Doomed season ends

Before the UCF football team played a single down in September, the Knights had already moved two quarterbacks to the receivers position, saw at least two players quit the team and lost their most experienced defensive tackle and one of their most experienced receivers due to injuries.

It was just the beginning, with the team sending its best cornerback, Chris Williams, home to Georgia to recover from a gunshot wound.

Head coach George O’Leary added interim athletics director duties to his plate, fueling more speculation about his future.

By the time USF ended UCF’s season with a 44-3 loss Thanksgiving night, the team’s media guide printed in July was almost wholly inaccurate.

Many of the players were long-time starters, helping win two conference championships and two bowl games.

But an 0-12 season wasn’t in his forecast.

“I didn’t think that we would be this bad,” Niles said. “Obviously we had very little experience on the team, and that can hurt you no matter who you are or where you are.”

So what happened? In simple terms, everything.

youngest team in the nation.

O’Leary said the team’s earlier NCAA sanctions created some recruiting limitations that manifested this season. Losing Breshad Perriman and Jacoby Glenn early to the NFL also hurt.

And while injuries are a common hurdle for every college football team, the Knights saw an unusually high number of injuries to key players.