going to go yard at least a few times during this game. On the other end of the ball, UCF has to be aware of Tulsa’s own pass defense. Godfrey has made plenty of mistakes this year in the air, something that Tulsa’s defense, with a league-high 13 interceptions, is licking their chops at. Whether that means a strong continuation of a good run game or a big step up in passing, Tulsa’s pass defense is an obstacle Godfrey and company will have to handle. If those two factors play out in the Knight’s favor, UCF will have a very nice win on, hopefully, the eve of one of the biggest announcements in school history: Hello, Big E!

Stephen DeAugustino is an Orlando blogger that loves him some writing, digital media, sports and entertainment.
He also loves Steven Seagal movies, being silly in public and staying hydrated.
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