The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • D11

Orlando Sentinel: PRODUCT: OS DESK: SPT DATE: 10-22-2005 EDITION: FLA ZONE: FLA DEADLINE: 21.9 OP: ahuff COMPOSETIME: 23.34 CMYK Orlando Sentinel SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2005 D1 1 UCF 34, TULANE 24 THE BUZZ Green Wave's players deal with changing itinerary Friday was one long day for Tulane's football team. The Green Wave woke up on game day in Ruston, boarded a plane in Monroe and arrived in Orlando shortly after lunch. That gave players and coaches time to rest in their hotel room for about two hours before pre-game meetings began, Tulane assistant head coach Bill D'Ottavio said. "Once we got here it was like any other game day," he said. "The only thing was, we were looking forward to staying the night.

The kids haven't slept in a hotel bed since SMU on Sept. 24." Because of the chance of game day and pre-game rain, there weren't many UCF fans at the Florida Citrus Bowl when the Green Wave took the field just before kickoff, but those that were there gave the team a standing ovation. The team left the Citrus Bowl before midnight to board a charter flight back to Monroe. Special teams Friday marked the return of SS Jason Venson and FS Sha'reff Rashad, but only Venson reclaimed his starting spot. Renford Parkes, who started the first three games of 2005 at strong safety, started at free safety against the Green Wave.

Bryan Gabourel and Frisner Nelson were the starters at defensive tackle, the first time the two have lined up side by side. Gabourel started the previous two games ahead of Nelson. Keith Shologan was Gabou-rel's replacement. Brownie points John Brown kicked UCF's extra points and short field goal attempts Friday night. Brown had been perfect in his duties this season, including kicking a game-winning field goal against Louisiana-Lafayette, and he was perfect in the first half with three extra points and two field goals (32 and 28 yards).

Matt Prater, who kicked 1 0 of UCF's previous 1 2 field goal attemps, handled the kickoff duties. Returns or not UCF's policy for tickets not used for Friday night's game is that it will swap the tickets if they're not torn for tickets to the final home game, Nov. 5 vs. Houston. That game is homecoming.

A second option for fans that didn't use tickets is to turn them in for credit for a game in the 2006 season or for other future use. Tickets can be exchanged at the UCF ticket office at UCF Arena. The school will not refund any money. Etc. The Knights voted on season-long captains this week, one for each segment.

DE Paul Carrington (defense), WR Brandon Marshall (offense) and OLB James Cook (special teams), all seniors, were selected by teammates This was UCF's sixth game on Friday night. The Knights were 3-2 on Fridays, the last game a 21-7 loss to Marshall in 2002 Fans can help the Green Wave pay for this season by contributing directly to the school through Conference USA. Instructions are at ALAN SCHMADTKE BOBBY COKERORLANDO SENTINEL UCF running back Kevin Smith scores on a 9-yard run in the first quarter. Smith rushed for 1 1 3 yards and also threw a touchdown pass. Errors sink Wave UCF couldn't afford a show of sympathy It was probably just below running over Benji or swearing at a nun.

But just remember, it was necessary. I say this with complete respect and admiration for the unimaginable adversity Tulane's program has suf doesn't have anything to lose. Tulane's season is gone because of Katrina. If Tulane even manages to finish .500, it would be remarkable. The Green Wave's desperate circumstances made them a dangerous opponent.

Tulane has wormed its way into the who had two interceptions Friday JOSH R0BBINS nation's heart and become the definition of an underdog. You feel like chaining yourself to a confession booth for even cheering against them. IfTulane beats anybody, it'sa20-second fered because of Hurricane Katrina. UCF really needed to beatTulaneto a pulp. Feel incredibly sorry forTulane, especially since the impending landing of Tul UCF Jemele HILL BOBBY COKERORLANDO SENTINEL Tulane receiver Preston Brown catches a 49-yard pass over defensive back Renford Parkes in the 3rd quarter.

That led to a 26-yard field goal. Turnovers help UCF overcome penalties 24 23 1st downs Rush-Yds Passing C-A 18-80 48-286 360 202 27-47 18-31 4 0 SENTINEL COLUMNIST Int. Return Yds 132 164 Punts Fumbles 1-1 1-0 Pen-Yds 6-60 18-160 Time 21:53 38:07 UCF FROM Dl FIRST QUARTER UCF FG J. Brown 32, 11:34. Drive: 5 plays, 4 yards, 2:36.

Key play: Nelson interception at Tulane 19. UCF Ke. Smith 9 run (J. Brown kick), 8:44. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:23.

Key play: Ke. Smith 33 run to Tulane 9. Tul Hoover 8 pass from Ricard (Hartgroves kick), 5:04. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:33. Key play: Forte 5 pass from Richard on 3rd-and-4 from UCF 48 plus Watkins 15 facemask penalty to advance to UCF 28.

SECOND QUARTER UCF FG J. Brown 22, 13:34. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:22. Key play: Wilcox 1 7 pass from Moffett on 3rd-and-10 from UCF 32. Tul Brown 44 pass from Ricard (Hartgroves kick).

Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 3:03. Key play: Hoover 8 pass from Ricard on 3rd-and-3at50. UCF Peters 50 run (J. Brown kick), 4:40. Drive: 2 plays, 62 yards, 0:36.

Key play: Peters 12 run on 1st-and-10from the UCF 38. UCF Walker 7 pass from Moffett (J. Brown kick), 0:07. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 1:10. Key play: Foreman pass-interference penalty on 3rd-and-3 from the Tulane 33.

THIRD QUARTER Tul FG Hartgroves 26, 8:20. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 3:22. Key play: Brown 49 pass from Ricard on 3rd-and-6 from the Tulane 45. UCF D. Johnson 12 pass from Ke.

Smith, 3:19. Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:48. Key play: Walker 16 pass from Moffett on 3rd-and-1 5 from the Tulane 31. FOURTH QUARTER Tul King 21 pass from Ricard (Hartgroves kick), 5:16. Drive, 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:19.

Key play: UCF pass-interference penalty on 1st-and-20from the Tulane 20. RECAP UCF recorded a Conference USA win Friday night, defeating Tulane 34-24 before 1 5,009 at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Boosted by big performances from running backs Kevin Smith and Jason Peters, the Golden Knights totaled 286 rushing yards. The turning point Instant replay made a big difference for UCF. It showed that the Knights had indeed forced Tulane wideout Bubba Terranova to fumble and that UCF had recovered the ball.

The initial call on the field was overturned, and UCF got the ball back trailing 14-1 3 with 5:16 left in the second quarter. The Knights scored a touchdown two plays later and never trailed again. Unsung hero Matt Prater had been UCF's starting place-kicker all season until Friday night. Though John Brown handled all of UCF's field-goal and extra-point tries, Prater still made key contributions. He made two tackles on kickoffs, one of which likely prevented a touchdown.

Key injuries Tulane tight end Bobby Hoover was knocked woozy after he caught a third-down pass with 1 1 :20 remaining in the second quarter. Looking ahead The Knights (4-3, 3-1 C-USA USA) are contending for a postseason berth. A week from today, they'll play at East Carolina, which is 3-3 overall and 2-1 in Conference USA heading into its game today against Memphis. The final word "I think we've got a whole lot of confidence. Coach got it on the board: Our goal is to get to a bowl." UCF CB Joe Burnett, TULANE INDIVIDUALS UCF INDIVIDUALS RUSHING Hurricane Wilma meant this team was inconvenienced again when it didn't deserve it.

But feel even better for UCF. This was a crucial win for the Golden Knights, one that spared them the distinction of losing to a program virtually left homeless because of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Tulane is hardly a contender in Conference USA this year, but UCF's 34-24 win over the Green Wave also meant the Golden Knights are becoming mature enough to shred teams when they're supposed to. Tulane's only wins this season are against a I-AAteam and SMU, which hasn't had a relevant football program since the Jheri curl was the "in" hairstyle.

UCF had no business losing to Tulane, and the Golden Knights actually should be annoyed they made so many mistakes it gave the impression this was a close game. "I thought the kids hung in there," UCF Coach George O'Leary said. "When we needed to get something done, they made some plays." A loss to Tulane would have been disastrous for UCF and likely would have tanked their season. This was probably a stressful game for O'Leary to coach because there's nothing more frightening than playing host to an emotional team that bit on ESPN. In fact, an ESPN Outside the Lines segment on Tulane's difficult circumstances reran on Friday afternoon, just in time to incur local sympathy.

The national news is just waiting to use their accomplishments as the ultimate example of inspiration. After finally overcoming their hideous losing streak, the last thing the Golden Knights needed was to make any more national headlines for losing. This win was perfect therapy for UCF because of how badly the Golden Knights stunk last week at Southern Miss, which beat them by 3 1 points. This might wipe away some of the residue from that whipping and maybe give UCF some inflated confidence heading into next Saturday's difficult game at East Carolina. Besides, it's not like UCF could afford to waste any opportunities.

The Golden Knights have four games left and should be favorites in at least half those games. They have a decent shot at making a bowl, but have no room for error. Sure, St. Peter might be frowning at the Golden Knights for beating up on Tulane. But had they lost this game, that would have definitely put them in another form of purgatory.

Jemele Hill can be reached at jhillorlandosentinel.com. Smith's first college pass, a halfback toss, went 12 yards to Darcy Johnson and seemed to sap the emotion out of the Green Wave and the one cheerleader and dual pompon girls it brought. Joe Burnett added two more turnovers to Tulane's total, stealing two interceptions from Ricard in the final three minutes. In a game the schools agreed to move up 23 hours because of potential problems from Hurricane Wilma, the Knights looked as if they could have used a final day of mental prep. They went home knowing Sunday's video session will be anything but a celebration after committing 18 penalties for 160 yards.

And it was as ugly as those numbers sound. There were a couple of pass interference flags. Tight end Antonio Elde-mire, only recently elevated into the playing rotation, was whistled for three false starts. At one point, three different offensive linemen were flagged for holding on consecutive plays. But the messiness didn't help Tulane in one regard.

The Green Wave couldn't stop UCF's big plays on the ground. Alan Schmadtke can be reached at aschmadtkeorlandosentinel.com. half. UCF took a 27-14 lead to halftime thanks to two interceptions, one that set up a score, the second that prevented one, and a fumble recovery that almost wasn't. Defensive tackle Frisner Nelson executed a zone blitz on the second play of the game and found himself standing right where Lester Ricard wanted to throw to Bubba Terranova at Tulane's 19.

His first career interception led to a 3-0 lead from John Brown's 32-yard field goal. The second turnover was the fumble. Bubba Terranova appeared to have a first down after a catch and run, but instant replay verified UCF's claim that Terranova fumbled before he hit the ground. Renford Parkes recovered at UCF's 38, and Peters made it a key recovery. He ran off left tackle for 12 yards, then again for 50.

It was the Knights' longest run of the season, and it erased Tulane's 14-13 lead. And the Green Wave, instead of driving to pad their advantage, suddenly trailed 20-14. UCF wasn't done. It parlayed a 34-yard punt return from Joe Burnett into a 7-yard score, Steven Moffett to Mike Walker, 7 seconds before the half. It tacked on something new for a 34-1 7 lead in the third.

RUSHING Player Att Yds Avg Forte 10 58 5.8 Jackson 5 16 3.2 Ricard 2 6 3.0 Team 1 0 0.0 PASSING Player A I Yd Ricard 27 44 4 360 RECEIVING Player Att Yds Avg Terranova 6 109 18.2 Forte 6 41 6.8 Brown 3 97 32.3 Guidroz 3 30 10.0 King 2 36 18.0 Koch 2 21 10.5 Hoover 2 16 8.0 Jackson 2 5 2.5 Davis 1 5 5.0 Player All Yds Avg Smith 18 113 6.3 Peters 9 110 12.2 Moffett 7 42 6.0 Wilcox 12 25 2.1 Team 2 -4 PASSING Player A I Yd Moffett 17 29 0 190 Smith 1 1 0 12 Team 0 10 0 RECEIVING Player All Yds Avg Marshall 10 110 11.0 Johnson 3 32 10.7 Walker 3 32 10.7 Wilcox 1 17 17.0 Ross 1 11 11.0 DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Player UT TT Int. Sck Venson 9 9 0 0 Burnett 6 6 2 0 Crrngtn 3 4 0 0 Nelson 3 3 10 Johnson 3 3 0 0 Parkes 2 3 0 0 Cook 13 0 0 Richards 2 2 0 0 Baker 2 2 0 0 Sandy 2 2 10 Gabourel 2 2 0 0 Prater 2 2 0 0 Neal 12 0 0 Watkins 110 1 1 tackle: Francis, Rashad, Ellis, Barr, Okammor. DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Player UT TT Int. Sck 11 12 0 0 7 9 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 Cannon Route Lucas Spincer Mason Boger Brown Foreman Youmans Terranova Harrison 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 tackle: Harris, Morton, Goosby, Parenton, Johnson, Williams, Pepper, Sapp, Lee, Beckman. The Bottom Line: It wasn't a pretty win, but the Golden Knights can't afford to complain..