The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • D12

Orlando Sentinel: PRODUCT: OS DESK: SPT DATE: 09-02-2005 EDITION: FLA ZONE: FLA PAGE: D12.0 DEADLINE: 20.9 COMPOSETIME: 23.45 CMYK D12 Orlando Sentinel FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2005 UCF AT SOUTH CAROLINA New-look Golden Knights won't finish 0-for-2005 palooza 82,000 fans and ESPN showed up to see, UCF kept hanging around. A muffed punt here, a fumble there. Suddenly the Gamecocks fans were worried. Could they possibly become the first team since Central Michigan to lose to UCF? That was on Oct. 25, 2003.

Some of UCF's players weren't even born then. They could become a poor man's version of the Maitland Little Leaguers, only South Carolina's linemen weren't as big as those kids from Hawaii. The Golden Knights lost, but the last scene wasn't Spurrier being carried off the field. It was of UCF on the goal line, almost cutting the final score to 24-22. You didn't quite see a win Thursday night.

But you could see the losing days are finally numbered. David Whitley can be reached at dwhitleyorlandosentinel.com. COLUMBIA, S.C. The last time UCF won a football game, you could buy a gallon of gas for 1 .49. It cost $3 to get into a movie.

Your father walked 10 miles to school each day, uphill both ways. You get the idea. It was actually only 677 days ago, though that's 5,439 in dog days. But take heart, UCF fans. Those days are coming to an end.

Yes, all of you hoped the streak would end at 676. Nothing would have been sweeter than ruining Steve Spurrier's return. If nothing else, it might have prompted people to get the name right. It's U-C-F. Not "Central Florida." And definitely not USC, as Lee Corso had the misfortune to call it at the kickoff luncheon.

Nobody will be mistaking this year's team for Southern Cal. But they also won't be mistaking it for last year's UCF team. This team is definitely going to win a game. The way they looked against the Gamecocks, it's safe to say they'll win three or four. I know what you're thinking.

Big O'Deal. It's about time George O'Le-ary got a couple of wins on that resume of his. We prefer to see this season's glass as one-fourth full, mainly because it was so shattered when O'Leary took over. Now, after 16 straight losses, you can see the pieces coming together. You can start with Steven Moffett.

He has matured about five years in the past nine months. At one point against the Gamecocks, Moffett completed 10 straight passes. And none of them were interceptions. Take Paul Carrington. Three weeks ago, the defensive end was being airlifted from practice wearing a neck brace.

Nobody was positive he'd confidence. You want young? Thirteen of UCF's starters are still in high school. Actually, it's not quite that bad. But Carrington is one of only six seniors who start. Instead of losing all confidence, the Golden Knights started showing some character.

That turned ESPN's big college football kickoff into a pretty mundane affair for the next two hours, but O'Leary isn't worried about ratings. He could have really made things interesting on the opening drive of the second half. UCF had a fourth-and-three from South Carolina's 23, and O'Leary chose to kick a field goal. Matt Prater yanked the 40-yarder wide left, and the Gamecocks quickly scored to make it 24-3. At that point, you were just wondering how many points Spurrier might want to pile up.

Only instead of it turning into the kind of Spurrier- David WHITLEY SENTINEL COLUMNIST walk normally again, much less play. But there he was Thursday, standing at midfield calling the coin toss for the Golden Knights. They won, which was about the only thing that went right for the next 30 minutes. Williams-Brice Stadium was having flashbacks of Florida Field, circa 1996. Two drives, two long passes, two scores.

It wasn't exactly the prescribed way for a young team to build field for his first game as head coach of the George O'Leary talks to his offense during South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier takes the GARY GREENORLANDO SENTINEL Gamecocks on Thursday night against UCF. Carolina won 24-15. Spurrier faces new challenge BIANCHI FROM Dl na Gamecocks barely held off UCF 24-15 Thursday night, you half-expected Spurrier to come into his post-game press conference, demote Ron Zook and accuse UCF coach George O'Leary of intentionally late-hitting his quarterback As is custom, the theme song from "2001 Space Odyssey" played when the Gamecocks took the field Thursday night, but never has it had so much meaning. If Spurrier can't take this perennially mediocre program where no man has ever gone before then it probably can't be done. The roadside billboards on the way to the game crowed the proud message: 'We Got Spurrier!" and "You're Now In Spurrier Country!" The Spurrier idolatry may have crossed the line before the game when the speaker who gave the invocation prayed for the victims of the Hurricane Katrina and Steve Spurrier.

It appeared early that this was going to be a typical Spurrier blowout. On the first series, Carolina quarterback Blake Mitchell connected on a 49-yard bomb to Noah Whiteside for a 7-0 lead. On the next series, Carolina picked up a UCF blitz and a 64-yard screen pass set up another touchdown. The pre-game words of UCF coach George O'Leary appeared to be prophetic: "You want exposure. You don't want to get exposed." Give O'Leary's team credit for not folding and for giving 82,000 Spurrier sycophants some anxious moments in the fourth quarter.

But this wasn't about UCF, it was about Spurrier. The Golden Knights were supposed to be the nameless extras standing anonymously on the sidewalk as Gene Kelly danced in Singing in the Rain. Spurrier was the reason this game was on national TV and ESPN GameDay was in town. Spurrier was the reason USA Today ran a front-page story on South Carolina Thursday. He isn't just a coach; he's a cult.

This is how it should be; this is where Spurrier belongs back on campus. He was right when he said several years ago after turning down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to stay at the University of Florida: "Maybe I'm just a college ball coach." It took him only two years in the pros to realize this his Fun 'N' Gun philosophy was hopelessly out of step in the No Fun League. But the NFL changed him. It took one of the most refreshing, rip-roaring coaches in college football history and turned him into just another mundane, miserable NFL coach. Now, hopefully, the old Spurrier is back.

He's still got the personality. He's still got the pizzazz. He's still got those bold, bodacious ballplays. He's missing just one thing: Abold, bodacious ballclub. Mike Bianchi can be reached at mbianchiorlandosentinel.com.

Spurrier makes successful coaching return UCF FROM Dl Coach George O'Leary is 0-12 at UCF, and the Knights extended the country's longest current losing streak to 1 6. South Carolina Blake Mitchell looked forward to running Spurrier's system, and he didn't disappoint before the home faithful. He finished 18 for 23 passing for 330 yards and three touchdowns. And early on, it was vintage Spurrier. UCF won the toss and deferred, something the Old Ball Coach likes.

And on Spurrier's first series calling plays again on a college sideline, quarterback Blake Mitchell's first pass went 11 yards for a first down. His second pass went 13 for another. And his third, from midfield, went the distance. Noah Whiteside ran a post pattern, got a step on corner-back Ron Ellis, and with 2:14 gone South Carolina led 7-0. UCF went three and out, and back came Carolina.

The Knights blitzed, Spurrier caught them. Mike Davis turned a screen pass into the flat into a 64-yard sprint to UCF's 6. It set up Mitchell's 12-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead. That, it seemed was that. But the Knights, resilient after a summer of confidence-building workouts and a preseason of sharpness, said no.

After the initial shock of getting beat deep and getting caught in a blitz, the Knights calmed down. UCF Coach They buckled and finally on offense. Matt field goal. 17-3 halftime absence eroded so year ago. gave halftime It was running the worst showed with a GARY GREENORLANDO SENTINEL the first half of their season opener Thursday.

completed 27 of 39 passes for 258 yards, a touchdown and one interception. By late in the fourth period, Moffett had completed 10 passes in a row, a career high, but he was already deep in trouble: UCF's young offensive front had run out of gas. Passing downs turned into jailbreaks, and Moffett was running from trouble as soon as he set in the pocket. Alan Schmadtke can be reached at aschmadtkeorlandosentinel.com. in on defense, they got their chances Prater kicked a 37-yard Easing the sting of a deficit was the of a hallmark that much of their effort a Last year they continually up point just before Not this time.

one sign. Another: A game that was one of in the country in 2004 sparks and toughness three-man committee approach. UCF's oft-maligned ends, ones that rarely mustered a pass rush in 2004, came alive. Paul Carrington and Chris Welsh recorded sacks. Suddenly, a feat that took UCF five games to accomplish in a year ago they'd done in less than three quarters.

And even when he didn't get sacked, Mitchell wasn't enjoying all day in the pocket. And quarterback Steven Moffett, billed as improved and experienced, did his part. He.