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UCF needs to put some heart into its home

 

Mike Bianchi

 

SPORTS COMMENTARY

 

September 12, 2007

 

As UCF's players walked from their new locker room and ran onto their new field for the first time Tuesday, you could hear the refrain over and over again:

 

"This is OUR house."

 

"This is OUR house."

 

With ownership comes responsibility. A Knight's home is his castle.

 

If the Knights truly want this to be their house, it must be treated as such. They must protect it. They must keep those tacky trespassers from Texas from coming in and trampling the shrubs and doing doughnuts on the front lawn.

 

This place was immaculate on Tuesday afternoon. The new grass was green and lush. The new shiny seats shimmered in the sunshine. The new scoreboard actually read: UCF 48, Texas 10.

 

But what will it be like Saturday? Will the score be reversed? Will the new turf be permanently branded with Longhorn hoof prints? Will the Knights allow Texas to come into their new home and track mud on their hardwood floors, flick cigar butts on their new carpet, spill beer on their new leather sofa?

 

For the first time in history, UCF will play a real home game Saturday when the tradition-rich Texas Longhorns come stampeding onto campus. It's one thing to get trounced 46-14 by Virginia Tech as the Knights did six years ago at the Citrus Bowl. It would be quite another to get destroyed in the grand opening of a soldout Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday.

 

The Citrus Bowl was never home really. It was more like a rundown rental house across town. And anybody will tell you it's no big deal when you trash a rental house. But when you own your first house, you want to take care of it. You want people to take off their shoes when they walk on your carpet. You don't allow smoking inside. You freak out when your in-laws show up with their stinky flea-bitten dog for a weeklong holiday visit.

 

This is how UCF's players feel about their new stadium. It's their baby. It's right in their own backyard. They practice in its shadow. They walk by it every day. They've pretty much overseen every brick and every beam being put up.

 

"This is our house, and we want to defend it," UCF quarterback Kyle Israel says. "I can't wait for Saturday to get here."

 

This is what separates players from pundits. If it's me -- sitting here typing on my laptop -- I say no way should the Knights open the new stadium against powerhouse Texas. They should open up against a team like Southwest Texas State at Amarillo. This game should be all about UCF. It should be about UCF's program, UCF's stadium, UCF's future. When you invite in an elite program like Texas, the opponent becomes bigger than the event.

 

But that's just me -- the unbiased observer. UCF's players don't think like that. They don't think the score's going to be Texas 55, UCF 7. They think they're going to win. And not only that, they're glad they're not playing Northwest Nobody State. They actually want to open their stadium against -- gulp! -- Texas.

 

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Israel says.

 

"These are the games you remember," defensive tackle Keith Shologan says.

 

It's almost impossible to come up with a scenario whereby UCF could beat Texas. It would take every ounce of ability the players have, every bit of tactical trickery in Coach George O'Leary's repertoire, every decibel of delirium and devotion the fans can muster.

 

The refrain Tuesday was, "This is OUR house."

 

But come Saturday, UCF better remember some of the wisest words ever spoken:

 

It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home.

 

Mike Bianchi can be reached at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com.

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quote:
Originally posted by WPMagic:

I'm going to keep this one going for the whole year...

 

Actually... Why don't you merge the two and then just change the title once the Texas game is over?

 

I have since seen your PM and now realize what you are getting at. I concur. Let me get with the other mods and make sure it won't lead to a frickin sticky thread war between us and the Gators.

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I will be there funneling beer like it was 2001 all over again!!!!

 

Does anyone know if it is "black shirts day" or anything like that. I dont want to be the only A-Hole the wrong shirt on.

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quote:
Originally posted by djmase20:

I will be there funneling beer like it was 2001 all over again!!!!

 

Does anyone know if it is "black shirts day" or anything like that. I dont want to be the only A-Hole the wrong shirt on.

 

Gold... Gold. It's going to be a "Gold Rush."

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quote:
Originally posted by WPMagic:

A few arena pics for the basketball fans.

 

yeah, when they first finished the court, i could not BELIEVE how huge the center court logo was...its the BIGGEST ive ever seen...

 

as for BHN Stadium, it looks sick...luckily, the games in HD this saturday...CANNNNT WAIT...

 

 

did i mention im callin the upset???

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