The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 35

METRO The Orlando Sentinel, Friday, August 30, 1996 C-7 lyr? 'Tffr trrs at. 1 "jar far ILeW 4a" SU L'Mf ilL Eimzmii Momentum pays off for UCF William Mary vs. UCF A 22-point fourth quarter by the Knights helps atone for mistakes that eroded a 10-0 lead. By Tim Turner GOLDEN KNIGHTS 39, TRIBE 33 OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Team Bectvtng Florida Citrus Sports is interested in moving Central Florida's 1997 opener against Mississippi from Oxford, to the Florida Citrus Bowl. WM UCF It 25 No Yds Avo TD 4 101 25.3 1 2 96 49 0 1 2 67 33 5 1 1st DOWNS Rushing Player Commons ConMm Whipple Leeoy Porch 6 10 Athletic Director Steve Sloan 2 36 160 2 16 60 0 periods.

"The guys were still working hard," Culpepper said "We knew we had to pick it up to win." That the Knights did with a 22-point fourth quarter. Because Mike Shallowcross' 28-yard field goal put the Tribe in front, 33-31, with 6:45 left, the Knights needed at least a field goal to win. That is when the Knights put together their longest drive of the night 13 plays, 79 yards. The biggest play of the drive went the shortest distance. With the Tribe pinching in at the line, UCF was faced with a fourth-and-1 from 31-yard line.

Culpepper, stopped on his initial attempt, struggled ahead for the necessary yard to maintain the drive. Grant redeemed himself from his earlier fumble with 25 yards on his next two carries. Then Edward Mack put the Knights ahead on a 5-yard with 1:47 left. Culpepper said. "We knew we could go underneath their coverage.

When we got back out, we were going to take what was given to us." wiped out that 10-0 deficit on two touchdown passes from Mike Cook and a 6-yard run by Alvin Porch, all in the first 4:59. The scoring barrage was courtesy of UCF fumbling the kickoff, an interception by Culpepper and a fumble by Mike Grant The Knights lost four of a school-record seven fumbles and threw two interceptions. "We just decided that we were going to keep our heads up and play," Mark Nonsant said. "The receivers, we knew they could not cover us with the defense they were using. We ran nothing but 90s hitch patterns." Those hitches, routes run in front of the Tribe's secondary, opened up the Knights' offense.

But the Knights still trailed, 27-10, after three said Thursday. Sloan said he gave his "enthusiastic permission." The qame Punt return No Yds At dt Aw "is scheduled for Aug. 30 of next year. TO 13 65 0 Player Sharper 2 Kickott return! Patelng Player All Com mt Yda TD Culpepper 42 28 2 307 3 Receiving Player No Yde Avg TD Cleveland 10 172 17.5 2 Nonsant 8 80 10.0 1 Grant 3 13 4.3 0 Clark 3 34 11.3 0 Hubbard 1 5 6.0 0 Leiiter 1 3 3.0 0 Punt return Player No Yda Avg TD Leister 2 2 1.0 0 Ktckotf relume Player No Yds Avg TD Grant 2 17 8.5 0 TacMee-atelete-iackt If switched, the Rebels would be the first major Division l-A opponent to play Knights in the Citrus Bowl. No Yda Avg TD Player Harrison 9 130 26 0 0 416 407 100 180 OS 42 4-22 4-2B 26 4.3 318 307 12-27 26-42 0 2 5- 37.2 345.0 0 0 45 3 2-13 2-3 6- 15T 645 2-32 04 646 3-25 2-2 74 27:07 32:53 Penally TOT.

NET YDS. NET YDS. RUSHING Rushes Sack-YrJe. lost Avg. per rush NET YDS.

PASSING Coma-AO. Had int. PUNTMvg. Had blocked RETURN YDS. Punt Returns Kirtoff Returns Interceptions PENALTIES-Yds.

RJMBIES-Losl TIMEOFPOSS. A 18,013 Central Florida showed William Mary that it isn't how fast you score your points, it's having the most at the end that counts. The Golden Knights hitched their hopes on hitches in the second half and were able to overcome a ton of turnovers in their 39-33 victory Thursday night over William Mary at the Florida Citrus BowL Daunte Culpepper was off to a big night Uirowing for 191 of his 307 yards. But the Knights were not pleased with their 10-0 lead. "At the half we talked about it," Beverly 1 The move also would give UCF a fifth Tacklee-Mslite-Mcke Sherper 7-2-0, Ashton 6-1-0, Waddy 5-2-1, Harrison 5-1-0, Bertoni McQowan 4-1-0, McDermett 4-1-0, Walker 2-2-ltt, Moody 3-1-0, En-gel 1-34, Oiana 3-0-1, Brady 2-04, Solomon 2-00, O'Reilly 1-0O, Joyce 1-0-0, Culliname 0-1-0, Walker 1-0-0, Coyne 1-00.

Individual WILLIAM ft MARY CENTRAL FLORIDA Ruehlng Thomas 8-5-1 Latimore 444, Red-dick 444. McWhoner 24-1, Washington 244, Bryant 0-54, Doster 54-0, Tate 44-1, Moore 3-14, Osuna 2-1-1, Rickerson 0-34, Devine 1-14, Carter 244, Grant 0-14. JAckson 1-04, Huzae 0-14, Green 0-14, Benoit 144. MISSED FO ATTEMPTS Wil-tams ft Mary: Shaacross 38, 40: UCF Pierce 35, 41. Knights allow 27 points in the 3rd No Yde Net LQ 10 76 63 16 16 67 59 29 11 30 30 4 Rushing Player No.

Yde. Net LO Porch 25 101 95 If Harris 4 4 3 4 Cook 9 24 2 9 Pitting Player AB Com kit Yde TD Cook 27 12 0 318 3 Player Grant Mack Cleveland Huuie 16 11 2 7 7 5 3 home -game, as the schedule stands, the Knights play four home games and seven road games, including five of the" first six. The current contract with Mississippi gives UCF a financial guarantee of $200,000. Sean Beckton couldn't help but smile the first time he saw the players from William Mary on Thursday. The currant receivers coach for Central Florida played the game of his collegiate career against the Tribe in 1990 during the NCAA l-AA playoffs.

"I was part of three touchdowns in the first quarter," Beckton said. "I caught passes for our first two touchdowns, then I threw the long pass for our third score." Beckton's pass was a 76-yard touchdown to Shawn Jefferson, who wonj 62-38, in the only previous meeting between the schools. Receiver Rufus Hall has been cleared by team doctors to resume practice next week. Hall had 11 catches and three touchdowns in five quarters last season before he needed reconstructive surgery on his left knee. As recently as a month ago, the Knights were not certain Hall could play this season.

"The question is if he's mentally ready," Beckton said. Minutiae: The last time William Mary defeated a Division l-A opponent was 1991, when it beat Navy, 26-21, in Annapolis. UCF will not return to the Citrus Bowl until it plays Samford on Oct 12. Former Lake Brantley lineman Matt Mazefsky of Longwood is in his first year with William Mary. JERRY GREENE and TIM TURNER tive in the first half, thew a 40-yard touchdown pass.

And for the Knights, it kept getting worse until they were trailing, 27-10, and fearing someone might take back their I-A credentials. Enter Culpepper and Co. The Knights fought back to lead, 31-30, with 10:09 left but fell behind again, 33-31, with 6:45 to play. UCF used 13 plays to travel 79 yards for the final score. After some great running by Grant, Mack scored the touchdown on a 5-yard run.

The Knights went for two extra points and got it on a tailback pass from Huff to Cleveland with 1:47 to play. It still wasn't over. The Tribe couldn't move when UCF defensive end Mike Osuna got a sack on fourth down. But Grant fumbled and Culpepper recovered, then fullback Donald Huzzie fumbled and the Tribe recovered. What that meant was a "Hail William Mary" pass in the final seconds that fell to the ground.

The season has begun. last season because of academic problems. He caught 10 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard catch-and-run on a quick pass in the second quarter. Culpepper ran for 59 yards, but tailback Mike Grant came on in the second half to run for 63 yards on 10 carries. Two other tailbacks, Mike Huff and freshman Edward Mack, scored' touchdowns in the 1 fourth quarter.

Mark Nonsant added a 27-yard scoring catch in the final period, too. On defense, middle Linebacker Kendrick Thomas had 13 tackles and a sack. "It was all of us," Culpepper said. "We all fought back, but we all need a lot more practice, too." Indeed. The next game Sept.

7 is a step up to South Carolina of i the Southeastern Conference. The third period was a Knights nightmare. The Tribe decided they would not kick off to Cleveland, so they tried a squib kick and recovered it themselves. On the next play, Tribe quarterback Mike Cook, who was ineffec UCF from C-1 over in the fourth quarter." Someone had to, if the Knights were going to win their first game as a member of the NCAA's prestigious I-A division. The William Mary Tribe are I-AA but played like they refused to believe they were inferior in any way.

The error-prone Knights, who set a school record by fumbling seven times, losing four, had a 10-0 lead at halftime but were ambushed when the Tribe scored 27 consecutive points in the third period. Back came the Knights, pushed by Culpepper, to score 22 points in the final period. "I told the players we wanted to establish a tradition with this game, and coming back from 17 points down is a worthwhile tradition," McDowell said. Culpepper completed 26 of 42 passes and tied his personal best for yardage set last season against Carson-Newman. But he wasn't alone.

As expected, Todd Cleveland made a flashy return after missing William Mary 0 0 27 6-33 Central Florida 3 7 7 22-39 Drive V-H Scorkiopkrr PAT Keyptey Drive erne first Quarter 03 FGPierceX Osvelend 30 pass torn Culpepper 844 241 Second Quarter 0-10 Cleveland 66 pessfrom Culpepper Plercekkk Oevelarxl 66 pass tan Culpepper 1-66 :12 Third Quarter 7-10 Commons 40 pass tan Cook Shatcrcra kick rVVOemwB revere craide kick 140 :12 13-10 Whipple 14 pass tan Cock kickMed Commons 31 tan Cock 245 31 20-10 Porcherun Shafcrcea Hck JadaonreamjntleatUCf 30 3O0 1:09 27-10 CortJnTOpaaetanCook Shafcrcea lock Conkln 70 pass tan Cook 440 1:40 27-17 Cleveland 2 pan tan Culpepper Pmekick (feeM24rratanOjlpsppsr 8-76 333 Fourth Quarter 30-17 roSrafcroes35 Harrison 62 lector! return 44 139 3024 HuHrun Pierce kick Cukpper29iun 8-71 3:51 3041 Pkarcekicti Latrnm lumbal recovery at WW 27 2-27 :45 3341 roshslcrces28 While) 53 pass tan Cook 656 3:24 3349 Mack 5 run Cleveland 2 pasa torn Hul Gran 18 run 13-79 428 1 RESULTS Sep. 28 at E-Carolina 4 p.m. Oct. 12 Samford 4 p.m. Date Opponent Oct 19 NE Louisiana 4 p.m.

Aug. 29 UCF 39, William tV Mary 33 Oct 26 at Georgia Tech 1p.m. Sep. 7 at South Carolina 7 p.m. Nov.

2 Illinois St 4 p.m. Sep. 14 at New Mexico 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at Ala-Birmingham 2 p.m.

Sep. 21 at Ball St 2 p.m. Nov. 16 Bowling Green 4 p.m. mm nun inrii 1 J-.

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