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It's not often that a major- college football coach gets to sit down and watch his next opponent on live television. Usually, they'll say it's no different from watching a fresh batch of video cut-ups.
Marshall coach Doc Holliday sang the same tune after he watched Central Florida rough up Alabama-Birmingham 42-7 Wednesday night on ESPN, but had to add a slight twist.
"It seems like they're faster on TV than they are on film. I hope they're not," Holliday said.
Marshall (1-4, 0-1) takes on UCF (3-2, 1-0) Wednesday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in a game also airing on ESPN. The Knights have won the last five in a yearly series entering its ninth year.
The Knights were a motivated bunch against UAB, revved up by a tough loss at Kansas State the previous game and a dreadful 15-0 home loss to the Blazers two seasons ago.
"It was '15-0' all week ... in our hotel rooms, our locker rooms and in the lobby of the hotel. And then when we got in the locker room, the signs changed to UCF 56, UAB 0," UCF senior linebacker Derrick Hallman said. "You get tired of [15-0 talk] and that motivated us a lot. The 56-0, that's what we were aiming for. I'm just disappointed that we didn't get the shutout."
The Knights might as well take credit for a shutout, considering their first-half dominance. It was similar to what Southern Mississippi did to Marshall last weekend, only the score was "only" 21-0. If not for fumbles at the Blazers' 30- and 2-yard lines, it could have been worse.
UCF outgained UAB 202-14 in the second quarter. And when UAB drove the ball to start the second half, safety Kemal Ishmael popped the ball loose from Blazers quarterback David Isabelle, with cornerback Josh Robinson scooping the ball and returning it 56 yards to make it 35-0.
"To open Conference USA play like that, make a statement and put together a complete game was really special for us," senior defensive end Bruce Miller said. "We put a statement out there and this is how we'll have to play every week."
Ronnie Weaver ran for two short scores and Rob Calabrese took over the hurry-up offense late in the first half, throwing a short touchdown pass with 6 seconds left. Used purposely in spot duty, Calabrese went 3-for-3 for 34 yards and ran five times for 40 more.
It was another big day for the main man at quarterback, true freshman Jeff Godfrey. He figured in both fumbles - one by himself and the other on a handoff to Ronnie Weaver - but he led the Knights with 80 yards rushing and went 9-of-11 passing for 137 yards.
"I recruited him when he was in high school. He was at Miami Central," Holliday said. "He's every bit of 4.5 [in the 40-yard dash], and he plays that. He came from an excellent program."
The domination of the Blazers, a team at least good enough to take Tennessee to double overtime, went both ways, offensively and defensively. UCF scored four of five times inside the UAB 20-yard line, while the Blazers never took a snap in the red zone.
The Knights picked off Blazers quarterback Bryan Ellis twice, holding him to 14-for-30 for 149 yards. UAB coach Neil Callaway could only mutter, "They totally outplayed us, outcoached us and did everything better than we did and that's my fault. In the first half they really embarrassed us."
And now, Marshall has to figure the Knights out, lest the Thundering Herd suffer a similar embarrassment.
"That's George O'Leary," Holliday said, referring to the Knights' seventh-year coach. "Whether it's at Georgia Tech, whether it's Syracuse, wherever he's been. They're well coached on both sides of the ball."
Reach Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsmock@wvgazette.com
