Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/169917
P R E G A M E R E P O R T P E N N 6 P. M., S T A T E SEPT. 14 v s . U C F BTN UCF FACTS COACH George O'Leary (New Hampshire, '69) COACH'S RECORD 114-88 in 17 seasons, including 62-55 in 10 seasons at UCF 2013 RECORD 2-0 (0-0 American) RECORD VS. PENN STATE The Nittany Lions lead the series, 2-0. During their first meeting – the 2002 season opener – Penn State scored 17 unanswered second-half points en route to a 27-24 home victory. PREVIOUS MEETING In front of 101,715 Beaver Stadium fans, Tony Hunt rushed for three touchdowns as Penn State crushed the Knights, 37-13. KNIGHT RIDER Bortles, whom Bill O'Brien calls a "pro prospect," hasn't thrown an interception since Oct. 27, 2012. THE GOOD GRIPPING TIGHT UCF hasn't turned over the ball in three consecutive games, dating back to 2012. Meanwhile, QB Blake Bortles hasn't thrown an interception in 217 consecutive pass attempts, a school record. UCF Athletics Communications Take on the Knight THE BAD BABY BOOMERS UCF hasn't started a season 3-0 since before most of its team was born. If it tops Penn State on Saturday, it would snap a streak that's stood since 1988. Mentor and protege reunite as Penn State hosts efficient UCF THE UGLY BIG CAN'T The Knights have never beaten a team from the Big Ten. Since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996, they're 0-8 against the conference, with their most recent loss being a 31-16 defeat at Ohio State last season. DID YOU KNOW? Talk about a change in atmosphere. Last week, UCF played in FIU Stadium, which is the second-smallest venue among full FBS programs, with an official capacity of 20,000. This week the Knights will play in Beaver Stadium, the second-largest stadium in the country. TIM OWEN | OW E N. T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M Don't be misled by all the congeniality. Bill O'Brien and George O'Leary are, by all accounts, longtime friends, and they have a lot more in common than just the O' in front of their Irish last names. They both have New England ties, they both coached at Georgia Tech and they have worked alongside many of the same well-known coaches, such as Ralph Friedgen, Doug Marrone, Randy Edsel, Danny Crossman, Ted Roof, Mac McWhorter and Stan Hixon. S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 3 1 Considering that O'Leary hired O'Brien for his first true coaching gig, O'Brien is forever thankful for UCF's veteran head coach. And considering that O'Leary has been one of O'Brien's biggest public supporters since he took the PSU job, he obviously holds his former protege in high regard. Said O'Leary, "He's taken a tough situation at Penn State and done a great job with it. " But despite their unique career connections – which prompted a trip down memory lane at O'Brien's weekly news conference – all of the friendliness will be put B L UE WHI T E ON L I N E . COM