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Bowl Record (3-4)
NEVADA WOLFPACK -3 @ U. CENTRAL FLORIDA GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Nevada (8-3, 7-1 WAC) at UCF (8-4, 7-1 C-USA) @ 8:30 PM. EST *ESPN
GAME NOTES: In one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the history of college football, the Golden Knights of UCF have gone from the bottom of the scrap heap to the Fourth Annual Hawaii Bowl where they will square off against the Nevada Wolf Pack on Christmas Eve. Fronted by head coach George O'Leary, the Golden Knights became just the sixth school in history to go winless one season and then bounce back to play in the postseason a year later. This season it looked like it was going to be more of the same for the Knights as they lost their first two games on the road to both South Carolina and South Florida before putting together an incredible run that has them in their first-ever bowl game. Before falling to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the Conference USA Championship game (44-27), UCF won eight of nine games and became the first school in football history to put together a five-game win streak after not having a single victory the season before. As for the Nevada Wolf Pack, the only one of their losses that wasn't expected was a 42-21 blowout to Colorado State on the road in late September. Other than that, most would concede that the Pack should have fallen to both Washington State and Boise State, but those were the only other blemishes on an otherwise superb record that saw the squad close out the regular season with four straight wins. By topping Fresno State in the season finale (38-35), not only did Nevada knock the Bulldogs down in the national rankings, but it also claimed a share of the Western Athletic Conference title with a 7-1 mark in league play. Traditionally reserved for hometown favorite Hawaii, this bowl game is being played for the first time without the Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium because the locals failed to become bowl eligible. Hawaii won the last two events, the most recent being a 59-40 beating of UAB a season ago. While this is the first-ever postseason appearance for UCF, Nevada is trying to even up a bowl record that currently stands at 2-3 following their 18-15 win over Ball State in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl. Prior to the team's run of three trips to the Las Vegas Bowl (1992, 1995, 1996) the squad took part in the Salad and Harbor Bowls in 1948 and 1949, respectively.
Take away their embarrassing 49-14 loss to Boise State on the road in the middle of the season and Nevada would have been the toast of the WAC and probably a ranked program when the final polls were released. However, the team is still doing fine with head coach Chris Ault pulling the strings on the sidelines in his third stint as the top man with the squad. Ault managed to push the Pack to third in the conference in scoring with 32.8 ppg, thanks mostly to a rushing offense that placed second with 184.1 ypg and 23 total touchdowns. B.J. Mitchell finished as one of the top runners in the conference with his 111.0 ypg and 10 touchdowns, but he got a lot of help from Robert Hubbard who carried the ball less than half the tike but still finished with 593 yards and eight TDs. The only other player to score on the ground for the Pack was quarterback Jeff Rowe (five TDs), who hit 61.3 percent of his attempts for 242.8 ypg and 20 scores. Heading into the 2005 campaign Nichiren Flowers, who is listed as probable for this game with an illness, was supposed to be the top receiver for Nevada, and he had a strong year with 49 catches for 610 yards, but he actually finished second to Caleb Spencer who posted 56 receptions for 770 yards and seven touchdowns, even though he played in one less game.
UCF is riding a golden road that no one thought possible this year, especially when one considers the limited number of seniors on the team and the overwhelming population of freshmen and sophomores who are still learning to play together. Expect the spotlight of a nationally televised bowl game to be a bit too much for O'Leary's lads, as Nevada picks up the win in familiar surroundings.
NEVADA WOLFPACK -3 @ U. CENTRAL FLORIDA GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Nevada (8-3, 7-1 WAC) at UCF (8-4, 7-1 C-USA) @ 8:30 PM. EST *ESPN
GAME NOTES: In one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the history of college football, the Golden Knights of UCF have gone from the bottom of the scrap heap to the Fourth Annual Hawaii Bowl where they will square off against the Nevada Wolf Pack on Christmas Eve. Fronted by head coach George O'Leary, the Golden Knights became just the sixth school in history to go winless one season and then bounce back to play in the postseason a year later. This season it looked like it was going to be more of the same for the Knights as they lost their first two games on the road to both South Carolina and South Florida before putting together an incredible run that has them in their first-ever bowl game. Before falling to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the Conference USA Championship game (44-27), UCF won eight of nine games and became the first school in football history to put together a five-game win streak after not having a single victory the season before. As for the Nevada Wolf Pack, the only one of their losses that wasn't expected was a 42-21 blowout to Colorado State on the road in late September. Other than that, most would concede that the Pack should have fallen to both Washington State and Boise State, but those were the only other blemishes on an otherwise superb record that saw the squad close out the regular season with four straight wins. By topping Fresno State in the season finale (38-35), not only did Nevada knock the Bulldogs down in the national rankings, but it also claimed a share of the Western Athletic Conference title with a 7-1 mark in league play. Traditionally reserved for hometown favorite Hawaii, this bowl game is being played for the first time without the Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium because the locals failed to become bowl eligible. Hawaii won the last two events, the most recent being a 59-40 beating of UAB a season ago. While this is the first-ever postseason appearance for UCF, Nevada is trying to even up a bowl record that currently stands at 2-3 following their 18-15 win over Ball State in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl. Prior to the team's run of three trips to the Las Vegas Bowl (1992, 1995, 1996) the squad took part in the Salad and Harbor Bowls in 1948 and 1949, respectively.
Take away their embarrassing 49-14 loss to Boise State on the road in the middle of the season and Nevada would have been the toast of the WAC and probably a ranked program when the final polls were released. However, the team is still doing fine with head coach Chris Ault pulling the strings on the sidelines in his third stint as the top man with the squad. Ault managed to push the Pack to third in the conference in scoring with 32.8 ppg, thanks mostly to a rushing offense that placed second with 184.1 ypg and 23 total touchdowns. B.J. Mitchell finished as one of the top runners in the conference with his 111.0 ypg and 10 touchdowns, but he got a lot of help from Robert Hubbard who carried the ball less than half the tike but still finished with 593 yards and eight TDs. The only other player to score on the ground for the Pack was quarterback Jeff Rowe (five TDs), who hit 61.3 percent of his attempts for 242.8 ypg and 20 scores. Heading into the 2005 campaign Nichiren Flowers, who is listed as probable for this game with an illness, was supposed to be the top receiver for Nevada, and he had a strong year with 49 catches for 610 yards, but he actually finished second to Caleb Spencer who posted 56 receptions for 770 yards and seven touchdowns, even though he played in one less game.
UCF is riding a golden road that no one thought possible this year, especially when one considers the limited number of seniors on the team and the overwhelming population of freshmen and sophomores who are still learning to play together. Expect the spotlight of a nationally televised bowl game to be a bit too much for O'Leary's lads, as Nevada picks up the win in familiar surroundings.