Knights Go Green will feature 40 to 60 student volunteers stationed near recycling and trash bins on Memory Mall and at Bright House Networks Stadium, to help inform people what can be recycled. Student volunteers also will pick up recyclable items that are left behind at Memory Mall and other tailgating areas.

Zachary Good, Volunteer ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ environmental director and a sophomore political science student, developed the plans for Knights Go Green after learning of the success that other universities, such as the University of Colorado and Arizona State University, have experienced with their recycling programs.

β€œEducation, in my opinion, is the biggest component for bridging the gap between apathy and inconvenienceΒ that hold a lot of individuals back from recycling,” Good said. β€œKnights Go Green provides volunteerΒ opportunities to students while simultaneously educating tailgaters and attendees of the game on how to appropriatelyΒ dispose of their waste.”

The spring game will be a pilot for Knights Go Green, which is being led by Volunteer ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in partnership with the Student Government Association and several ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ departments. The program is expected to continue into the 2017 football season and also could eventually expand to basketball games and other events on campus.

Volunteers can be students, staff or faculty members. To sign up, go to signupgenius.com/go/409044bafab2ba2ff2-knights.

Tailgating Times for Spring Game

As in prior seasons, tailgating for the spring game will be allowed only in the E lots around Bright House Networks Stadium and at Memory Mall.

The E lots will open to all fans at 9 a.m. Memory Mall will open at 12:30 p.m. for students and alumni who have made reservations in advance. The open container waiver for both the stadium lots and Memory Mall will begin at 12:30 p.m.

Tailgating in all lots and the open container waiver will conclude at 6 p.m., 30 minutes prior to the 6:30 p.m. kickoff.

Reservations will become available for students and alumni at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 16. To sign up, go to ucfsga.com/knightsonthemall.

Knights fans also on April 22 can join in on the second annual ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½astival, which will include pre-game events like food truck wars and a concert from country music singer Lauren Alaina. Festivities begin at 11 a.m. For more information, see theΒ ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Knights website.

New Tailgating Policies for Regular Season

For ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s seven regular season home games, tailgating on Memory Mall and in most other areas of campus will now start six hours prior to kickoff – but no earlier than 8 a.m. To encourage Knights fans to arrive at the stadium before games begin, tailgating will conclude 30 minutes prior to kickoff.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and the Student Government Association wanted to bring the tailgating times more in line with the policies of the National Football League and American Athletic Conference teams.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s new policy permits 5Β½ hours of tailgating for most games. The NFL permits 5 hours, and American schools generally allow between 4 and 6 hours of tailgating.

For the regular season, the E lots near the stadium, which are primarily reserved for Golden Knights Club donors, will continue to open at 8 a.m. on all game days.

The ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Foundation and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics said the charitable gift of $4 million will support the construction of the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership. The new center will be the centerpiece of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s vision to mold its student-athletes into community leaders who are prepared to make a difference in the world.

β€œWe are very grateful to the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust and Leonard Williams for this record-setting gift,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. β€œMr. Densch was a wonderful supporter of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics and we’re absolutely thrilled to name the Wayne Densch Student-Athlete Leadership Center in his honor.

β€œWe are first and foremost educators. This facility will allow us to deliver on our core mission of developing our Everyday Champion student-athletes into future leaders for many, many years to come.”

The Wayne Densch Student-Athlete Leadership Center will serve as the headquarters for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ student-athletes’ personal, professional and academic development. It will house ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Student-Athlete Leadership Institute, Academic Services for Student-Athletes, Student Services and Compliance departments, while also providing operations space to serve more than 500 student-athletes. The center will include a multi-purpose classroom which will hold 200 students, a computer lab, tutoring and mentoring rooms, study space and conference and resource rooms.

β€œThe Wayne Densch Charitable Trust has been a stalwart supporter of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics for decades,” said ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President John C. Hitt. β€œThis generous gift represents another milestone in the outstanding partnership between ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust to support our student-athletes.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s longstanding partnership with the late Wayne M. Densch dates back to 1985, when the Orlando businessman pledged $1 million to fund athletic scholarships. It also includes support for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s original athletic complex. Under the leadership of Leonard E. Williams, the charitable trust made a $2.5 million donation toward the construction of the Wayne Densch Sports Center, which opened in 2003 and is home to the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ football program and the department’s strength and conditioning centers.

β€œΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was his favorite team,” said Williams, who serves as trustee of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust. β€œBecause ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was Wayne’s favorite charitable cause, we’ve tried to continue honoring what he was doing when he was alive. I think he would be pleased by this gift.”

Wayne Densch, who passed away in 1994, had moved to Orlando from Kentucky. Densch was, according to Mr. Williams, β€œa man who didn’t hesitate to help, but one who didn’t want the publicity.”

The $4 million gift to the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership allows ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ to initiate the design phase of the $6.5 million project, while the remaining funds are raised. The Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership will be located just east of and adjacent to Bright House Networks Stadium. Construction is expected to begin in mid- to late 2014.

Thursday was Bortles’ night, plain and simple. And with the junior quarterback at command under the bright lights on , there was no way ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was walking out of Bright House Network Stadium without another checkmark in the win column.

Bortles accounted for 367 of the No. 17/20 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ football team’s 452 total yards in its 41-17 win over Rutgers. As a result, he led ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ (9-1, 6-0) to matching the program’s best record in conference play since joining a league in 2002.

“I thought it was a very good win for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. We dominated the first seven possessions with six scores,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought Bortles had an exceptional game as far as taking plays that were not there and making something out of them.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ scored early and often from the get-go.

In the game’s first series, Bortles locked in on sophomore receiver Breshad Perriman streaking toward the left side of the end zone. The two connected before Perriman was pushed out of bounds to give ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 7-0 lead.

Junior defensive back Clayton Geathers’ interception at the 40-yard line in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ territory on Rutgers’ next possession spurred the Knights on another scoring drive. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ moved down field with ease, and running back Storm Johnson broke several tackles as he ate up 12 yards before diving across the end zone line for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season to make it 14-0.

In the first series of the second quarter, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ freshman running back William Stanback trucked over RU freshman defensive back Anthony Cioffi to pick up 20 yards and advance the Knights to the 12-yard line. Four plays later, Johnson crept one yard for another touchdown and 21-0 edge.

“It was a classic lowering your shoulder and running through the guy… It was everything you teach,” O’Leary said of Stanback’s SportsCenter No. 1 Top Play. “He’s only a freshman, but if he keeps improving fundamentally, I think he is going to be a whale of a player. I really do.”

Rutgers (5-5, 2-4) struggled through its next possession until a fake punt to fullback Michael Burton sparked some life into the Scarlet Knights. He picked up 38 yards before he was brought down just outside of the red zone.

Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova found Brandon Coleman for a big gain, setting up first-and-goal on the 1-yard line. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s defense was impenetrable for the first three downs, but the Scarlet Knights came through on their second fourth down conversion of the drive to get on the board, 21-7, with 5:59 to go in the half.

Bortles responded with a 7-yard touchdown run that capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive, which included his exceptional 31-yard toss to Worton.

“I just try not to get tackled, really,” Bortles said of his scrambling skills. “I know if I break out of the pocket, our receivers are going to find somewhere and I’ll be able to get the ball to them. That’s all I try to do is just stay alive and extend the play.”

Rutgers snuck in one more touchdown before halftime after blocking ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s punt attempt from its own 34-yard line. Freshman receiver Andre Patton landed on the ball in the end zone to inch the gap, 28-14.

The offensive deluge lightened up in the second half as the Knights settled for a 32-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt to increase their lead, 31-14, on their first drive after the break. It was the only scoring play for either team in the third quarter.

The Knights got some more out of their offense in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from Stanback and a 42-yard field goal from Moffitt. Meanwhile, Rutgers could only manage a 35-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining to rest the score at 41-17.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ plays its final home game of the season against rival USF at 8 p.m. on Nov. 29 on ESPN. If Cincinnati loses its matchup at Houston this Saturday, and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ goes on to win against the Bulls, the Knights would clinch at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

It was the first American Athletic Conference game at Bright House Networks Stadium, and the Knights (6-1, 3-0 The American) did not disappoint, registering 45 points in the opening half, scoring on their first nine possessions and finishing with 527 total yards of offense. The 2013 team became just the second ever at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ (1988) to score at least 20 points in its first seven outings.

The 62 points for the Knights against the Huskies (0-7, 0-3) were the eighth most in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ history. The Knights, who entered the top 25 following last Friday’s thrilling 38-35 win at No. 8/6 Louisville, forced four turnovers and limited the Huskies to only 91 yards on the ground.

“I challenged the kids all week to stay hungry and get after the game,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said. “I thought we went out there and did a really good job in the first half. We were productive on offense and on defense. I challenged them to think of it as six championship games. Today was one, now you have five left. Each week, you have to treat it like a championship game.”

In less than three quarters of work, Blake Bortles set a career-high with four touchdown passes, the most in a game since Ryan Schneider had four vs. Ohio Nov. 30, 2002. Bortles completed his day 20-of-24 for 286 yards with four touchdowns. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ alum and current Chicago Bears star Brandon Marshall was in attendance and watched Bortles throw a pair of scoring tosses to Jeff Godfrey, who also added a late touchdown reception to become the first Knight since Marshall in 2005 to score three times in a game via the air.

“Blake did a great job finding me and the o-line did a great job blocking,” Godfrey said. “I am getting better every day in practice, just going out there and getting open and making plays for the team.”

Receiving the kickoff for the 13th straight game, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ immediately marched down the field with a 7-play, 60-yard drive thanks to five methodical rushes and one completion. The Knights capped it off when Storm Johnson bounced off a pair of would-be tacklers to get to the outside and easily jogged into the endzone from 10 yards out for a 7-0 lead.

Little did anyone know what was about to happen the rest of the first half.

UConn tried to answer on its first drive, highlighted by a 57-yard rush from Lyle McCombs, which was the longest ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ had given up all season. That set up a 40-yard field goal by Chad Christen. But not backing down, the Knights used a long play of their own with a 50-yard strike from Bortles to Breshad Perriman to return to the redzone. Three players later, Bortles escaped pressure in the backfield and scampered his way to a 10-yard touchdown run and a 14-3 lead early in the first quarter.

“We were definitely in sync as a unit and we moved the ball down the field and executed,” Bortles said. “I think as a unit, we were feeling (great) and we were able to execute what we were doing.”

The Huskies defense had little time to rest after ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ forced a 3-and-out. Following a 26-yard punt return by J.J. Worton, the offense again had little trouble padding to its lead. Ultimately on 3rd-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Bortles saw a blitz coming from the left side, spun away and hit an open Johnson running toward the endzone for a 21-3 cushion with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ looked to be in control until a UConn punt bounced off a Knight and the Huskies were able to recover on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½-24. The visitors converted the turnover into points by way of a McCombs 9-yard touchdown run.

Now holding a 21-10 advantage in the second quarter, the Black and Gold once again got on the scoreboard, this time on a career-long 50-yard field goal by Shawn Moffitt. The momentum stayed with the Knights as Terrance Plummer continued his impressive season on the ensuing UConn possession, stripping quarterback Tim Boyle on 3rd-and-9 as he was about to send the ball downfield. With the ball destined to hit the ground, Troy Gray came flying in for a diving interception.

Taking over at the UConn-31 with the pick, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ needed just three plays to bring it to 31-10 as receiver Rannell Hall notched his first rushing touchdown of his career on a 17-yard burst with 4:17 to play in the half. A little more than three minutes later, Bortles went 4-for-4 for 44 yards during his drive and found a wide open Godfrey in the left corner of the endzone, bolstering the lead to 38-10.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ finally put an end to the first half, taking a Sean Maag interception and turning it into another seven points with the second Bortles-to-Godfrey connection, a 9-yard strike for the 45-10 halftime mark. Bortles wrapped up the opening stanza by going 19-for-23 with 225 yards, three touchdown passes and a touchdown run as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ amassed its most points in any half since 50 in the first half against Akron Nov. 3, 2001.

“I thought we needed to get out there and score early, just so you don’t give them any breath of fresh air,” O’Leary said. “We did what we needed to do on the first drive, we took it down and scored and were very efficient.”

Not wanting to let up on the gas, the Knights’ first offensive possession of the second half provided the home fans even more to cheer about when Worton snagged a pass from Bortles, broke two tackles on the 50 and sprinted home for his longest reception of his career, a 61-yard touchdown to bring it to 52-10.

“We are trying to keep our foot on the gas pedal,” Godfrey said. “I think we did a great job, coming back home, putting on a great show for the fans.”

After UConn’s third turnover which saw Michael Easton pop the ball loose out of McCombs’ arms and Maag recover, true freshman Justin Holman entered his second career game as the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ quarterback. He promptly led it on a drive where Moffitt closed it out on a 35-yard field goal. That moved the junior to a perfect 9-for-9 on the season.

“It is not just me, it is really the whole defense,” Maag said of the takeaways. “Every week, we are trying to get at least four turnovers as a defense.”

The Knights would utilize the situation to bring in several more players off the bench, giving them much-needed playing time since ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s last four games were decided by seven points or less. And the defense would be tested in the third as the Huskies began a drive on their own 20 only to reach the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½-2. Following a false start, UConn went for it on fourth down and Casey Cochran’s pass fell incomplete to keep it at 55-10.

However the Huskies attempted another drive on the young defense now in the game, and this time succeeded on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Cochran to Brian Lemelle with 10:11 remaining in the game. Holman found Godfrey for a 5-yard scoring strike with 2:50 left in the contest.

Riding a three-game winning streak, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ now enters its third and final bye week of the season before it hosts Houston Saturday, Nov. 9, to cap off Homecoming week. Game time is slated to be announced on Monday. Tickets are available by calling 407-ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½-1000 or by visiting ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½Knights.com

Family Weekend begins Friday, Sept. 27. The previously scheduled college open houses will be postponed to a later date to accommodate the Knights’ noon kickoff against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday.

On Friday, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ women’s soccer team will face their rivals, USF, at 6 p.m. at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Soccer Complex. The volleyball team also will play USF on Friday with a match start of 8 p.m. at the Venue. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ students are admitted free to both games with their student IDs, and adult tickets will be for sale for $5 for each game.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics also will distribute 2,000 early entry passes for Saturday’s football game to students with a valid ID who attend the soccer and volleyball games. The passes will serve as an early entry option for the game but will not guarantee admission.

The Recreation & Wellness Center will host a welcome party featuring food, music and other entertainment from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. The event costs $25 per person.

Late Knightsβ€”the monthly late-night alcohol-alternative programβ€”will start at 10 p.m. Friday in the Student Union. β€œGame Knight” will feature Jenga, Twister and other classic games, as well as music and other entertainment.

Student Development and Enrollment Services will host its annual family weekend breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The event is $20 per person.

The Student Government Association’s Family Weekend Tailgate will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Knights Plaza. The free event will include games, giveaways and live music.

Families visiting students who live in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Housing can participate in free housewarming parties in select communities.

The Rosen College of Hospitality Management will celebrate its 30th anniversary with family-oriented, New Orleans-inspired brunches on Sunday. Brunches will begin at 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Theatre ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s production of The Underpants also will be showing throughout Family Weekend. The laugh-out loud play adapted by comedian Steve Martin focuses on the human spirit of curiosity and how a small bit of impropriety can cause the biggest scandal. It will play at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Black Box Theatre.
Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for other guests.

Burke anchored the offensive line for the Knights’ first four football seasons, starting every game at center his first two years. He made the switch to offensive tackle due to injuries but would go on to be listed as an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American in 1981. Currently the head coach of Palm Bay High School, Burke has amassed a 169-43 record while stockpiling 17-straight playoff appearances, 13 district titles, five final-four appearances and two state titles in 2000 (6A) and 2002 (4A).

Jonas led Burke and the Knights as the football program’s first head coach, serving originally as a volunteer and eventually earning full-time status with ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in 1980. Over three seasons, Jonas put together a 14-12-1 record and an 11-6-1 record at home. He would retire after the 1981 season to become the director of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Gridiron Club.

Cioffi served as the Knights’ goalkeeper from 1978-79 and attends every match to this day. He remains actively involved and continues to be one of the lead fundraisers for men’s soccer. Notching 111 career saves, Cioffi ranks 10th all-time and also holds the 11th spot in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ history with six shutouts, and eighth with a 1.54 GAA. He was the Most Valuable Defensive Player in 1979, the same year the Knights won the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship. Cioffi served as the Varsity Club’s first president when established in 2009 and is being inducted as a Distinguished Letterwinner for his major contributions to the athletic program, from personal time, effort and years of continued service.

Pope led the Knights from 1999-01 with former teammate and current Hall of Fame pitcher Jason Arnold, when the two formed a 1-2 punch that carried ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s baseball program on a historic run. Often referred to as “Bulldog,” Pope helped guide the Knights to the NCAA Regionals in 2000 and 2001, with a ranking coming in as high as No. 7 in 2001. He stands as the program’s career leader with 32 wins and 335 strikeouts in addition to a laundry list of all-time records. Bulldog ranks second all-time with 49 starts on the mound, third with three shutouts, fifth with 310.0 innings pitched and seventh by averaging 9.73 strikeouts per nine innings. Pope also broke Roger Clemens’ NCAA record by pitching 38.1 consecutive innings without giving up a run in 2001. In the 2001 MLB Draft, he was selected 28th overall in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals and also played eight seasons in the minor leagues. He is currently in his second season as the manager for the Staten Island Yankees (Class A).

Celebrating its 10th anniversary of claiming the Universal Cheerleading Association College Cheerleading Division IA National Championship, the 2003 cheerleaders are the first team to be inducted into the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics Hall of Fame. The team made the jump from I-AA along with the football team in 1996 and locked up the title just seven years later. The Knights’ cheerleading team would go on to win a second title in 2007.

The Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony is sold out, but check out ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½Athletics.com late Friday night for complete coverage of the event.

Last year, quarterback Blake Bortles served as one of the primary focal points during the spring contest as he was beginning his first season as the Knights’ starting signal-caller. The Oviedo native ultimately put together one of the finest performances by a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ quarterback in school history, guiding the Knights to a 10-4 record and a Conference USA East Division title. He also was the MVP of the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl.

Now a junior, Bortles has to smile knowing all of the weapons he has on offense, highlighted by ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ returning five of its top six wide receivers from a year ago. On the other side of the line, though, the Black and Gold lost several key players, and that will be one of five things to watch this Saturday.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR SATURDAY

Young Defense

Early Enrollees

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Special Teams

Plan your game days with the Knights, and experience one of the best schedules in program history in the best available seat locations at Bright House Networks Stadium. 2013 season tickets start at $99. To secure your ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ football season tickets, visit ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½Athletics.com or call 407-ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½-1000.

“We are very excited about this home-and-home series with Penn State,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. “It is our goal to put together a schedule that will be exciting and entertaining for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ fans. Traveling to State College in 2013 will be a memorable experience, and we are certainly looking forward to hosting the Nittany Lions at Bright House Networks Stadium in the near future.”

“With the addition of the Penn State game and facing a coach that I used to work with in Bill O’Brien, it gives us a great opportunity to get up into the northeast, especially heading into the BIG EAST Conference,” Head Coach George O’Leary said. “This allows us to have more presence in the area that we have to open up recruiting to.”

Penn State will take the place of Bethune-Cookman on ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s 2013 schedule.

“We certainly value our long-standing athletics history with Bethune-Cookman and we appreciate their understanding in this situation,” Stansbury said.

An updated look at the Knights’ 2013 opponents, with more official dates to be announced when they become finalized:

2013 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Football Opponents

Home

Away

*-BIG EAST opponent

With Penn State slated to travel to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ after the 2013 season, it will mark the first Big Ten team to take on the Knights at Bright House Networks Stadium (opened in 2007). The only time the Knights hosted a Big Ten program was in the 1999 opener against No. 22 Purdue at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

The series will be a reunion between Coach O’Leary and Coach O’Brien, as the Nittany Lions’ leader worked under O’Leary at Georgia Tech from 1995-01, including serving as the offensive coordinator in 2001. This will be the first time the two veteran coaches will be on opposite sidelines. Meanwhile, current ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ offensive line and assistant head coach Brent Key played for both O’Leary and O’Brien with the Yellow Jackets from 1997-00.

In 2012, the Knights finished with a 10-4 record, tying for their second-most victories in school history. O’Brien earned three national coach of the year honors for guiding Penn State to an 8-4 mark.

The 2013 schedule will serve as the second-straight season ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ will travel to a Big Ten opponent, as it visited Ohio State in 2012. Before the trip to OSU which featured an attendance of 104,745, the Knights’ contests at Penn State in 2002 and 2004 produced crowds of 103,029 and 101,715, respectively. Those three figures currently stand as the largest away crowds in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ history.

This will be ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s eighth contest against current Big Ten teams as it has faced Nebraska (0-1), Purdue (0-2) and Wisconsin (0-1) along with PSU (0-2) and OSU (0-1) since the Knights jumped to the FBS level in 1996. It also will be the first of two trips to Pennsylvania in 2013, as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is slated to visit BIG EAST foe Temple in Philadelphia as well.

In the 2002 season opener at No. 24 Penn State, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ trailed at halftime, 10-9, before the Nittany Lions scored 17-unanswered points. The Knights answered with two late touchdowns for the final 27-24 margin. Matt Prater was 3-for-3 in field goals, Ryan Schneider went 32-for-46 with 345 yards and touchdown and Doug Gabriel caught 11 passes for 153 yards. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ forced four fumbles in the game, recovering two of them

Two years later and with Coach O’Leary in his first season at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, Prater hit two first-half field goals yet the visitors trailed 21-6 at the break en route to Penn State’s 37-13 win.

Plan your gamedays with the Knights, and experience the inaugural BIG EAST campaign in the best available seat locations at Bright House Networks Stadium. Visit ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½Athletics.com or call 407-ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½-1000 for complete ticket information.

The Knights (4-2, 2-0) registered their 100th win in FBS history and first against the Golden Eagles (0-6, 0-2) since 2007. It was also ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s first overtime victory in school history.

“I said earlier in the week that you can throw the records out and give Southern Miss credit that they came in here and fought,” head coach George O’Leary said. “I don’t think we played as well as we would have liked in any phase of the game, but a lot of that was caused by Southern Miss. They went punch for punch with us. Thankfully we played hard in the overtime periods as far as run, pass and defensively with the pick.

“We’ve have so many close encounters with Southern Miss and it’s a great win as far as another conference win and a step closer to what we want to get accomplished.”

Holding leads of 17-7 and 24-14 during the game, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ found itself going to overtime when USM’s Corey Acosta snuck in a 27-yarder that scraped the left goal post to tie the game at 24-all. In the extra sessions, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ senior running back Latavius Murray made his presence felt by ripping off 28 of his 52 yards on the ground, including a pair of TDs to move into fourth all-time with 25-career rushing TDs.

Fellow senior Kemal Ishmael ended any thoughts of Southern Miss forcing a third overtime when he snatched his second interception of the season on the first play of USM’s second OT series at the seven-yard line.

“The defense did a good job walling the receiver and forcing the quarterback to make a throw he didn’t want to make. It was just good game-planning and good practice. Coach checked out of one of our calls and went to another and it was a great call,” Ishmael said about the game-sealing pick.

O’Leary added about his four-year starter, Ishmael: “Your great football players are always in the right position and that’s where Kemal was. A great play by him, and he is just a terrific football player.”

Also leading the Knights in the victory was the redshirt sophomore trio of Blake Bortles, Storm Johnson and J.J. Worton. For the third-straight game, Bortles notched a career-high through the air after connecting on 27-of-40 passes for 272 yards. He also chipped in on the ground with two short one-yard plunges.

After failing to record a grab in the 40-20 win over East Carolina, Worton responded with a career-best 117 yards on eight catches. Johnson tallied a career-high 94 yards on 18 carries, including a dazzling 32-yard dash through the Golden Eagles defense in the fourth quarter.

Senior Jonathan Davis registered a team-leading nine tackles and was joined by redshirt sophomore Clayton Geathers and Ishmael, who notched eight and seven stops, respectively. Defensive back Jordan Ozerities also notched his second-career interception just after halftime.

With their longest homestand since 2001-02 in the books, the Knights will turn their attention to Memphis when they head to the River City next Saturday for a primetime showdown at 7 p.m.

Looking to avenge a 17-10 loss from a year ago in Miami to the Panthers (1-2), ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ came out with a well-balanced attack that went well over 350 yards for the third-straight week. The Knights totaled 431 yards, including 170 on the ground and 261 through the air.

Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles had a career day with 251 yards on 20-of-30 passing, including a pair of TD passes to wideouts J.J. Worton (5 rec. for 94 yards) and Rannell Hall (2 rec. for 63 yards). On the ground, running backs Storm Johnson and Brynn Harveyran for 78 and 73 yards, respectively, with Harvey notching his 19th-career rushing touchdown.

“It’s a good win. I think you can always `what if?’ `What if it you fall on that ball, what if you do this.’ We go back and look at the tape and make the corrections and hopefully the kids can improve on those,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach George O’Leary said after the game.

Taking in the first action from BHNS since Nov. 25 of last year, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ fans packed the stands on a beautiful 87-degree afternoon. O’Leary was pleased with the turnout and especially enjoyed the raucous environment.

“I think (the fans) were great,” O’Leary added about the 40,478 in attendance. “I think they were loud and into the game. That is what you need. I was pleased with the student body. That’s where the traditions come from.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ will enjoy its bye week prior to hosting its first SEC opponent in Missouri on Sept. 29. Game time is scheduled to be announced Monday afternoon.

After a dominant first half by ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ to limit FIU to just 26 yards and a 23-0 score, the Panthers’ halftime adjustments paid off as Jake Medlock, who completed just one pass in the first half, went 4-for-4 on the first drive after the break, including a 5-yard dump-off pass to running back Kedrick Rhodes to bring FIU within striking distance.

Two possessions following the FIU score, a duo of former ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ signal-callers put the Knights up, 30-7. After a 47-yard hookup between Bortles and Hall and an 11-yard rush by Harvey, senior Rob Calabrese took the snap in the “Wild Knight” formation and handed off to Jeff Godfrey, who made it a Miami-to-Miami connection when he hit Worton for the touchdown from 10 yards out. It was the 19th-career TD pass for the junior.

“That was amazing to get to throw the ball again,” Godfrey said about the play. “I haven’t thrown all preseason, so to go out there and throw that touchdown made me feel like a quarterback again.”

Worton added: “It was assigned that if it was man (coverage), then he (Jeff) would run it and I would block, which it was man, but he was generous enough to throw it to me and I made the play on it.”

FIU wouldn’t go away quietly as it received a pair of Darian Mallary rushing touchdowns to make it 30-20 prior to the point-after attempt. With the Panthers going for two to make it a one-possession game, the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ defense stepped up and made Medlock miss on an attempt in the middle of the end zone.

That would be as close as the Panthers would get as the defense buckled down and salted the game away. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s pass rush was relentless all game as senior Troy Davis sacked Medlock twice, including two forced fumbles which tied the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ single-game record. Linebacker Terrance Plummer registered the Knights’ sixth fumble recovery of the season and led the squad in tackles for the second-straight game with 11.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ got on the scoreboard first on its second series of the game with a six-play, 49-yard drive fueled by a 36-yard connection from Bortles to Worton. Fullback Billy Giovanetti, who tied a career-high with three receptions in the game, caught a four-yard flare in the left flat and crossed the goal line for his second receiving touchdown of 2012, and third of his career.

The Knights tacked on two more after an FIU snap went over punter Jack Griffin’s head and out of the end zone. It was the first safety for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ since Oct. 8, 2011, against Marshall.

Bortles set his new career-high for touchdown passes in a season in the second quarter on a 16-yard dart to the right flat to Hall, who did the rest of the work by breaking three tackles on his way to his third TD reception of the season. Harvey followed that up with his four-yard TD plunge before the end of the half.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ football season tickets are currently available for as low as $140, while single-game tickets and flex plans are also on sale. For more information and to place an order, call the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Ticket Office at (407) ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½-1000 or visit ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½Athletics.com. Attending a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ football game is a great way to celebrate birthdays, corporate outings or any special occasion. Please ask about group packages today.