Knights Looking For First MAC Win
October 7, 2002
Kevin Deutsch
Knightsnews Staff Writer
The Golden Knights will try for their first Mid-American Conference victory of the season on Saturday, when they take on the Western Michigan Broncos. The Broncos come into the game with a 2-3 record, but UCF is not taking them lightly.
"They have played a who's who of college football three of the first four weeks," said head coach Mike Kruczek, who does not think the Broncos losing record reflects their ability. "They have had games against Purdue, Michigan and Virginia Tech and were in every one of those games . It was a play here or there, but it has done nothing to hurt their confidence. They are a quality group that takes a lot of pride in what they do."
Coming off a bye-week, UCF will look to continue the success they had in their last game, a 48-17 victory over Liberty. While the Golden Knights gained a staggering 571 yards of offense in their last game, they were also bitten by the injury bug.
Three UCF running backs were hurt in the victory, the most notable being starting tailback Alex Haynes. He left the game in the second quarter with a high-ankle sprain, and although there was no serious damage, he is questionable for Saturday's game.
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Coach Kruczek knows his teams offense will be challenged against Western Michigan, with or without Haynes. "Defensively, they are tenacious," said Kruczek about the Broncos. "They are a very impressive unit. All 11 guys give maximum effort on every play, and it's all the way across the board. They can flat play." The Broncos snapped a three game losing streak on Saturday with a 31-17 victory over Buffalo, and are looking to regain the success they experienced in 1999 and 2000 when they won the MAC West title. It is likely that they will rely heavily on their passing game against the Golden Knights, using the one-back, spread offense that has been their trademark. The UCF defense played well in their last game when faced |
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with passing plays, picking off Liberty quarterback James Condon twice. They should get even more opportunities against a Western Michigan team that has often lived and died by its aerial attack.
The Golden Knights will travel to Western Michigan in search of their second straight win, and first road victory of the season. They will then play their next three games at home, and could have their first winning streak of the season going when they return to the Citrus Bowl
.