UCF Accepts Conference USA spot in 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 1, 2012)– UCF, led by a high-scoring offense and a relentless defense, is headed to the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg as the Conference USA representative after accepting a bid to the bowl. The Knights will face a team to be determined from the BIG EAST in the fifth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Radio.
“We’re looking forward to having UCF back in our bowl this year,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “We had a terrific experience with them in 2009 and because of our location many of their alumni and fans were able to easily come over and enjoy a great bowl week experience and support their team.”
“Playing in the postseason is special for our student-athletes, our program, and our fans. We know the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl provides a positive experience for everyone involved,” said Todd Stansbury, Vice President and Director of Athletics at UCF. “I’ve heard many good things about UCF’s participation in St. Petersburg back in 2009. Playing in St. Petersburg is great for our fans. We are pleased with the success our football team has had this season. They have certainly earned the right to take part in a bowl game. We’re excited about the bowl game and all the events and activities leading up to the game.”
UCF (9-4, 7-1 C-USA) won the Conference USA East Division championship for the fourth time in the past eight years. The Knights have displayed an ability to light up the scoreboard, scoring 50 points twice this year and hitting the 40-point mark three other times.
George O’Leary is in his ninth year as head coach of the Knights where he has led the school to all five of its bowl appearances. UCF’s last bowl game was in 2010, which was a milestone game for the school as the Knights claimed its first-ever bowl victory with a 10-6 win over SEC foe Georgia at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
“Any time you get a chance to go to a bowl game, it’s a great opportunity for your football team and your fan base to enjoy the excitement of bowl festivities,” said O’Leary. “The last time we were in St. Pete, it was a great experience for us. The players and fans thoroughly enjoyed it, and we are looking forward to going back and playing in the bowl this season.”
UCF’s sophomore QB Blake Bortles has had a stellar season throwing for 22 touchdowns and rushing for seven more scores. Latavius Murray, who was the MVP in the 2010 Liberty Bowl, leads the team in rushing with 1,035 yards and has 16 touchdowns (14 rushing/2 receiving). On defense UCF has a plus–11 turnover margin to rank 18th in the nation and second in C-USA.
Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
Fans can enjoy the pregame festivities in The Miller Lite Party Deck, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard- hitting action. It will be the only Beef ‘O’ Brady’s location where fans can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage served at this premiere event. For tickets in The Miller Lite Party Deck, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727-290-9865 for more information.