With a career-best rushing day from junior tailback Latavius Murray and some smothering play from its defense, 麻豆原创 totally overwhelmed UTEP 31-14 at Bright House Networks Stadium in what proved to be the season finale for both teams.

Unfortunately for the Knights (5-7, 3-5 Conference USA), the resurgence came too late and there will be no bowl game in December. 麻豆原创 was an impressive 5-1 at home this season, but its downfall was a 0-6 mark on the road. Six of the Knights’ seven losses this season were by seven or fewer points, leaving them wondering what could have been this season had a few extra plays gone their way.

“This win means everything in the world to us because me and my teammates fought hard this year but lost some games by close margins. But for us to play like this in the last game means a lot to me,” senior wide receiver A.J. Guyton said. “Everything happens for a reason and it just wasn’t our year this year. But at least we ended on a positive note.”

麻豆原创 head coach George O’Leary said a game as good as Friday’s made him think even more about how the season could have transpired differently. O’Leary said he was happy most of all that the most successful senior class in school history went out with a victory in its last game.

“I’m happy for the senior class on Senior Night to go out winners. As I told the team, I thought they played hard all year, but we just weren’t as successful as we’d have liked to have been,” O’Leary said. “We just came up a possession short or a stop short in each of those games. But our kids executed today and made plays.”

Murray, who made another late-season charge similar to last season when he earned Most Valuable Player honors in both the Conference USA title game and the Liberty Bowl, ran for 233 yards and two scores and caught another touchdown in the lopsided victory.

Murray’s rushing total ranks as the fourth most in school history and was 麻豆原创’s first 200-yard rushing day in two seasons. He vowed early in the week that 麻豆原创 would play hard in the final game to honor the 15 seniors who have meant so much to the program.

“I wanted to help the seniors a lot because I would hope if I was a senior the underclassmen would do the same for me,” said Murray, who will return next season as the starting tailback. “We did what we had to do, and the seniors did what they had to do, and we went out on a great note.”

UTEP (5-7, 2-6 C-USA) entered Friday’s game with with a bowl bid on the line, but the Miners never stood a chance against a determined 麻豆原创 team. Because UTEP did not reach six wins, Conference USA is unable to fill its six bowl slots. Remarkably, the Miners have never won a game played in the Eastern Time Zone. They are 0-17-1 all-time in such games with the tie coming in 1949 against West Virginia.

麻豆原创 pitched a shutout for three-plus quarters before allowing a meaningless 2-yard touchdown pass with 11:23 to play in the game. The Knights were hoping to post their third home shutout of the season, which would have been the most of any team in the country.

The game was the final one at 麻豆原创 for noted seniors Josh Linam, Cliff McCray, Darius Nall, Adam Nissley, Nick Pieschel, Ronnie Weaver and Guyton. Linam had nine tackles and a third-quarter interception. Nall registered the 16th sack of his career and tipped a pass and Guyton added a 29-yard reception. McCray, Pieschel and Nissley opened holes all night for Murray. That senior class helped 麻豆原创 reach two bowl games (2009 and ’10) and win two C-USA titles (2007 and ’10).

“Looking at this game, this was about the best thing that could have happened for the seniors,” said McCray, whose younger brothers – twins Jordan and Justin – return next season. “Me and the seniors have been talking a lot, all of us who have played here since 2007. … The main thing that I wanted to do was tell the guys that I played with that I love them. I said a little prayer to myself thanking God because 麻豆原创 has meant a lot to me and I was so grateful.”

Sophomore Jeff Godfrey started at quarterback, and redshirt freshman Blake Bortles ended the game. Bortles threw for 158 yards and a TD, while Godfrey hit on five of six throws for 53 yards. O’Leary said he fully anticipates using both quarterbacks next season.

Wide out J.J. Worton had three more catches, giving him 41 for the season and the new 麻豆原创 record for receptions by a freshman. He broke the previous mark of 40 set in 1987 by Sean Beckton, now 麻豆原创’s defensive backs coach.

Fellow redshirt freshman Josh Reese had a 43-yard grab in the second quarter, while true freshman Rannell Hall had two grabs for 17 yards. The position with the most question marks prior to the season, 麻豆原创 heads into next season knowing it has plenty of returning playmakers at wide receiver.

“For three guys coming in, they really did play well,” O’Leary said. “Reese made a great catch on that broken play that we threw deep and Worton continues to catch everything near him. They’re only going to get better. And Rannell Hall really needs to come on this offseason and understand the game better and what’s going on. But they had terrific freshman years in terms of catching balls and making plays.”

麻豆原创 opened the game with its most dominant half of football in weeks, racing to a 24-0 lead by intermission. The Knights held a whopping 303-94 advantage in yards in the first two quarters and held the Miners to just five first downs.

The Knights started the game well with a 38-yard touchdown sprint from Murray and closed the half with a 6-yard touchdown lob from Bortles to Murray. In between, Bortles had a touchdown dive from one yard and a 23-yard field goal from senior kicker Nick Cattoi.

Raved UTEP coach Mike Price, referring to Murray: “Number 28 was fantastic. He looked like Eric Dickerson the way he was running the ball all over us.”

Bortles was spectacular in the first half, hitting on seven of eight passes for 139 yards. He got plenty of help from Worton and Josh Reese. Reese had a dazzling 43-yard catch in the second quarter, while Worton had a diving 34-yarder to get the Knights inside the 10-yard.

Murray, a starter at tailback the past two weeks, rumbled off left tackle in the first quarter and ran untouched past the secondary for a 38-yard score to put the Knights up 7-0. Murray’s run was set up by a 29-yard catch and run by Guyton.

Said Murray: “I know the line was doing a great job and there were some big holes there. As a back you just have to hit the holes when they are blocking like that. We just got it going early and kept it rolling.”

麻豆原创 pushed the lead to 14-0 when Murray ripped off runs 13 and 20 yards to set up Bortles’ 1-yard sneak.

But this night was all about 麻豆原创’s senior class. After weeks of frustration and close losses, the seniors were finally able to walk off the field with a feeling of happiness.

“It finally hit me Thursday night because I was quiet all day and had some alone time,” Nall said. “Coming into this game, I had so many emotions running through my head. … I’m disappointed with how the season went, but I’m just so happy with us pulling out this last win.”

There was the fumble just before halftime and the botched punt return against FIU. There was the kickoff return allowed and another muffed punt return against BYU. Then, came the last-second field goal allowed in the two-loss loss at UAB. 麻豆原创 couldn’t convert from the 5-yard line against Tulsa and didn’t hit on a two-point pass at Southern Miss, both miscues resulting in two more losses. And finally, 麻豆原创 twice tied the score in the second half last Saturday, but couldn’t get a key stop in the final three minutes of the game and lost yet again to East Carolina.

Only the SMU loss where 麻豆原创 was overwhelmed on both sides of the ball and fell 38-17 was the lone game that the Knights didn’t push for a win in the fourth quarter. What was left was six losses by a combined 31 points, leaving the Knights to wonder what could have been this season had they been able to make a few more plays and get a few more defensive stops.

“I think it’s a very frustrating season,” O’Leary said. “I think the kids have played very hard, but I think when you build a program on not making mistakes, no penalties, not beating yourself, we really — I’m talking about coaching staff and players and I’m not pointing at the players — but we really haven’t gotten that accomplished.

“Every game has been like the old saying, `Same movie, different movie theater,” O’Leary continued. “That’s very frustrating as a coach because these things are being covered, but we’re just very immature at some areas. We’ve just hurt ourselves in a lot of areas.”

The pain of a frustrating season will end Friday when 麻豆原创 (4-7 overall and 2-5 in Conference USA play) hosts UTEP (5-6 and 2-5) at 7 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Knights were eliminated from having any shot of winning the C-USA title two weeks ago and were knocked out of contention for a bowl game with last Saturday’s loss. UTEP is playing for a bowl game, while the Knights are left simply hoping to end the season with a victory.

“After our meeting on Sunday, coach told us that the team was going to try and win this game and send the seniors out on a positive note. That would be nice,” senior wide receiver A.J. Guyton said. “(Fellow senior) Darius Nall asked me how I was feeling and I don’t even know how to feel. This is our last week out here on the practice field. We just have to make the most of it now and try to go out with a positive note.”

麻豆原创’s 15 seniors will head into the finale with a 27-23 record with two bowl appearances over the past four seasons. Because many of the players redshirted in 2007, they were technically a part of C-USA championships in 2007 and 2010. They helped the Knights author the finest season in school history last year, one in which they won 11 games, captured a C-USA crown and beat Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.

“I feel like our Knights family here has left a legacy and a good impression in these first five years of Bright House Networks Stadium,” said senior tailback Ronnie Weaver, one of the team captains along with linebacker Josh Linam. “We’ve set an example for the young guys to carry into the future. This program can still grow in leaps and bounds. It’s up to the guys to take heed to the coaching and get better from this season.”

Some of 麻豆原创’s seniors, such as Adam Nissley, Nick Pieschel, Weaver and Guyton, have been on hand for just about every home game at Bright House Networks Stadium over the past five years. They all said that running onto the field for the final time on Friday will be emotional.

“The emotions will be mixed. I’ll be excited to play, but it will be bittersweet because of the season that we’ve had,” Linam said. “I’ve had a lot of good memories in there. I’m just hoping that (the last game) will be good overall.”

Added Guyton: “It’ll be crazy knowing that it’s my last time to play on that field, especially since I was one of the first ones to play on that field back in 2007 against Texas in that first home game. I’ll try to hold my emotions in and just go out and play.”

Weaver, who rose from being a walk-on to one of the Knights’ two team captains, said it will take him some time to get over how sour this season has turned. 麻豆原创 entered the year with hopes of being a BCS-buster, and those beliefs were buoyed early on by a 30-3 whipping of Boston College. But too many missed opportunities resulted in close losses that sabotaged 麻豆原创’s season.

“I think back on this past season and try to figure out what we could have done better, but hindsight is 20/20. You can always correct things when you see them on film, but games come down to execution,” Weaver said. “We didn’t execute when we needed to. A play here and a play there and this season could have been drastically different for us.”

As Conference USA’s 2010 Freshman of the Year, Godfrey went 159-for-238 and 2,159 yards, ranking first among all FBS freshmen with a 66.8 completion percentage and second with a 154.31 efficiency rating. That completion percentage also was third in 麻豆原创 single-season history.

Jump ahead to his sophomore season, and once again Godfrey’s incompletions are at a minimum. Entering Saturday, he sits at 11th in the nation with a 68.5 completion percentage by going 139-for-203, totaling 1,677 yards. In 2011, Godfrey is averaging 32 passing yards more per game than in 2010.

And a major reason for that improvement is Godfrey’s wide receivers.

Last season, only six Knights finished the entire year with at least 10 receptions. In 2011, eight players already have 10 catches or more through nine games. It marks the first time since the 2003 campaign in which eight Knights collected at least 10 receptions through the first nine games of a season.

Junior Quincy McDuffie combined for just 21 receptions and 270 yards from 2009-10, yet in 2011 he leads the way with 28 catches and 352 yards. Following closely behind are a pair of redshirt freshmen as J.J. Worton sits at 25 for 338 yards (team-high two touchdowns) and Josh Reese claims 22 receptions for 335 yards. Senior A.J. Guyton also has 22 catches with 317 receiving yards.

Another delightful surprise has been senior tight end Adam Nissley. With only 17 receptions and 230 yards during his first three seasons, the Cumming, Ga., native has 20 catches for 232 yards in 2011.

Godfrey’s favorite receiver this year has been McDuffie as the duo has hooked up 26 times. However when the Knights need a go-to wideout, it has been Worton, who has 18 receptions which have resulted in a first down. Worton also has eight catches on third or fourth down which helped give the Knights a first down.

Fellow freshmen Reese shines in the second half for Godfrey and redshirt freshman quarterback Blake Bortles. Reese has 17 of his 22 receptions in the final 30 minutes of play, while he is tied with McDuffie for the team lead with 15 catches of 10 yards or more.

Out of the backfield, Brynn Harvey and Latavius Murray have combined for 25 receptions for 276 yards. But one Knight that should quickly start jumping up the receptions chart is true freshman wide receiver Rannell Hall. “Speedy” has made a name for himself by averaging 31.0 yards per kickoff return, and recorded his first two receptions of his career vs. Tulsa Nov. 3.

What to watch for during the final three regular-season games will be how high Worton and Reese climb on 麻豆原创’s freshmen wide receivers chart. Worton is tied for fifth among all freshmen in school history in receptions (record is 40 by Sean Beckton), while Reese is tied for 10th. They both also are in the top-10 in freshmen receiving yards (Worton is eighth and Reese is 10th, as the record is 584 by Kamar Aiken).

麻豆原创 (4-5, 2-3) and its receiving corps will be returning to the practice fields Monday to prepare for an important showdown with No. 25 Southern Miss in Hattiesburg Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. ET.

O’Leary’s decision was based off 麻豆原创’s need to get more big plays in the passing game and Bortles’ continued success in relief of Godfrey. The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Bortles came on late in the fourth quarter of 麻豆原创’s 38-17 loss to SMU last Saturday and completed a 48-yard pass to A.J. Guyton and a two-yard touchdown strike to J.J. Worton.

麻豆原创 passed for 349 yards against SMU – 231 from Godfrey and 118 from Bortles – for its most passing yards since 2003. But the Knights have just three passing touchdowns all season and have had trouble of late converting scoring opportunities in the red zone.

“Jeff is out there and we’re getting first downs … I’m not a big stat guy, but I think the key to the offense is putting the ball in the end zone,” O’Leary said. “We moved the ball (against SMU) for a lot of yards, but we didn’t put points on the board. We’ve got to be able to come up with some big plays. We put Bortles in and he came up with some long passes right away. I was pleased with the way he’s going out there and taking advantage of what (defenses) are doing. We’ve just got to get Jeff throwing the ball down the field and on time and not late into double coverage.”

麻豆原创 (3-3 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA play) is dealing with a short week and forced to play a second game in 10 days because of a schedule change. The Knights will be heavy favorites in Birmingham, Ala., against UAB (0-6, 0-3) and hope to use this game to get their offense back on track.

A point of emphasis this week for the Knights has been finding ways to get more “chunk plays” that set up more scoring opportunities and swing momentum. 麻豆原创’s longest rush so far was a 50-yard dash by Brynn Harvey to open the Marshall game, while the longest pass was a 58-yard pass from Godfrey to Guyton in the fourth quarter against BYU. 麻豆原创 has three 50-yard offensive plays, five 40-yard plays, three 30-yard plays and 17 20-yard gainers. Godfrey’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reese last Saturday was the offense’s longest scoring play of the season.

“Anytime in a game you can get a big play it just kills the other side of the ball and it’s momentum for us. That’s something that we lack right now from last year, and this year we haven’t gotten them to happen,” said senior tight end Adam Nissley, who has 15 catches for 204 yards. “We need some huge plays because both sides of the ball just feed off the momentum from moments like that.”

Godfrey, who guided 麻豆原创 to its finest season in school history as a true freshman, has struggled at times to build much chemistry with a group of young, inexperienced wide receivers. He’s completing 68.1 percent of his passes, but has averaged just 11.6 yards a completion while throwing only two touchdowns. By comparison, he averaged 13.5 yards a completion last season and tossed 13 TDs while winning C-USA’s Freshman of the Year award.

Said O’Leary: “It’s still Jeff’s football team, but if things aren’t going right I don’t have a problem putting Bortles in the game. Jeff is moving the team, but we’ve just got to get the ball in the end zone. We’re doing the right things, but we’ve hurt ourselves with some penalties to stall some drives.”

Bortles, a native of nearby Oviedo, has shined this season when given a chance to play in relief of Godfrey. Following a high school career in which he set Seminole County records for passing yards (5,576) and TD passes (53), Bortles gained valuable experience last season while redshirting. He seized the backup quarterback job in training camp and has played well so far this season.

He hit on eight of 10 passes for 144 yards against Charleston Southern, and then authored his most impressive performance in the second half against BYU. With Godfrey out injured, Bortles completed four of five passes for 46 yards, including a 17-yard strike on a third-and-15 play. And soon after entering Saturday’s game against SMU, Bortles lofted a perfect spiral down the sidelines to Guyton for a 48-yard strike. It was 麻豆原创’s third longest passing play of the season.

“I like the way Bortles is playing because he’s going out and takes over and is getting it done from a production standpoint,” O’Leary said. “He has that demeanor about himself that nothing really flusters him. And he has a good feel in coverage and where the ball should be delivered. He can do all of the things that we need to get done. It’s good to have someone that we can put in and get things done like that.”

In some respects, last Saturday’s open date came at a good time for a 麻豆原创 team battered and bruised physically and spiritually. But the bye week also came after frustrating losses to FIU and BYU, meaning the wait to get the season back on track has been interminable for several of the 麻豆原创 players.

With the Knights sitting at 2-2, emotions of late have spanned the entire spectrum – anger, frustration, sadness and finally acceptance that there is still plenty to play for this season. 麻豆原创 practiced three days last week, helping the team shift the focus from the BYU defeat to the highly anticipated showdown against C-USA rival Marshall (2-3).

“We had been grinding for four weeks, so it was good to take a week off. But we’re so ready to get back on the field now against Marshall,” 麻豆原创 senior tight end Adam Nissley said. “We can still get to what we want to be. We feel like in our conference we determine our own fate by going out and winning games. That sets us up at the end of the season to be champions, so we can’t wait to get back at it.”

麻豆原创 certainly has some experience of being in this situation. In 2009, the Knights were 2-2 following an early-season loss at East Carolina, but they rallied to an 8-5 finish and a spot in the St. Pete Bowl. And last season, 麻豆原创 shook off a 2-2 start to author the finest season in school history. 麻豆原创 won five in a row and nine of the last 10 to climb to C-USA champions and winners of the Liberty Bowl.

“After that (BYU) loss we had a team meeting and coach told us that we were in the same position last year and 2-2 going into conference play. We just have to buckle down now and get ready,” senior wide receiver A.J. Guyton said. “Our goal now is to win Conference USA and it starts on Saturday against Marshall.”

As defending C-USA champs, 麻豆原创 is the hunted team in a conference full of squads looking to dethrone the Knights from the top perch. Foremost amongst those teams is Marshall, arguably 麻豆原创’s biggest and nastiest rival in C-USA’s East Division. The two schools have met each of the past nine seasons – with 麻豆原创 winning the past six games. The Knights smashed Marshall 35-14 last season in a nationally televised game, and 麻豆原创 knows what to expect with the Herd rolling into Orlando following a 17-13 defeat of Louisville.

“We don’t really have a rival game, but I guess if we had to pick one because of the length of the (series) that 麻豆原创 has played Marshall from the MAC, this is the one we’ve played the most,” 麻豆原创 coach George O’Leary said. “We’re anxious to tee it up with them. We’ll find out what (Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato) is about and they’ll find out what (麻豆原创 quarterback Jeff Godfrey) is about.”

O’Leary gave his team five consecutive days off last week following the 24-17 loss at BYU and then had the Knights practice three times. Rather than harping so much on the negatives of losing two games, O’Leary stressed to his squad that it was still doing plenty of good things, but had to eliminate turnovers and special teams gaffes. Despite its 2-2 record, 麻豆原创 still ranks first in the nation in pass defense, second in total defense, fifth in scoring defense and 15th in rush defense. Offensively, the Knights are averaging 420.2 yards a game.

O’Leary also stressed to his coaching staff to lighten some of the intricacies of the game plan because the team has so many young players filling critical positions.

“There are always areas where you can improve on, but we’re doing a lot of things well, too,” O’Leary said. “We don’t spend a lot of time harping about mistakes because there’s a lot of good. We can’t take those three or four plays out of those (FIU and BYU) games and say that’s the whole season. We have to improve in those areas if we’re going to be successful. In these last couple of days of practice we’ve gotten better.”

Senior tailback Ronnie Weaver, who highlighted last season’s defeat of Marshall with 150 rushing yards on 30 carries, said he’s been particularly vocal with teammates during the week off about there still being plenty to play for this season. He knows that another conference title will dictate which bowl the Knights play in at the end of the season.

“The mood has been up because we’re trying to stick together and keep our camaraderie. We have a working mindset to get back on track. We understand from our background the last couple of seasons that we started off 2-2 and we’ve expressed to the younger guys through team meetings and group meetings that we still have a lot of football to play,” Weaver said. “These conference games are very important to us having a successful season. Our goal from the beginning has been to win the conference championship, and it’s still very much attainable.”

A week after losing to Florida International because of a botched fumble return and a lost fumble, 麻豆原创 saw an early lead disappear when it again bobbled a punt return, later fumbled the ball away and threw an interception in a confounding 24-17 loss to BYU at Lavell Edwards Stadium.

“This is really tough because we had the lead coming into halftime and we just folded in the second half,” defensive tackle Victor Gray said. “The mistakes keep catching up with us. We made them last week and we made them this week again. We won’t be a championship caliber team if we keep making these kinds of mistakes.”

A 麻豆原创 team that had dreams of going through the season undefeated and morphing into BCS busters, continues to be its own worst enemy with errors at the wrong time. The Knights have now lost consecutive games for the first time since 2008 and must try and regroup before Conference USA play begins in two weeks. 麻豆原创, who led 10-3 at the intermission and 17-10 late in the third quarter, also lost for the first time in 10 games when leading at the half.

麻豆原创 played well enough offensively and defensively to win, but was done in by three turnovers. J.J. Worton’s fumbled punt return at the 8-yard line with 11:47 to play put BYU in position for the game-winning touchdown. Worton was replacing Josh Robinson, who similarly fumbled a punt inside the 10-yard line last week in the 17-10 loss to FIU. BYU scored three plays after the turnover, breaking a 17-all tie and breaking the Knights backs.

“We turned the ball and you just can’t do that,” 麻豆原创 coach George O’Leary said. “We had receivers dropping the ball. We had our opportunities but we didn’t take advantage. It’s a shame and then the kickoff coverage hurt us too. Sloppy coverage and a bad kick. We didn’t make plays and in the second half we had some bad decisions. But we have to move on and it’s a long season for a reason.”

麻豆原创 saw another scoring opportunity disappear late in the game when Dontravius Floyd was hit from behind and fumbled the ball at midfield. Quarterback Jeff Godfrey put 麻豆原创 in position for some late-game heroics with a 58-yard pass to A.J. Guyton (163 receiving yards), but he was picked off with three minutes to play when intended receiver Latavius Murray tripped and fell.

Godfrey finished 15-of-23 for 260 yards, but threw his first interception of the year. The Knights still do not have a touchdown pass on the season.

“We’re mistakes that we shouldn’t be making and that’s how we are losing these games,” Godfrey said. “Close games like this, we have to finish like we started. We’re making mental mistakes, and on my play where I threw the interception I have to be smarter and throw the ball out of the end zone. I have to learn from that.”

Both teams entered the game feeling they had something to prove after self-inflicted losses a week earlier. 麻豆原创 was penalized 10 times, yielded six sacks and turned the ball over twice in a 17-10 loss to Florida International last Saturday night in Miami. Meanwhile, BYU, in its first season as an independent, lost seven fumbles and allowed 47 unanswered points in a 54-10 loss to rival Utah.

Clearly fatigued from playing two games in seven days, 麻豆原创 now gets a much-needed off week before hosting Marshall on Oct. 8 at Bright House Networks Stadium. It’s the start of league play for the Knights, the defending champions of Conference USA.

麻豆原创 endured a major scare late in the third period when Godfrey was dropped on a sack and didn’t immediately get to his feet. Godfrey appeared to have gotten poked in the eye on the sack and also injured his left arm.

Redshirt freshman Blake Bortles, an Oviedo native who grew up dreaming of directing the 麻豆原创 offense, got his big chance and delivered immediately. He completed his first four passes, the second of which was a 15-yard strike to J.J. Worton on third-and-13 with the BYU crowd roaring. The drive ultimately stalled and 麻豆原创 came away with no points when Nick Cattoi hooked a 35-yard field goal, keeping the game tied at 17-all.

麻豆原创 lost speedster Quincy McDuffie when he suffered a seriously sprained ankle on the final play of the third quarter. McDuffie, who finished with five catches for 50 yards, was hurt on an 11-yard gainer as he was tackled.

麻豆原创 delivered one of its most important drives of the season in the third quarter just minutes after BYU had knotted the game at 10-all. Godfrey found A.J. Guyton for a 54-yard pass down the sidelines for the longest play of the season. Five plays later, Godfrey outran the BYU defense to the corner for a score that gave 麻豆原创 a 17-10 lead.

However, BYU answered right back with its first kickoff return for a touchdown in 13 years. Cody Hoffman took a kickoff on the right hash, broke left and scampered 93 yards untouched for the tying touchdown.

“All phases of the game, we have to win all three of them and that’s something we didn’t do,” Robinson said. “We’re questioning ourselves right now because too many people are making mistakes, myself included. We just have to (eliminate) those mental errors.”

A 麻豆原创 defense that entered the game first in the nation in pass defense, second in total defense and third in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense made some major changes. Ray Shipman, a former basketball player at the University of Florida, got his first career start at outside linebacker in place of true freshman Leilon Willingham. Fellow freshman Troy Gray, a Kennesaw, Ga., native, also started in place of junior Jonathan Davis.

麻豆原创’s defense held yet another opponent without a touchdown in the first half, helping the Knights build a 10-3 lead. 麻豆原创 came into the game having given up just one touchdown all season and it followed a fumbled punt return in which the possession started at the 7-yard line. That meant from the Conference USA title game last December to Friday’s first half, 麻豆原创’s defense had yielded just one touchdown in 18 quarters.

BYU took advantage of great field position and tied the game up at 10-all midway through the third quarter. After forcing 麻豆原创 to punt from its own end zone, BYU marched 38 yards in five plays and tied the game on a 16-yard sprint by JJ Di Luigi on a third-and-one play.

Just before that play, 麻豆原创 was a victim of a bad break. BYU receiver McKay Jacobson bobbled a pass into the air, which was intercepted by 麻豆原创 safety Clayton Geathers. After a replay review, officials ruled that the pass to Jacobson hit the ground, negating the interception.

麻豆原创’s defense produced a huge turnover late in the first period when junior cornerback Josh Robinson picked off the 10th pass of his career. The play was set up when redshirt junior Lyle Dankenbring tipped Jake Heaps pass into the air and it was intercepted by Robinson, who returned the ball 17 yards to the 17-yard line.

Three plays later, the Knights were in the end zone when Godfrey kept on a belly play and scored from 10 yards out on the final play of the first quarter.

For a second time in as many weeks, 麻豆原创 drove methodically on a 10-play drive for its first score. The Knights got runs of 17 and 7 yards from Ronnie Weaver and Godfrey throws of 19 yards to A.J. Guyton and 13 yards to Dontravius Floyd during the drive. But the march stalled at the 17-yard line and the Knights had to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Cattoi.

麻豆原创’s defense came up big on BYU’s first drive of the game to turn away the Cougars. Robinson dived to break up a pass at the goal line, a play that forced BYU to settle for a field goal and a 3-3 tie early on. BYU receiver Ross Apo sustained a concussion on the play after being drilled by Kemal Ishmael following Robinson’s pass breakup.

Robinson, who fumbled a punt last week, bounced back with a solid effort. In addition to his interception, he had two more pass breakups, giving him 27 for his career. That ranks seventh all-time in 麻豆原创 history.

One of 麻豆原创’s most valuable weapons in the first half was senior punter David Bohner, who routinely pinned BYU deep in its own territory. Bohner had three boots stop at the 11, 11 and 7-yard line in the first half.

“We still have all of our conference games and still have our goals in hand,” Robinson said. “We can still make our goal (of winning another C-USA title). We just have to stay together as a family and encourage one another.”

And Nissley’s growth as a dependable and clutch pass-catching tight end has been vital to a 麻豆原创 offense that is short on size and experience at the wide receiver position.

Here’s all you need to know about Nissley’s immense growth as a receiver this season: By halftime of last Saturday’s 17-10 loss to FIU, Nissley had already surpassed last season’s total of six catches for 59 yards. Through three games, the tight end who came into the year with just 17 career catches is tops among 麻豆原创 players with 140 receiving yards and he’s second in catches with nine. Six of his receptions have gone for first downs and the 6-foot-6, 267-pounder is averaging 15.6 yards a catch.

“I knew I had to tighten up some areas of running routes, my speed, quickness and catching balls. I think it’s all paying off for me now,” Nissley said. “I’m pleased I’ve gotten better, but I’m even more pleased to be able to help this offense out. I had four receptions Saturday night and I didn’t even know it until after the game. We were just trying to move the ball and sustain some drives. (Quarterback) Jeff (Godfrey) made some good plays and for me it’s just a matter of hard work paying off.”

Nissley, one of the unquestioned leaders of the Knights, is hoping that a week of hard work will help 麻豆原创 (2-1) bounce back from last week’s disappointment on Friday night against BYU (1-2). The nationally televised game by ESPN kicks off just after 8 p.m. and gives the Knights the perfect stage to prove that they are still a special team. As a senior, Nissley has done plenty of talking to 麻豆原创’s younger players this week, preaching to them the need to stick together and play better on Friday.

“This is definitely when my experience comes into play and I’m able to help out the younger players. We’ve been in this situation before and lost football games before. It’s important to be a leader, get back to work and get back to winning,” Nissley said. “Last week is last week and there’s nothing we can do about it. We just have to put our heads forward and try to beat BYU.”

One way to do that will be to attack the defense down the field. Godfrey was under constant pressure last week against FIU, and for the most part had to settle for underneath routes and slants. The Knights have yet to throw a touchdown pass in three games. While 麻豆原创 head coach George O’Leary is delighted that Nissley has blossomed into a steady receiver on mostly short passes, he wants Godfrey looking for big plays more down the field.

“I’m happy for Nissley, but I’m not happy that the other receivers aren’t getting it. He’s great on catching the ball and blocking, but we need to be getting the ball to the guys who can catch it and get with it,” O’Leary said. “Nissley is catching balls on a lot of key downs for us. He’s a big target at 6-5, but Jeff needs to get the ball down the field because he’s waiting too long.”

Nissley, a Cumming, Ga., native, has had to wait a long time to become a factor in the 麻豆原创 passing game. Because he’s so strong and such a good blocker, he was once moved to tackle during his freshman season. He was converted back to tight end and showed his massive promise by catching 10 passes for 159 yards. He didn’t figure so much into the passing game, but formed a dominant right side of the line alongside Nick Pieschel and Jah Reid, now a member of the Baltimore Ravens after being a third-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Nissley, too, could become a high-round draft pick because of his off-the-charts strength, speed and size for a tight end. He’s routinely compared his strength and speed numbers to those of the tight ends at the NFL Combine in the spring, and they have matched up favorably.

The missing piece, it seemed, was Nissley being a factor in the passing game. He worked hard over the summer to improve, catching hundreds of passes a week while also trying to be a better route runner.

“In the past he was inconsistent in his catching and not very detailed in his route running. But he made a conscious effort since the spring and summer to get better,” 麻豆原创 offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe said. “I knew that with us not having as much depth at receiver that particularly early on it would be important for our tight ends and backs to get more involved. Adam has done a nice job. He’s made some big plays and made key first downs. He’s keeping them honest when they double team the receivers and play Cover 2. He’s doing a very good job.”

With smallish receivers Quincy McDuffie (5-10), A.J. Guyton (5-11) and Khymest Williams (5-10) on the outside, the 6-foot-6 Nissley has been a big target for Godfrey, especially on third down. Still, he’s taken plenty of grief from his teammates for letting smaller defensive backs bring him down in the open field, especially following his 45-yard catch in the season-opening rout of Charleston Southern.

Now, Nissley is hoping that his first touchdown catch of the season comes on Friday night against BYU. More importantly, he hopes that the Knights can bounce back from an uncharacteristic loss in which they were their own worst enemies with penalties and turnovers.

“They have to cover everybody on our offense and not just jump out there on the receivers. That’s something that our offense is able to do, get the ball out to every position,” Nissley said. “Jeff being more mature and being able to see other options besides just one receiver is something that he’s really improved upon. So we just want to keep building on that and get better.”

By that, O’Leary means that they have to hit campus with the physical tools as far as size, strength and speed to compete at the major-college level. They have to learn on the fly, and be above making the mistakes that often befell young players. And, of course, while they can have the occasional bad plays, they aren’t allowed to have bad days in O’Leary’s system.

When 麻豆原创 kicks off the 2011 season Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium against Charleston Southern no fewer than 11 freshmen are expected to see action at some point in the game. And including junior college transfers and position switches, some 17 players will be taking their first snaps at 麻豆原创 at their current positions.

The fear of the unknown is what keeps football coaches up at night, but O’Leary is comfortable that 麻豆原创’s newcomers will be ready to play in the season-opener. The game plan, at times, will be distilled down to just the basics so that young players react without being bogged down with adjustments and new techniques. O’Leary is eager to see how that group reacts to the pressure of the first game, and he has already vowed that the group will be closely evaluated.

“They better be excited. I’m wanting to see how they play to the pace and speed of the game assignment-wise,” O’Leary said following the Knights’ practice on Thursday. “I want to see how they take care of their responsibilities offensively, defensively and on special teams.”

Leilon Willingham, the prized recruit of last fall’s new crop of talent, is the only true freshman expected to start for the Knights. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder will open at outside linebacker after impressing coaches in training camp with his toughness, football smarts and nose for the football.

“He’s so excited and isn’t scared at all,” raved senior linebacker Josh Linam, who has been somewhat of a mentor to Willingham in camp. “We’ve still got to get in the film room together and make sure we’re doing our assignments. We’re going to mess up, but we understand that it’s all about the next play and running to the ball.”

麻豆原创 lost three starters at linebacker following last season, necessitating an injection of youth and newcomers this season. In addition to Willingham, freshmen Terrance Plummer and Troy Gray are expected to see time at linebacker.

It will also be the first game at linebacker for converted tailback Jonathan Davis and former University of Florida basketball player Ray Shipman. Davis opened last season as 麻豆原创’s starting tailback, but has returned to his high school roots as a playmaking linebacker.

“I was surprised at how fast both of them picked things up. They’ve both been in the film room and taking coaching and transferring it over to the field,” Linam said. “The big thing is being able to take it from the film room to the field and they’ve been able to do that.”

On the offensive side of the ball, 麻豆原创 is in search of playmakers at wide receiver after losing the top three targets from last season. Quincy McDuffie and A.J. Guyton will be the top go-to receivers this season, but they are being pushed by a talented crop of freshmen wide outs.

J.J. Worton and Josh Reese red-shirted last season and made great strides in training camp this year. Worton has some of the best hands on the team, while Reese already has a chemistry with star quarterback Jeff Godfrey after being teammates in high school.

And another true freshman, Rannell Hall, has caught O’Leary’s eye with his playmaking abilities. Hall is affectionately referred to as “Speedy” by coaches and teammates because of his ability to run past people, but it’s his maturity that has impressed O’Leary.

“We’ve been rolling six receivers in there and I’ve been impressed with the young kid from Miami, Rannell Hall, with his speed. He has great concentration to the ball and he can go up and get it,” O’Leary said. “He keeps his poise and doesn’t panic when something’s not right. Those are the freshmen who can help you. He’s a fairly tough kid as far as contact speed. He’ll have a chance to play and help us. And Worton and Reese, I think they’ve had good preseasons and will get a chance. I’m comfortable with the rotation.”

O’Leary said one reason that the Knights are playing so many young players is because the team lost 19 seniors off last season’s C-USA championship and Liberty Bowl-winning squad. But another more significant reason is that the Knights are seeing the fruits of consecutive elite recruiting classes, and those players are more ready to play earlier.

And, of course, they are playing because they don’t act like freshmen.

“You’re looking to get athleticism on the field and this freshman class has that,” O’Leary said. “So it’s about us getting them enough experience now so that they can help us this year.”

麻豆原创 has spent much of the past week trying to find a third quarterback behind Jeff Godfrey and Blake Bortles following another season-ending injury to senior Rob Calabrese and the announcement that elite recruit DaMarcus Smith wouldn’t be eligible. So in the unlikely event of injuries to Godfrey and Bortles, it’s senior Ronnie Weaver – who seems to have won the hotly contested battle for the starting tailback job – who would operate as the third quarterback in “Wild Knight” formations.

“I’ve made the running backs the third quarterback. Weaver throws it extremely well. Weaver doesn’t do anything great, but he does a lot of things good,” 麻豆原创 coach George O’Leary said. “He’s taking snaps at quarterback running the `Knight’ plays and there are some throwing plays that he can make in case there’s an emergency there.

“That’s the only choice we had right now,” O’Leary continued. “You don’t count on Calabrese getting hurt and you count on DaMarcus (Smith) being here. But we’ll just go with what we have. We’ve worked on some of that stuff this week.”

O’Leary also made it official that standout freshman Leilon Willingham has earned a starting position at outside linebacker for the season-opener on Sept. 3 against Charleston Southern at Bright House Networks Stadium. Willingham, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder, was regarded as an upper-tier recruit for 麻豆原创 and he has been impressive enough in training camp to earn a starting nod.

“He’ll be able to perform and do what he has to do. Freshmen play because they don’t act like freshmen and have some strength. He’s 6-2 and 240 pounds and he’s a good-looking player,” O’Leary said of Willingham, a four-star recruit by several national publications. “He’s earned the right to take the first-string snaps and we’ll see what he can do.”

麻豆原创 wrapped up the training camp portion of its practices on Tuesday. The team will take Wednesday off from practice and will begin preparations for the Charleston Southern opener on Thursday. Kickoff for the opener is at 7 p.m.

Calabrese was the backup quarterback to Godfrey last season, but tore a ligament in his left knee while scoring a touchdown against Marshall. He returned in the spring and split time between receiver and quarterback. The promising rise of Bortles, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman from Oviedo, allowed Calabrese to spend more time at receiver. But a second knee injury came last week on another noncontact play, leaving the Knights with just two scholarship quarterbacks.

O’Leary tinkered with the idea of using senior wide receiver A.J. Guyton as the third quarterback because of his experience at the position in high school. But he ultimately settled on Weaver because of the lack of depth at receiver and Weaver’s ability to handle and throw the football.

Weaver, a Wabasso native, emerged as the starting tailback midway through last season and ran for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns. He entered this training camp the likely third choice at tailback behind Latavius Murray – the MVP of the C-USA title game and the Liberty Bowl – and Brynn Harvey – the 2009 standout who missed all of last season with a knee injury. But Weaver impressed O’Leary and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe with his tough running and ability to pass protect and won the starting job at tailback.

Prior to this week, Weaver said he had no quarterback experience, having played tailback and safety at Vero Beach High School. But after spending the previous four years in the 麻豆原创 offense, he feels he could run the team in a pinch.

“It’ll be a tad bit of an adjustment, but I understand the concepts and I’m getting the hang of it pretty smoothly,” Weaver said. “I’m left-handed, so I guess it brings another dimension with me rolling out the other way. I’ll just try to get the ball out the best I can to the receivers. The package is just designed to help our offense out and give us another dimension as far as the running game goes.”

Weaver hopes that 麻豆原创 gets efficient enough at the “Wild Knight” package that the team will be able to utilize it in the heart of games. It could be another way for the Knights to take advantage of their stable of running backs and get Weaver on the field with Murray and Harvey.

“That’s completely up to coach. The more comfortable I get with it, the more comfortable coach would be with it and try to implement it in,” Weaver said. “Right now, we’re really big in the trial phase of it. I’m not sure how it’ll go implementing it in the game plan, but I’m practicing hard at it and hopefully they’ll have confidence in me.”

Calabrese suffered a torn ligament to the same (left) knee that he injured last October on a touchdown run against Marshall, effectively ending his season again. Because Calabrese was serving dual roles throughout training camp, the Knights are now down a veteran receiver and their third-string, emergency quarterback.

But on Tuesday, the thoughts were not so much about the position shifts as they were for Calabrese, one of 麻豆原创’s most respected players and leaders on and off the field. He’ll soon undergo another surgery to repair the ligament that popped on a non-contact play in which he was simply cutting. He could use a redshirt season and possibly return in 2012.

“He’s a great kid,” 麻豆原创 coach George O’Leary said of Calabrese. “I just feel bad for him. Same thing. He just was stopping and all of a sudden the knee went out again. He tore the same knee, the ACL. He’ll probably want to come back, knowing him. He’s such a great competitor, but that hurts because he had so many roles on the team.”

The Knights lost their top three receivers from last season and are young and inexperienced on the outside. Calabrese was shifted from quarterback to receiver in the spring in hopes of giving the receiving corps more size and a solid athlete.

Now, more of the focus shifts to senior wide out A.J. Guyton and junior speedster Quincy McDuffie. Losing Calabrese could also open up playing time for freshmen Josh Reese, J.J. Worton and Rannell Hall, all of whom have opened eyes in training camp with their sure hands and ability to make plays.

“Losing Rob was real big blow because he was one of the vets who really helped us out with the rotation. He’s also played a big role in motivating our young players as well,” McDuffie said. “It just causes us to step up to the plate, lead by example and make plays. We have to push those young guys and help them push through.”

Added senior tight end Adam Nissley: “We know somebody has to step up now and fill that void. Rob was getting to the point where he was an asset in this offense. He was catching balls and making plays and we were getting used to seeing him out there. We have some guys who can step up. If it takes A.J., Quincy or me stepping up and catching passes, we’ll do it.”

The Knights also have to develop a plan to find a third quarterback behind standout Jeff Godfrey and blossoming redshirt freshman Blake Bortles. One option, O’Leary said, could be using Guyton, a quarterback at Homestead High School during his prep days five seasons ago. The fifth-year senior has already told the coaching staff of his willingness to work at quarterback and he’s confident that he could direct the run-heavy offense from a “Wild Knight” formation.

“I told (offensive coordinator) coach (Charlie) Taaffe during the walk-through today that I could fill in at quarterback and he just looked at me,” Guyton said with a laugh. “But if they need me to get back there just in case something happens to Jeff or Blake, I’d be happy to do it. I love quarterbacking. My junior and senior years we ran the spread offense. I loved quarterback a lot.”

When Calabrese injured his knee last season he impressed coaches and teammates with his willingness to stay around the team and help out as much as he could. He was in most every quarterback meeting and he often suggested ideas to Godfrey, then a freshman, along the sidelines during games. Nissley said he fully expects that Calabrese will do what he can to help out once again.

“It was just a freak accident. He was just running the route, made a plant and it buckled up under him. As a team we feel really bad about it because Rob worked so hard to get back from the last injury,” Nissley said. “But Rob’s a real strong-willed kid. He’ll still have the attitude to help this team win and he’ll be with us in the meetings. He’ll still be an asset and help us win.”