2007 UCF Knights football team

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2007 UCF Knights football team

The 2007 UCF Knights represented the University of Central Florida in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS season. Led by fourth-year head coach George O’Leary, the team played its first season in Bright House Networks Stadium on campus. The Knights also dropped the “Golden” from their nickname, returning to simply “Knights.”

Season recap
- Overall record: 10-4
- Conference record: 7-1 in Conference USA (C-USA)
- East Division champions and, for the first time, Conference USA champions after beating Tulsa 44-25 in the C-USA Championship Game
- Liberty Bowl: Lost to Mississippi State 10-3

What pushed the team
- UCF went 9-3 in the regular season, with their only conference loss coming at East Carolina.
- The offense was powered by quarterback Kyle Israel and star running back Kevin Smith, who set a UCF single-season rushing record with 2,567 yards. Smith’s achievement made him one of the top rushers in the nation and earned him All-American status among other honors.
- The defense featured standout players such as Leger Douzable, Joe Burnett, and Michael Buscemi, who were recognized on the All-Conference teams. Head coach George O’Leary was named C-USA Coach of the Year.

Key moments
- The season opened with a win over NC State, UCF’s first victory against an ACC opponent and the first game in the new on-campus stadium with the revised Knights branding.
- A memorable home game against Texas ended in a 35-32 loss after a late comeback by the Knights; Texas was the first opponent in the new stadium.
- UCF earned conference wins over Memphis, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulsa (regular season), Southern Miss, Marshall, UAB, SMU, and UTEP, and then defeated Tulsa again in the Conference USA Championship Game.
- In the Liberty Bowl, the Knights were edged by Mississippi State in a defensive battle.

Postseason and honors
- Kevin Smith’s remarkable season included breaking the school’s single-season rushing record and finishing near the top of NCAA history for rushing yards in a season.
- Three players from UCF were drafted in the 2008 NFL Draft: Kevin Smith (3rd round, Detroit Lions), Josh Sitton (4th round, Green Bay Packers), and Michael Merritt (7th round, Kansas City Chiefs).
- George O’Leary was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time.

Season significance
- The 2007 season marked a significant rise for UCF football: their first Conference USA championship, their first year in the new on-campus stadium, and a strong overall program showing that helped elevate the Knights’ profile in college football.