I wasn't around yet (didn't start at UCF til 2007), so I don't have an idea. I can only assume there was some visible potential on that team since there were a few future NFLers. Can anyone give a perspective on how that winless season was perceived compared to this one?
Did the team look this bad in 2004?
- Thread starter Retnuhrace
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just as bad, only had hope the GOL was building something for future. Player #s were likely close to now after he cleared the rubble.
yep, and those same freshmen ended up winning our first conferernce championship.
2004 was pretty bad offensively but by the end of the year you could see some progress on the OL and defense. I hope we start to see some progress this season (I don't have much faith that the OL will get any better but maybe the other players get better). 2006 and 2008 were abysmal in my opinion....worse than 2004. At least there was an excuse in 2004.
GOL's biggest detractor has been the ability to have consistency at the QB position. It's no surprise that every poor season we've had involved the use of multiple QB's. It's a weakness that I think GOL finally realized and fixed with Taaffe. Now he's got to find a new guy that can develop QBs. In my opinion, it is the most important decision he has to make after this season. Holman is back now but he is playing injured. For me, this is the biggest reason our record has yo-yo'd up and down. You find somebody that can develop QB's, like Taaffe and that will cure a lot of ills. Here is a break-down of the QB position over his tenure:
2004 - Stephen Moffett (0-11)
2005 - Stephen Moffett (8-5)
2006 - Moffett/Kyle Israel (4-8)
2007 - Kyle Israel (10-4)
2008 - Greco/Calabrese/Joe Weatherford (4-8)
2009 - Brett Hodges (8-5)
2010 - Jeff Godfrey (10-4)
2011 - Godfrey/Bortles (5-7)
2012 - Bortles (10-4)
2013 - Bortles (12-1)
2014 - Holman (9-4)
2015 - Holman/Schneider (???)
Holman would have only been the 3rd guy under GOL that has played as the starter in concurrent seasons but has basically missed 4 of our 6 games so far this season. That said, I think this year would have broke the cycle anyways since the team around him is obviously very green. Holman is wearing some glove thing on his throwing hand and he clearly doesn't have the zip on his ball that we saw last year (you saw it every now-and-then). As you can see, even when a guy split time one year and then was the starter the next year the team was successful. Same goes for guys that actually started multiple, and played in full concurrent seasons. College football is all about the QB position...unless you're the likes of FSU that is just loaded with 4-5 star talent up and down the roster.
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Your right QB has always been our achilles heel. We got lucky Bortles was in our back yard and basically grew up across the street from UCF.
I have a close up view/memory of the 04 team, as I was a student equipment manager on the team, so I worked every practice, all home games, and a few away games as well.
We were SO light on numbers. It was crazy. Walk-Ons were playing crazy snaps. The difference then though is most were Kruczek's players, so the upperclassmen that didn't get kicked out by O'Leary didn't really care for him. Just sort of went thru the motions. And it showed on the field. No passion. No excitement. Just there.
I'd say the biggest difference is I see more energy here, and a lot more youth. Their future is bright.
We were SO light on numbers. It was crazy. Walk-Ons were playing crazy snaps. The difference then though is most were Kruczek's players, so the upperclassmen that didn't get kicked out by O'Leary didn't really care for him. Just sort of went thru the motions. And it showed on the field. No passion. No excitement. Just there.
I'd say the biggest difference is I see more energy here, and a lot more youth. Their future is bright.
I was there but don't remember. However, I do remember hanging on the goal post when we won our first game ever against Marshall (2005) and broke the nation's longest losing streak. That was fun!
As well as almost everyone overlooked he beat Driskel, handily, in Oviedo v. Hagerty.
It started really bad in 2004, because it was bad at the end of 2003, plus GoL let more players go before even then. We improved because we had some talent there, who became upperclassmen by 2005. You could see hints of it at the end of 2004.
But I'm not sure we're going to see the same before 2017, or not until late 2016. I honestly think this could be worse, because it started later -- not until 2015 itself -- than 2004, which began in late 2003.
But I'm not sure we're going to see the same before 2017, or not until late 2016. I honestly think this could be worse, because it started later -- not until 2015 itself -- than 2004, which began in late 2003.
I partially disagree. We've had some good years with less-than-top QB talent. A great defense will keep you competitive, although you do need a decent, experienced QB to actually get offensive production.
But I also partially agree. If you're a FSU, you can get 4-5 star talent all around, every year, and plug holes far easier. That includes always having a semi-decent QB, even as a backup, to be "just good enough."
That said ... I honestly think Bo will be a star for us in 2 years, especially as the WRs improve with him, and we get a better O-line. I'm looking forward to this happening in late 2016, with a great 2017 season, regardless of who is at the helm.
I'll give it a try...the 2004 team played a tougher schedule early in the season with 3 OOC games against Wisconsin and Penn State (both road) and West Virginia (home)....two of them were top 25....no FIU or Furman...we lost two of those OOC's pretty badly....
we played poorly in our first conference game (at Buffalo) and that set the stage for the remainder of the season.....we were horrible on the road (6 games)....
I attended the 5 home games and we were fairly competitive....most of them were close....even the game against West Virginia (ranked #10) was fairly close until late....certainly better at home than the current team has shown.....
we were introduced to GOL's offense....with no QB mentoring and Moffitt followed by others playing "by the seat of their pants"...it wasn't pretty...
the D tried but were on the field a lot...and lots of kids were playing who shouldn't have been and some were out of position (Brandon Marshall at safety?)....
let's wait to put a stamp on this years team until after the season but again, the 2004 team was fairly competitive against decent teams at home and I can't say that with this year's team so far (especially with losses to FIU and Furman and that horrible UCONN game)....
I would try to give my .02 here but I was fall down, blackout drunk for our home games during that season. I vaguely remember that goal post coming down though.
saw this stat on a scouting report: UCONN scored 26 points on 84 yards of offense vs UCF(mostly off TOs).
We all keep bringing up the awful offense but even more dissapointing is the Defense & missed tackles. I don't remember the previous awful O'leary teams being this bad with basic fundamentals on Defense.
We all keep bringing up the awful offense but even more dissapointing is the Defense & missed tackles. I don't remember the previous awful O'leary teams being this bad with basic fundamentals on Defense.
So far this season the only thing I have seen (not trying to be negative, just a realist) this season that gives me hope is the running back in the last game (is it CJ Wilson?) That guy was hitting the holes at full speed. For most of the games that I have seen our RB's were tiptoeing through the tulips. And that is why he was able to get 4 or 5 yards a clip. Also, the fact that the O-line was able to open up some nice holes against a pretty decent D-line. That gives me a little hope going forward. I like the fact that all of our young WR's got playing time this year. That will help a lot next year. Hopefully they will develop a better understanding of the offense as the year goes along (the pick that Hollman through in the end zone looked like a complete lack of communication). Going forward, I will not measure this team on wins and losses, but is there improvement. I know, I'm Hugger or whatever. Getting beat by FIU and Furman, that is on the coaches, we were relatively healthy when we played FIU and we should have won that game. Furman, I have no answer for that. I think O'leary nailed it on the head last week, this team doesn't have any leadership. Bad things are going to happen in the game. Are you going to stand up and do something about it, or just lay there and take it. Last year when it seemed like BYU was going to run us off the field, the leaders stepped up and made plays when they had to. This year, when bad things happen, it seems like the guys look at each other and want to feel sorry for themselves, which to me that sounds an awful lot like a very young football team. I think the Freshman MLB is going to be a star and a the leader of the defense heading into spring.
The defense just gets tired at some point. The offense doesn't give them much help.
What we have is basically 2008, with an offense that is even less experienced than 2004. It's the perfect storm.
No he won't because there won't be anybody around him. GOL hasn't recruited enough players and recruiting will continue to suffer under him.
We have a lot of talent from the last 2 years. They are just inexperienced.
Again, I'm willing to eat my words if proven untrue in 2017. But one cannot argue with ESPN and Rivals, we've had 2 of our best classes.
Even if the Freshmen and Sophomores aren't as good in 2017.
Because the team was bad the previous year too, '04 didn't feel as frustrating as this year. Agree that it feels more like 2008, with the quarterback merry-go-round.....we actually started Joe freakin Weatherford at one point, and our RB of the future Phillip Smith went MIA. And even the class of the QB was the same, a Junior, a redshirt Frosh, and a true Frosh. At least by the end of 2008, we had a RB emerge (Brynn Harvey).
The funny thing about the Marshall game is that I don't think people (at least the people around us) really thought about going on the field until the PA announcer said something about not doing it. As soon as he made that announcement it was light a light bulb going off, and with very few cops on the field people just started moving toward the wall and into field storming position. I was in the second wave over the top. Ah memories! Looking forward to doing it again sometime next year.
I remember an officer saying that he might not get us all but the first ones who jump over the wall are getting tasered. Me and my friend backed away and watched some chumps take our place in the front lines and got tasered. Then once on the field we looked back and some dozens of fans who failed the jump and were rolling around in pain. Between the first line who got tasered and then line who failed in the jump is was a pretty funny sight altogether.
2004 also brings back my hatred of Matt Prater... Ohio game
2004 also brings back my hatred of Matt Prater... Ohio game
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