2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game
The 2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game was played on December 1, 2007 between the UCF Knights, the champion of C-USA's East Division, and the West Division champion, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, at Bright House Networks Stadium (now known as Spectrum Stadium) in Orlando, Florida. The game kicked off at 12:00 pm EST and was televised by ESPN.
| 2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 1, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Bright House Networks Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Orlando, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 44,128 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 Conference USA football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF x$ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa xy | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston x | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: UCF 44, Tulsa 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Game summary
Under conference rules, the game was held at the home field of the team with the best record in conference play; since UCF finished C-USA play at 7–1, better than Tulsa's 6–2, the game was held at the Knights' home field.
Tulsa and UCF met at the C-USA Championship for the second time; Tulsa beat UCF at the Florida Citrus Bowl (now known as Camping World Stadium) in Downtown Orlando in 2005 by a score of 44-27.
Kevin Smith continued his dominance, running for 284 yards with 4 touchdowns. Tulsa kept it close in the first half as UCF's defense seemed slow to get started. In the second half, however, they only scored on a safety. Paul Smith, the Tulsa quarterback, threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns, but also gave up three interceptions. UCF won their first ever conference title in football.
Kevin Smith finished the game with 2,448 rushing yards on the season, second all-time for single-season rushing yards in FBS history. Only Barry Sanders, who rushed for 2,628 yards in 1989 for Oklahoma State, rushed for more yards in a single season.[1]
Teams
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Under Head Coach Todd Graham, Tulsa finished the 2007 regular season 9-3 (6-2) with a powerful offense averaging over 41 points per game, but their defense was a struggle all season letting up 33 points per game. Their offense was mostly powered by their talented quarterback Paul Smith who had 5,065 passing yards and 47 touchdowns on the season. Current Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn was in his first year as Tulsa's Offensive Coordinator.
UCF Knights
UCF was lead to a 9-3 regular season record with a 7-1 conference record by Head Coach George O'Leary in 2007. UCF also had a prolific offense that averaged 35.9 points per game and were lead by their Running Back Kevin Smith who had one of the best seasons a college football running back has ever had, rushing a record 450 times for 2,567 yards and 30 total touchdowns. UCF did most of their damage on the ground, as quarterback Kyle Israel threw for 2,173 yards and 15 touchdowns to his 11 interceptions.
Game Statistic Leaders
Passing Yards
TLSA
P. Smith28-55, 426 YDS, 3 TD, 3 INT
UCF
K. Israel6-13, 128 YDS
Rushing Yards
TLSA
T. Adams18 CAR, 41 YDS
UCF
K. Smith39 CAR, 284 YDS, 4 TD
Receiving Yards
TLSA
C. Clay6 REC, 112 YDS, 1 TD
UCF
R. Ross3 REC, 63 YDS
Team Statistics
| Matchup | Tulsa | UCF |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 24 | 18 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 8-21 | 3-10 |
| 4th down efficiency | 3-5 | 0-0 |
| Total Yards | 470 | 436 |
| Passing | 491 | 134 |
| Comp-Att | 29-57 | 6-13 |
| Yards per pass | 7.7 | 9.8 |
| Interceptions thrown | 3 | 0 |
| Rushing | 32 | 308 |
| Rushing Attempts | 35 | 49 |
| Yards per rush | 0.9 | 6.3 |
| Penalties | 8-74 | 3-25 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions thrown | 3 | 0 |
| Possession | 19:40 | 16:14 |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | TLSA | UCF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FG
10:54 Michael Torres 28 yard field goal GOOD. ucf drive: 7 plays 47 yards, 02:38 ucf fg, 2:38 |
0 | 3 | |
| PUNT
7:52 Michael Such punt for 43 yards, returned by Joe Burnett for 83 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. tulsa drive: 5 plays 1 yard, 03:02 tulsa punt, 3:02 |
0 | 9 | |
| XP
9:55 Michael Torres extra point GOOD. ucf drive: 1 play 83 yards, 00:00 ucf td, 0:00 |
0 | 10 | |
| PASS
4:58 Paul Smith pass complete to Charles Clay for 22 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. tulsa drive: 7 plays 65 yards, 02:54 tulsa td, 2:54 |
6 | 10 | |
| XP
4:58 Jarod Tracy extra point GOOD. tulsa drive: 7 plays 65 yards, 02:54 tulsa td, 2:54 |
7 | 10 | |
| PASS
1:56 Paul Smith pass complete to Jacob Collums for 8 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. tulsa drive: 5 plays 48 yards, 00:56 tulsa td, 0:56 |
13 | 10 | |
| SECOND QUARTER | TLSA | UCF | |
| RUSH
13:18 Kevin Smith rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. ucf drive: 8 plays 69 yards, 03:38 ucf td, 3:38 |
13 | 16 | |
| XP
13:18 Michael Torres extra point GOOD. ucf drive: 8 plays 69 yards, 03:38 ucf td, 3:38 |
13 | 17 | |
| RUSH
10:03 Kevin Smith rush for 46 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. ucf drive: 2 plays 69 yards, 00:29 ucf td, 0:29 |
13 | 24 | |
| XP
10:03 Michael Torres extra point GOOD. ucf drive: 2 plays 69 yards, 00:29 ucf td, 0:29 |
13 | 24 | |
| PASS
7:38 Paul Smith pass complete to Trae Johnson for 27 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. tulsa drive: 6 plays 72 yards, 02:25 tulsa td, 2:25 |
19 | 24 | |
| XP
7:38 Jarod Tracy extra point GOOD. tulsa drive: 6 plays 72 yards, 02:25 tulsa td, 2:25 |
20 | 24 | |
| RUSH
3:29 Kevin Smith rush for 4 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. ucf drive: 9 plays 69 yards, 04:09 ucf td, 4:09 |
20 | 30 | |
| XP
3:29 Michael Torres extra point GOOD. ucf drive: 9 plays 69 yards, 04:09 ucf td, 4:09 |
20 | 31 | |
| FG
1:38 Jarod Tracy 32 yard field goal GOOD. tulsa drive: 9 plays 50 yards, 01:51 tulsa fg, 1:51 |
23 | 31 | |
| THIRD QUARTER | TLSA | UCF | |
| FG
4:01 Michael Torres 21 yard field goal GOOD. ucf drive: 6 plays 36 yards, 02:50 ucf fg, 2:50 |
23 | 34 | |
| FG
0:03 Michael Torres 45 yard field goal GOOD. ucf drive: 7 plays 9 yards, 02:00 ucf fg, 2:00 |
23 | 37 | |
| FOURTH QUARTER | TLSA | UCF | |
| SF
10:56 Kyle Israel rush for a loss of 2 yards, fumbled in the endzone, recovered by Kyle Israel for a SAFETY. ucf drive: 1 play -2 yards, 00:05 ucf saf, 0:05 |
25 | 37 | |
| RUSH
7:12 Kevin Smith rush for 74 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. ucf drive: 4 plays 89 yards, 02:12 ucf td, 2:12 |
25 | 44 | |
| XP
7:12 Michael Torres extra point GOOD. ucf drive: 4 plays 89 yards, 02:12 ucf td, 2:12 |
25 | 44 | |
References
- "Tulsa can't contain Smith as UCF clinches first C-USA title". ESPN.com. The Walt Disney Company. 2007-12-01. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/central-florida/2007/splits/ 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2019-11-17
- https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/tulsa/2007.html 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2019-11-17
- https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup?gameId=273352116 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2019-11-17