UCF Spring Practice Update: 04/04/08

As reported earlier, UCF has some areas of concern that need to be addressed prior to the start of a what is sure to be a challenging 2008 season in which the Knights will try to repeat as Conference USA champions.

On defense, UCF has looked stellar all spring while the offense has been sluggish, which is to be expected for most teams when practice first begins. However, the offense looked a lot better since Tuesday’s practice and the unit seems to be straightening things out. Here are some notes on Friday’s practice.

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Offense: The most interesting scenario of Spring ’08 for UCF is the quarterback controversy that is ensuing. Right now, junior Michael Greco is leading the competition with redshirt freshman Joe Weatherford right behind him.

Greco looked sharp in both individual and team drills. The Knights ran some rollout drills and Greco was accurate when moving to the left and right. In team drills, he bulleted some passes into tight coverage and seemed very confident.

Weatherford also looked solid. He displayed great velocity and precision on out-routs and while he started slow, Weatherford looked better and better as the day went on, and he also seemed to get significantly more reps than on Tuesday.

Redshirt freshmen Nate Tice and Andy Slowik also received some snaps but had varying success from one another. Tice checked down too frequently at times and also forced several passes into tight areas, causing interceptions. Slowik on the other hand had a memorable practice, showing solid zip on his passes. He had a perfectly thrown ball on the right sideline to senior receiver Rocky Ross, who caught the ball in stride downfield and would have scored had the whistle not blown.

At running back, redshirt freshman Ronnie Weaver is slotted as the starter right now in place of the injured Phillip Smith (more on that later). Weaver seemed calmer than he did earlier in the week and should be a competent replacement while Smith heals.

UCF’s wide receivers looked consistent, with minimal dropped passes from the team’s top players. Sophomores Kamar Akin and Sidney Haynes both did a good job hauling in some difficult passes and shielding the ball from defenders. They are physical targets that should help out a lot on intermediate routes. Ross will be the team’s “playmaker” and he used his speed and quickness to get loose from defensive backs on several occasions.

There were quite a few drops from tight ends and fullbacks, as well as some younger receivers, but one tight end who stepped up was junior Corey Rabazinski, who is slated to start for the Knights. He did a good job catching the ball in traffic and also had nice quickness off the line.

The offensive line also looked a little more in sync and did a better job protecting the quarterback, especially on the left side.

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Defense: The Knights defense is loaded and not full of just experience (8 returning starters), but also depth. The group has been solid through the spring and should be one of the best in the conference.

It’s hard to gauge the defensive line because the team has been in shoulder pads and shorts, but the defensive end group has looked fairly stellar. Sophomores Bruce Miller and David Williams appear to be the starters as of now and both have high motors and seem willing to do what it takes to get better. Senior linebacker Antonio Wallace (6’2”, 251 lbs.) will likely make the full-time transition to end and he appears to be a spectacular pass rusher. He might push for some playing time and could be a surprise player in the conference.

The linebackers were very good yet again and will be a strong point for the team. It was no surprise though that Joe Burnett stole the show. The senior cornerback had two picks, several breakups and didn’t allow one pass to be caught on him. Burnett is trying to establish himself as the best cornerback on the nation and had earlier talked about being more consistent, and he was certainly that in practice today.

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Injury update: Receiver A.J. Guyton, who was off crutches earlier this week, was back on them, which isn’t a good sign. The team is likely being cautious with his injury, but he was still able to put a nice amount of pressure on his leg. Smith was still on crutches and was walking tenderly on his leg but was also showing some signs of progression, putting slight pressure on his leg.

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Summary: The offense took a step forward yesterday and the defense continued to look good. The Knights will have practice on Saturday and will also have Junior Day. Inside Knights will be there and will also be covering practice for all of next week, so keep your eyes open for more practice updates.