2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Media Recap

2012 Media Recap Presented By

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Table of Contents

Media Recap Summary 4 Print & Online Media 6 Tampa Bay Times

UCF Knights top Ball State Cardinals in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl UCF Knights will savor playing Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals, 7:30 p.m. Friday, St. Petersburg Beef O’Brady’s Bowl draws college football fans from near and far Plant High grad Eric Patterson leads Ball State to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl UCF Knights lose Conference USA title, head to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

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The Tampa Bay Tribune

Bortles leads UCF to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s win 19

Orlando Sentinel

UCF rolls to bowl win, delivering sweet reward for seniors Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Preview: Knights look to get to 10 wins against Ball State Pictures: UCF vs. Ball State in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl UCF accepts bid to play in Beef ‘O’ Brady bowl, awaits opponent Beef O’Brady’s Bowl moves to Friday, Dec. 21

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The Star Press

Cardinals record falls to 0-7-1 in bowl games 28 Ball State football and the Mayans - a collision course?

29 Former Purdue star emphasizes values to Ball State players 30 BSU defensive tackles goes into game with heavy heart 32 Cardinal run game bulldozing foes 33 Former Ball State administrator welcomes Cardinals to his school for practice 34 BSU football seeks normalcy 35

SB Nation

2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl results: UCF eases past Ball State, 38-17 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Ball State vs. UCF game preview, location, history and more

Tampa Bay Business Journal

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl names Sirata Beach Resort media HQ

Observer

Knights dominate in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl win

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What to Watch For Between Now and the End of the Year in Florida Sports (December 20-January 7)

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Florida Sports Foundation The Daily

Ball State blown out in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Edwards expects even better things to come for Ball State in 2013 VIDEO: Ball State falls to UCF in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Three thoughts from Ball State’s 38-17 loss Bortles impressive in Central Florida victory Ball State students beat Central Florida in tug-of-war, eating competition Ball State students enjoying time in St. Petersburg Jarrett Swaby spending time with current, former teammates for bowl game Fan Fest 57

Central Florida Future

Football: UCF defeats Ball State in the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl UCF Knights and Ball State Cardinals set to face off Friday UCF leans on a veteran core of defensive backs as it prepares for a potent Ball State offense

Knight News

UCF Knights Dismantle Ball State 38-17, Win Beef UCF vs. Ball State: Live Updates of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Pete Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Preview: Keys to a Knight’s Victory UCF, Ball State Hit the Beach Before Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

Bleacher Report

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 2012: Grading Ball State and UCF’s Performances Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 2012: Ball State vs UCF Live Scores, Analysis and Results

The Examiner

UCF defeats Ball State 38-17 in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night UCF defeats Ball State 38-17 in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Donates Game Tickets to MacDill Air Force Base Ball State and UCF Selected for 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg ESPN and ESPN Radio to carry 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl ESPN moves Beef O’Brady’s Bowl to Friday night Dec 21 at Tropicana Field

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Pinellas Beaches Patch

Table of Contents

Sirata Beach Resort Chosen as Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Media HQ

Clearwater Patch

Youth Football Clinic Draws Mike Alstott, Dozens of Area Kids, Coaches Five Things to Know Today: Thursday, July 19 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg NCAA Youth Football Clinic Friday Seeking Participants

St. Pete Patch

UCF, Ball State to Square off in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

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Seminole Voice

Knights dominate in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl win 83

Pregame

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Odds: Central Florida Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals

Fox News

Behind Bortles, UCF blasts Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

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Radio & Television 87 CNBC

Beef O’Brady Gets Big Return on Bowl Game

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10 News Tampa Bay

Ball State Will Face UCF In Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 91 Preview Of Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 92 Making a Difference: Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl teams visit All Children’s Hospital 94 Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl - St. Petersburg NCAA Football Youth Day Clinic 95 Ball St., UCF ready for Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 96 Ball State battles UCF in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 97 Behind Bortles, UCF blasts Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 99

My Fox Tampa Bay

Ball State will face UCF in Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl Bortles shines for UCF in Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl

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Bright House Sports 102 WFTV

UCF Accepts Invite from Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 103 George O’Leary Talks Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 104 UCF Blasts Ball State In Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 105 RAW - UCF Prep For Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 106 UCF Preps for Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 107 UCF rolls to 38-17 win in Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl 108 UCF Blasts Ball State In Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 109

Ball State

BALL STATE SPORTS LINK 110

Examiner

UCF defeats Ball State 38-17 in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night

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Press Conference Attendees 113 Media Credential List 115 Press Releases/ Daily Recaps 117 2012 Daily Bowl Update Dec. 18 118 2012 Daily Bowl Update Dec. 19 120 2012 Daily Bowl Update Dec. 20 122 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Moves to Friday Night in 2012 124 Recording Artist Shelly Starks to Sing the National Anthem at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg 126 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Donates Game Tickets for Active Military Based at MacDill 127 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 2012 Talent Tryouts Winner Announced 128 2012 Team Welcome Press Conference 129 Two Heisman Trophy Winners Featured as Part of Telecast 131 Ball State Selected for 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg 132 UCF Accepts Conference USA spot in 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg 134 Bowl Teams Set to Visit All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg During Bowl Week 135 Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center Chosen As New Bowl Media Headquarters 136 2012 Game Tickets & Hospitality Packages Available Now 137 Heisman Trophy Winner Danny Wuerffel to Serve as Keynote Speaker at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Kickoff Luncheon 138 35 Past Players from Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg on NFL Rosters 139 2012 NCAA Youth Football Clinic 141 2012 Bowl Talent Tryouts Kick Off Friday Aug 31 142

Final Game Statistics 144

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Media Recap Summary Trifecta Team is proud to present our Media Recap for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.

Trifecta Team created and distributed 18 press releases and daily recaps on behalf of the bowl game to customized databases consisting of: Tampa Bay region Sports, Business and Entertainment media National college football media Media covering schools with the conferences affiliated with the bowl game Conference and School officials affiliated with the bowl game The initial bowl media event was the Team Welcome Press Conference on December 6. A full lineup of special guests was setup for Sports Talk Florida, which broadcast live from the press conference venue with the Charlie Bernstein Show. The guests included Brett Dulaney (Exec. Director of the Bowl), Mike Alstott (Honorary Game Chairman), Todd Stansbury (Athletic Director, UCF), George O’Leary (Head Coach, UCF), Bill Scholl (Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Ball State) and Pete Lembo (Head Coach, Ball State). Additionally, Trifecta Team coordinated and scripted the entire press conference format.

For Bowl Week 139 media received credentials to cover the events leading up to the game as well as the actual contest on Dec. 21.

The following pages showcase the coverage that the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg received in 2012 plus all of the press releases and daily recaps distributed to the media. The recap concludes with the final statistics package from this year’s game with UCF and Ball State.

Trifecta Team looks forward to continuing to provide our services for year-round media relations and presss opeations.

Jack Heilig

Partner, Trifecta Team Jack@TrifectaTeam.com 954-634-2299

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Media Coverage

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Print & Online Media

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December 21, 2012 By: Greg Auman 1 of 2

UCF Knights top Ball State Cardinals in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG — The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl marked Central Florida’s final act as a member of Conference USA, and the Knights made an impressive exit, with quarterback Blake Bortles putting on a show in a 38-17 romp over Ball State at Tropicana Field on Friday night.

East next year, scored on their first two drives, first on a Bortles pass to Latavius Murray to complete a drive that ate up 7:33, then on a Murray 2-yard run for a 13-0 lead.

“The message was ‘We’re going to control the football when we want to,’ “ coach George O’Leary said. “We did it the first two times we touched the ball. We took off (almost) eight minutes the first time we had the ball. That’s a lot for a team that wants to score points on the other side.”

“It’s huge,” said Bortles, a redshirt sophomore who earned MVP honors and set the bowl’s total offense record with 352 yards, throwing for 272 and rushing for 80. “Our main goal was to get a 10-win season and send these seniors out on a good note, but it also gives us a big boost going into the offseason.”

Bortles was at his best on third downs, converting 6-of-7 in the first half, including three on the opening drive, the first a 19-yard scramble to convert on third and 10.

His total offense record broke the 319 yards set

by USF’s Matt Grothe in 2008. Bortles matched a career high and a record for a St. Petersburg bowl game with three touchdown passes, and he added a fourth score on the ground.

After Ball State cut UCF’s lead to 13-7 in the second quarter, Bortles barreled through two defenders on third and goal for a 6-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead. He came through again on third and goal with a touchdown pass

The Knights (10-4), who join USF in the Big 7

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“(Bortles) scared me to death coming in, with his feet and his ability to escape the pocket and keep his eyes downfield and make plays,” Ball State coach Pete Lembo said. “He did that basically from the beginning of the game until the end.”

Willie Snead, the latter coming with 5:26 left in the game and the outcome long decided.

UCF dominated a team that beat USF and Indiana this season, holding the Cardinals to 10 yards in the opening quarter. The Cardinals (9-4) struggled to put together sustained drives.

They got an 82-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter but not much else.

UCF’s presence helped the bowl draw an announced crowd of 21,759, its best attendance since 2009, when UCF lost to Rutgers before a bowl-record crowd of 29,763.

The past two games drew announced crowds of just more than 20,000.

UCF’s 38 points are the third-most in the bowl’s short history. Rutgers scored 45 in beating UCF in 2009, USF 41 in routing Memphis in 2008.

Bortles of Oviedo has quietly had a huge season for the Knights. Counting Friday, he threw for 25 touchdowns and ran for eight, and he threw only seven interceptions.

It was the second bowl victory in UCF history, following a win against Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl. Ball State drops to 0-6 all time in bowl games, the most losses without a win for any Division I-A school, ESPN Stats and Info said.

Murray finished with three touchdowns, catching two scoring passes from Bortles and running for another to go with 73 yards on 21 carries.

UCF was facing a one-year postseason ban for major recruiting violations, but it is appealing those sanctions.

Ball State’s two touchdowns came on passes from quarterback Keith Wenning to receiver

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December 20, 2012 By: Greg Auman 1 of 2

UCF Knights will savor playing Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG — George O’Leary understands his UCF team could have taken its lumps, serving a one-year postseason ban this fall and entering the Big East next season with a clean slate.

calls for, and I think the president and athletic director made the right decision. I think we have a great case to fight.”

The appeal allowed UCF to be eligible to win Conference USA’s East Division. (It lost the title game after Tulsa blocked a field goal in overtime.)

However, as the Knights prepare for tonight’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl against Ball State at Tropicana Field, the veteran coach is excited to be playing in a bowl game and confident his team will be able to do the same next season.

And a win tonight gives UCF’s seniors 34, the school’s most in a four-year period. Just as important, playing a bowl game gave UCF extra practices to build momentum toward next season.

“I would never do that to the senior class,” O’Leary said Thursday of UCF’s decision to appeal the NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations, potentially pushing the bowl ban to 2013.

“You head into that offseason with a good taste in your mouth,” O’Leary said. “That’s what a bowl does. A lot of young kids have a good experience. A win leaves some confidence for the kids coming back, so they hit the offseason conditioning with a positive state of mind.”

“I think we did the right thing. I thought the sanctions were unwarranted for what we did.

We didn’t meet the criteria a postseason ban 9

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Ball State, like UCF, has nine wins, including over USF at home Sept. 22. But the most glaring difference is experience. O’Leary is in his 13th bowl while Cardinals coach Pete Lembo, a veteran of two Division I-AA playoff runs at Lehigh and one at Elon, is in his first.

The week leading up to kickoff is packed with activities that, while part of the bowl experience, can distract from a team’s focus.

Rutgers 45-24 in 2009, a game that saw current seniors playing as freshmen. Quincy McDuffie, who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns this year, had 165 yards on kickoff returns in the ‘09 game. Defensive back Kemal Ishmael had an interception and six tackles, and Largo High graduate Brynn Harvey rushed for 32 yards.

“I remember the first time I took a team to a bowl. They forgot we were playing a game that week,” O’Leary said, referencing the 1985 Cherry Bowl in Pontiac, Mich., when he was an assistant for a Syracuse team that lost 35-18 to Maryland. “It’s important that you have kids who have been to bowls before and understand what’s supposed to happen.”

UCF is the first team to return to Tropicana Field in the bowl’s five-year history. It lost to

O’Leary reminded his seniors this week that the final bowl game, good or bad, will stick in a player’s mind long after his career is over, so the memories forged tonight are important.

“Ten, 15 years from now, when you have a reunion, that’s the one you’re talking about,” O’Leary said. “I’m sorry to say our guys 20 years ago had bowls they still talk about as the last game they played. You play a bunch of great games, but this bowl game is the last one you remember.”

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December 20, 2012 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals, 7:30 p.m. Friday, St. Petersburg Tonight Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Who: UCF (9-4, 7-2 C-USA) vs. Ball State (9-3, 6-2 MAC) When/where: 7:30; Tropicana Field TV/radio: ESPN; 620-AM, 1350-AM Line: UCF by 7 Notable: The Knights seek to rebound from an overtime loss at Tulsa in the C-USA title game and finish with double-digit wins for the third time since moving up to Division I-A in 1996. The Cardinals seek their first bowl victory in their sixth attempt and third 10-win season in school history.

Bay area grads: UCF — * OL Robert Gibbons (Jesuit), RB Brynn Harvey (Largo), RT Phil Smith (Jesuit), DB Brendin Straubel (Jefferson), * OL Michael Wiszowaty (Countryside). Ball State — * CB Tyree Holder (Tampa Catholic); CB Eric Patterson (Plant). * Redshirting this season Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: UCF Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals, 7:30 p.m. Friday, St. Petersburg 12/20/12 [Last modified: Thursday, December 20, 2012 7:58pm] http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/beef-o-bradys-bowl-ucf-knights-vs-ball-state-cardinals730-pm-friday-st/1267038

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December 21, 2012 By: Dan Sullivan 1 of 2

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl draws college football fans from near and far ST. PETERSBURG — Along the sidewalks and past the clamor of the crowds donning mostly black and gold that spilled out of Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill, across the asphalt plane and in the shadow of the illuminated white dome of Tropicana Field, the most dedicated of fans braved the evening chill.

Some huddled under tents. Some gathered near flaming barbecue grills. Others stood with arms exposed in their college T-shirts sipping beers and embracing the cold breeze that greeted attendees Friday night at the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl.

It might have been the cold — it was a seasonable 56 degrees early in the evening, with temperatures expected to drop into the 40s — that tamed the tailgaters as they prepared for the face-off between the University of Central Florida Knights and the Ball State Cardinals. Or maybe these were teams with too much pride to arouse the ruckus seen at some other bowl games.

Still, the revelers rejoiced.

Under a high-flying flag bearing the Ball State logo, Tom Schuman joined his fellow alumni for a pregame reunion in Lot 6 outside the Trop. For Schuman, 50, the Bowl coincided almost perfectly with a family vacation he already had planned, starting with a cruise leaving Sunday out of Tampa.

“We came down early because of the bowl game,” said Schuman, who lives in Indianapolis, and who met his wife at his alma mater. “It’s been a really good year for Ball State and I think it’s going to be a good bowl. I’m hoping this is the first bowl game that they win.”

Though they were one of the few splashes of Cardinal red in a lot dominated by UCF Knights fans, the Ball Staters mirrored their fellow alums at watch parties across the country, said Matt Smith, president of the Ball State alumni chapter for Washington, D.C. “I was drawn here because I couldn’t miss it,” Smith said. “Everybody’s excited. They’ll see the Ball State flag and come by and say ‘hi.’”

Across the lot, standing alongside a tent tagged with a Knights logo, Andy Graber, 29, hurled beanbags in a solo game of corn toss while donning a UCF skull cap and long-sleeved shirt.

“I inherited my fandom,” Graber said, referring to his girlfriend, Lisa Zittel, a 2007 UCF alum. “She gets me to watch all the games.”

Zittel, 28, and a group of her fellow alums, including UCF nursing professor Christopher Blackwell, hold season tickets to Knights games. A lot of the time, that means driving across the state, and trekking across the college campus, to watch the game. But the Bowl game was close enough that Zittel walked from her nursing job in St. Petersburg.

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December 21, 2012 By: Dan Sullivan 2 of 2

“I’ve been to three bowl games and haven’t seen a win yet,” Zittel said. “Hopefully this will be it.”

Not far away, at another Ball State encampment, the pre-game celebration was a family affair for the Ginn’s of West Harrison, Ind. Dan and Debbie Ginn made the 16-hour trip south, with daughtersAmber and Becca, to support their eldest daughter, Leah, a Ball State student and athletic trainer for the team.

In St. Petersburg, they met up with Dan’s cousins, both local.

“We’re here because of Leah,” Debbie said. “But we’re proud of the team.” http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/beef-obradys-bowl-draws-college-football-fans-fromnear-and-far/1267270

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December 21, 2012 By: Joel Anderson 1 of 3

Plant High grad Eric Patterson leads Ball State to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl ST. PETERSBURG — The recruiting dance had been going on for a few months when Eric Patterson got a phone call from a USF assistant coach not long before signing day in 2011.

The coach told Patterson, then a defensive back for Plant High, he was too small. The Bulls were looking for bigger cornerbacks.

Patterson ultimately went off to Ball State with those words ringing in his ears. He remembered them — and the rejection from his hometown team— when the Mid-American Conference school hosted USF on Sept. 22.

On the final play of Ball State’s 31-27 win, Patterson made the clinching interception — the first of his career and final word to the staff that doubted his ability to play big-time college football.

“Not to knock on their game,” the 5-foot-10, 193-pound sophomore said, “but I feel like I’m better than all the corners that are there right now.”

Patterson returns to the bay area Friday, when Ball State takes on Central Florida in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl at Tropicana Field.

Much has changed since Patterson left Tampa for Muncie, Ind., in the summer of 2011. He is bigger, wiser, stronger, faster and more responsible than the 18-year-old recruit who first bedeviled his coaches at Plant then the staff at Ball State.

Patterson started nine games for the Cardinals this fall, tallying 60 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble. It was good enough to earn third-team all-MAC honors.

Away from the game, his coaches — old and new — said his fledgling maturity has shown up in the classroom and other areas of his life.

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December 21, 2012 By: Joel Anderson 2 of 3

“Coming in, it was kind of a shock for him,” Ball State defensive backs coach (and former Florida safety) Daryl Dixon said. “But from Day 1 to now, I can say Eric has changed his life.”

Even by his own account, Patterson has come a long way from the sometimes aimless teenager who struggled balancing schoolwork and football.

Things started to change soon after Patterson moved in with his grandmother before his junior year of high school, allowing him to transfer from Hillsborough to Plant.

“From the moment he got with us, he showed tremendous potential,” Plant coach Robert Weiner said. “It was a matter of getting him honed in and focused on what he had to do. We saw enough flashes that when he grew up and matured, we knew that he was going to be a really good player.”

That potential showed up in the spring of Patterson’s junior year, when he went up against current USF receiver and former Jefferson star Andre Davis in a jamboree featuring more than 15 players boasting scholarship offers.

Patterson allowed only a 30-yard reception despite giving up 5 inches in height to a player dubbed “Freak Show.” He broke up one fade pass in the end zone and knocked down two other passes intended for Davis.

“After the spring game, I really blew up,” said Patterson, who had offers only from Buffalo and Youngstown State at that point. “A lot of coaches started contacting me. But I had bad grades, so they told me when I get my grades up to give them a call.”

He followed up the breakout spring performance with a senior year that included 60 tackles, 22 pass breakups, an interception and two touchdowns, including an 87-yard kickoff return in the Class 5A semifinals.

Ball State coach Pete Lembo, who accepted the job in December 2010, offered Patterson a scholarship on the advice of Weiner, a friend who supplied him with a handful of recruits at his previous job, at Elon.

“We had a month to go out and recruit,” Lembo said. “You want to know what you’re getting, and so we went in and saw Bob (Weiner). Eric was still available. We got him up to Ball State, and he really liked it.”

The adjustment was initially difficult for Patterson, who wasn’t prepared for the slower pace of Muncie — “where I’m from, you don’t see cows out in the front yard,” he said — or the grind of being a college athlete.

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December 21, 2012 By: Joel Anderson 3 of 3

“When I came in as a freshman, I thought everything was a (joke),” Patterson said. “Here, you have to bring your A game every day.”

Said Lembo: “He wasn’t quite as consistent as you’d hope for.”

Last winter, Patterson finally resolved to become a student in the classroom and on the field. Then he came up with three goals: start, make an All-MAC team and get to the NFL. “Right now, I’ve got two of them,” he said.

His coaches point to the interception against USF as the turning point of his career.

“That was a huge play for him,” Dixon said.

“Everything came full circle for him right there,” Lembo said.

Patterson, of course, hopes to come up with a few more game-turning plays Friday. And maybe once again remind the school across the bay of what it missed out on.

“I’m too small,” he said, mocking the previous USF coaching staff’s assessment of him. “Seeing their cornerbacks this year, I just laugh about it.”

Joel Anderson can be reached at janderson@tampabay.com or Twitter @jdhometeam.

Plant High grad Eric Patterson leads Ball State to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 12/19/12 [Last modified: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 9:24pm] http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/plant-high-grad-eric-patterson-leads-ball-state-to-beef-obradys-bowl/1266860

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December 1, 2012 1 of 2

UCF Knights lose Conference USA title, head to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl TULSA, Okla. — UCF will head to the Big East next season without another Conference USA championship.

Alex Singleton ran for 100 yards and plunged over the top for a 1-yard score in overtime to lift Tulsa to a 33-27 victory over the Knights on Saturday for its first C-USA title and Liberty Bowl bid since 2005.

UCF (9-4) will play in the Dec. 21 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, against an opponent still to be determined.

“We’re both the best in the conference and it showed,” UCF offensive lineman Jordan Rae said.

“They made a couple more plays than we did. You have to give them credit.”

After Cory Dorris blocked Shawn Moffitt’s 38-yard field goal on UCF’s possession to start overtime, Tulsa (10-3) won it with five straight runs.

“We didn’t make plays when we needed to, both on offense and defense. It came down to one more stop or us putting the ball in the end zone one more time,” said running back Latavius Murray, who became the first UCF player to rush for touchdowns in eight straight games in a single season. That is tied for the second-best active streak in Division I-A, behind Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein.

Tulsa’s Trey Watts was named MVP after rushing for 134 yards and making the play of the game, surprising UCF by picking up a punt that appeared to be rolling dead and returning it 54 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 27 with 5:06 remaining. Watt is the son of former Oklahoma quarterback and congressman J.C. Watts.

Knights coach George O’Leary said players told him they thought they heard a whistle to stop the play, but said that was no excuse.

Blake Bortles threw for 194 yards and a pair of 8-yard touchdown passes to Breshad Perriman and Quincy McDuffie for UCF. He also ran for 60 yards and another score.

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December 1, 2012 2 of 2

“It’s very disappointing, to come that far, have it down in overtime, miss the field goal and have them score a touchdown,” Murray said. “We just have to do what we have to do and make sure we win the bowl game.”

In overtime, Tulsa limited Murray to short gains and forced an incompletion, leading to the blocked field goal.

It was the third time the teams have met in the C-USA title game since 2005. Tulsa won it in 2005, with the Knights taking the crown in 2007. The Golden Hurricane took the rubber match by winning the second meeting between the teams at H.A. Chapman Stadium in three weeks.

“It’s tough. We gave it our best and we came up short,” Rae said. “They beat us on one extra play.”

UCF Knights lose Conference USA title, head to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 12/01/12 [Last modified: Saturday, December 1, 2012 10:41pm] http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/ucf-knights-lose-conference-usa-title-head-to-beef-obradys-bowl/1264234

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December 22, 2012 By: Mike Camunas 1 of 2

Bortles leads UCF to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s win

ST. PETERSBURG Quarterback Blake Bortles threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as UCF dismantled Ball State 38-17 in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl on Friday night at Tropicana Field before a crowd of 21,759.

Bortles, a redshirt sophomore, went 22-for-33 for 272 yards and rushed nine times for a career-high 79 yards. Redshirt senior running back Latavuis Murray added 71 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and caught two touchdown passes from Bortles.

Bortles also hit J.J. Worton on a 7-yard scoring pass. With three touchdown passes, Bortles tied the bowl-game record set in 2008 by former USF quarterback Matt Grothe, who tossed three scores against Memphis.

With his stellar performance Friday, Bortles became the first UCF quarterback since 2002 to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season. Bortles finished 2012 with 3,059 yards.

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December 22, 2012 By: Mike Camunas 2 of 2

“Offensively, this is one of the best games we had all year,” Bortles said. “Everyone just really picked up and went and that’s why we won the way we did.”

Knights true freshman receiver Breshad Perriman caught five passes for a career-best 90 yards, including a big 45-yard catch in the second quarter that set up UCF’s fourth touchdown.

UCF (10-4) lost this bowl in 2009 to Rutgers, then coached by current Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano. This was also the Knights fifth bowl game in nine years under coach George O’ Leary.

UCF jumped to a 13-0 lead, thanks to a 7-yard pass from Bortles to Murray and then Murray added a 2-yard run.

Ball State answered with a 10-play, 82-yard drive that ended with a Keith Wenning 7-yard pass to Willie Snead. Wenning also hit Snead for a late 16-yard touchdown.

Before halftime, the Knights added two more scores: Bortles had a diving 6-yard QB scramble and then hit Murray on a 5-yard screen pass.

“Really impressed with (Bortles) and what he did and can do,” Ball State coach Pete Lembo said.

“He moved the ball downfield very easily and I’m sure (UCF) is excited to have him back for another two years.”

Ball State (9-4) is still seeking its first bowl win, having fallen short in nine tries. The Cardinals were appearing in a postseason game for the first time since the 2008 GMAC Bowl.

The Knights’ defense held Ball State to 286 yards — the Cardinals were averaging 471.3 per game, second in the MAC. Ball State had also scored 30 or more points 10 times this season.

UCF sacked Wenning three times, two going to Thomas Niles, while Jonathan Davis recovered a Jahwan Edwards fumble.

Wenning had 218 yards passing for Ball State.

http://www2.tbo.com/sports/usf-bulls/2012/dec/22/spsporto1-bortles-shines-for-ucf-in-bowlvictory-ar-589375/

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December 21, 2012 By: George Diaz 1 of 2

UCF rolls to bowl win, delivering sweet reward for seniors

ST. PETERSBURG — They did this for 20 young men. Twenty special players, in coach George O’Leary’s eyes, who deserved better than to sit home alone during the dizzying smorgasbord of holiday bowls.

Rob Calabrese, Quincy McDuffie, Troy Davis, Latavius Murray, Kemal Ishmael and the others.

Together, they helped orchestrate a historic bowl-game beatdown on Ball State Friday night at Tropicana Field. Does 38-17 over the Cardinals in the Beef` `O’ Brady’s Bowl sound convincing enough?

A 10-win season. Book it. Savor it. Relish it forever.

This is why O’Leary pushed UCF officials decided to appeal NCAA sanctions, delaying the process and any possible repercussions until next season.

“You’ll hear a lot about those guys,” O’Leary said after the game. “They’re going to be successful whether it’s football or life.”

They upheld their coach’s convictions by throttling a team that didn’t offer much resistance on either side of the ball

“The guys knew we were playing for the seniors,” Ishmael said. “We all had the same goal coming in. we knew what we wanted.”

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Playing Ball State before 21,759 fans in a domed stadium configured for baseball is most certainly not the top of the mountaintop in college football, but it’s the proverbial reward for those 20 young men who busted their tails for four years and gave blood, sweat and tears to the program.

when UCF appealed NCAA sanctions. Feeling bad for the upcoming senior class.

Did UCF make the right call in rewarding its seniors, or should it have taken the hit the season and enter the Big East — disheveled as it is — without any excess baggage?

“It’s Conference USA all over again,” said Keith Vetter, who made the short trip from Orlando.

The answer seems to be the latter for fans of the home team. It’s fair to say that the UCF fan base didn’t exactly add to Friday’s rush hour congestion along the I-4 corridor. The school sold a little more than 5,000 tickets out of an allotment of 8,000, although a number of UCF fans bought tickets through a secondary market for a lesser price.

“I’ve always said this, it’s not important who you’re playing it’s that you’re playing,” O’Leary said earlier this week. “And I think when the fan base understands that one concept I think we’ll be fine.”

Among the true believers Friday were four men who huddled around everyone’s favorite tailgating accessories — pizza and beer — to reflect on the past, present and future of the football program.

And the persistent, nagging question: What’s up with the Big East, and should the Knights remain committed to moving there next season?

This is UCF’s plight: A school that has outgrown its “happy to be here” expectations.

The Knights covet college football’s big stage.

But these are treacherous, baby steps in the new landscape, bound by a cut-throat survival of the fittest.

They will leave Conference-USA — their home since 2005 — in hopes of upgrading their national profile in the Big East, which is beset by schools that are bolting and uncertainty about the actual configuration in 2013.

“The sleeping giant is still sleeping,” said Rob Vetter, Keith’s son. “We need to think about the next level.”

These will be discussions and conversations for another day. Friday night was all about 20 seniors wearing black and gold one final time and showing their true colors.

The night belonged to them, and rightfully so.

They offered the usual mixed bag of emotions of UCF fans: Happy to see the team win nine games and advance to a bowl game.

Disappointed it couldn’t have been a higherprofile opponent than Ball State. Happy for the seniors who didn’t lose a bowl opportunity 22

December 21, 2012

By Paul Tenorio 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Preview: Knights look to get to 10 wins against Ball State Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Ball State vs. UCF, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. TV: ESPN Pictures: UFC at Amway Center Weather: 56 degrees. 0% rain chance.

Online: OrlandoSentinel.com/sports/blogs/knights-notepad, @osknights or #osucf Quick slant: The Knights have a chance to build some momentum as they prepare to move on to the Big East, while the Cardinals hope to win a bowl game for the first time in program history.

About UCF: The memory of its Conference USA championship loss to Tulsa is three weeks old, enough separation for the Knights to bounce back properly against their MAC opponent. Expect the Knights to go after a Ball State defense that struggled this season, perhaps opening up the playbook a bit more.

About Ball State: The Cardinals will be boosted by the return of QB Keith Wenning, who is returning from a fractured ankle. Wenning passed for 2,878 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Ball State will also lean heavily on RB Jahwan Edwards (1,321 rushing yards).

What to watch: Spread things out. The Knights could come out with multiple receivers as they try to get gamebreaking speed on the field with Rannell Hall, Breshad Perriman and Quincy McDuffie. Ball State gave up 253.9 yards per game through the air this season.

Stay disciplined on defense. Hidden yardage was a term used far too often to describe defensive struggles, and Ball State averages 214.25 rushing yards per game. The Knights have to play assignment football in the front seven and be sound in their tackling.

Win the turnover battle. This has been the major difference-maker all season for UCF, which has a differential of plus-11. Ball State, meanwhile, had to get back to the basics during the bowl break after finishing the season at minus-2 with just 14 takeaways all season long.

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December 21, 2012 By: Stephen M. Dowell 1 of 1

Pictures: UCF vs. Ball State in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl UCF versus Ball State ( Stephen M. Dowell / December 21, 2012 ) UCF players celebrate after winning the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl game of UCF versus Ball State at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Friday, December 21, 2012. UCF won the game 3817.

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December 1, 2012 By: Paul Tenorio 1 of 2

UCF accepts bid to play in Beef ‘O’ Brady bowl, awaits opponent

As expected, UCF formally accepted a bid Saturday to play in the Beef ‘O’ Brady Bowl in St. Petersburg following its 33-27 overtime loss to Tulsa in the Conference USA championship game.

“We’re looking forward to having UCF back in our bowl this year,” Brett Dulaney, executive director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, said in a release. “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.”

It will be the fifth time in program history that the Knights have gone bowling. The Knights (9-4) lost 25

December 1, 2012 By: Paul Tenorio 2 of 2

to Rutgers, 45-24, in the St. Petersburg Bowl in 2009.

“Playing in the postseason is special for our student-athletes, our program, and our fans,” UCF athletic director Todd Stansbury said in a press release. “We know the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl provides a positive experience for everyone involved.”

The Knights opponent will depend on some Saturday results.

If UConn and Pitt both win on Saturday, UCF will likely play a Big East opponent. That does not appear a likely scenario as UConn was trailing Cincinnatti by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

UCF would still have a shot to play Pitt if the Panthers defeat USF later tonight.

If UCF does not play a Big East opponent, it will likely end up playing a team from the MAC. There are a number of options there, including Bowling Green, Ball State, Toledo, Ohio and Central Michigan.

The opponent will be officially announced on Sunday.

E-mail Paul Tenorio at ptenorio@orlandosentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @OSKnights. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/blogs/knights-notepad/os-ucf-ucf-accepts-bid-to-play-inbeef-o-brady-bowl-awaits-opponent-20121201,0,1472431.post

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May 1, 2012 By: Matt Murschel 1 of 1

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl moves to Friday, Dec. 21 Looking to draw more fan participation, the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl announced on Tuesday that this year’s game would be featured on a Friday night.

The bowl game, which is played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., will kick off on Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. The game traditionally features a matchup between Big East and Conference USA opponents.

“The Friday primetime kickoff will enable more fans from our community to attend the game while also showcasing our market to a national viewing audience on ESPN,” said Brett Dulaney, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director. “The switch to Friday night should be beneficial for the St. Petersburg tourism industry as well. Teams will arrive earlier in the week with their fans, filling up hotel rooms and restaurants during a week that is typically one of the slower tourism weeks.”

Follow me on Twitter: osmattmurschel http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/2012/05/beef-obradys-bowl-moves-to-friday.html

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December 22, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 1

Cardinals record falls to 0-7-1 in bowl games

The poise, play-making ability, and mental and physical skill Blake Bortles displayed Friday night belied his experience.

The Central Florida sophomore quarterback, who became a first-year starter this season, led an offense that befuddled Ball State’s football team most of the game in the fifth annual Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl.

The Knights’ multiple-look offense maneuvered Ball State into spots where it couldn’t find all of UCF’s offensive options. Sometimes, even when the Cardinals found them, they were unable to keep up with the athleticism of their counterparts. ...

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December 21, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 1

Ball State football and the Mayans - a collision course?

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Today is Dec. 21. Welcome to Doomsday.

That is if you believe the Mayan philosophy that the world will explode into dust. Hey, so far, so good. But just in case the Mayans missed the termination by several hours and the universe actually dissolves later today, it could result in an early finish to Ball State’s bowl game tonight against Central Florida.

So if you play college football for Ball State, what would you want as your final play? Big moment, big spot, then poof - the world is gone. ...

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December 20, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 2

Former Purdue star emphasizes values to Ball State players

Former Purdue standout Mike Alstott (right) shakes hands with Ball State’s Travis Freeman Thursday as Ball State football players, cheerleaders and Charley Cardinal visited the All Children’s Hospital on Dec. 20, 2012. The team visited with several children and their families. Athletes handed out hats and shirts or just waved to children who couldn’t take visitors.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ball State’s football players who visited children in a local hospital Thursday morning were introduced to a player who had a memorable career in Indiana and the NFL. Former Purdue University star and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott joined players from Ball State and Central Florida during a visit with kids at All Children’s Hospital.

Alstott, a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection at fullback and Super Bowl champion in 2002 during a 1230

December 20, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 2 of 2

year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a familiar face around the hospital. He and his wife, Nicole, make plenty of visits ...

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December 20, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 1

BSU defensive tackles goes into game with heavy heart ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ball State defensive tackle Nate Ollie will be playing with a heavy heart Friday when the Cardinals play their first football bowl game in four years.

Ollie will take the field in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl 12 days after his father, Anthony, died in Chicago following a brief illness.

“He was a big follower of our games,” Ollie said. “He would TiVo games and when I went home, he’d say, ‘I recorded your game, do you want to watch it?’ ...

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December 19, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 1

Cardinal run game bulldozing foes

Ball State running backs coach Justin Lustig can’t define “it” as related to the talents of a football player. But he knows Cardinals sophomore tailback Jahwan Edwards embodies whatever “it” means.

Lustig saw “it” during the Cardinals’ 30-24 overtime victory against Western Michigan on Oct. 13 when Edwards pranced into the end zone on a game-winning, 15-yard run, brushing off Bronco defenders like flies.

“He came off the field and said, ‘I knew they were going to try to strip the ball because they just missed a field goal, and if I keep my pads low and stay on my feet, I can drag them all in the end ...

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December 19, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 1

Former Ball State administrator welcomes Cardinals to his school for practices ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ball State found an old friend upon its arrival this week to prepare for the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl game.

The Cardinals conducted their Monday and Tuesday practices at Clearwater Central Catholic High School. Dick Falls, former senior deputy athletic director at Ball State, is director of advancement at Central Catholic.

Falls offered his school’s field to Penn State before the 2011 Outback Bowl. The Nittany Lions worked out at the facility for a week before moving to a practice facility arranged by the Outback Bowl the week of the game. ...

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December 18, 2012 By: Doug Zaleski 1 of 1

BSU football seeks normalcy

One of the main concerns football coaches have when they take their teams to bowl games is the level of focus the players maintain throughout a week that is anything but typical.

Players take in activities that are far out of their usual routine and then quickly must revert to some kind of normalcy in a football sense.

That’s the challenge for Ball State this week as it prepares to play Central Florida on Friday in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in Tropicana Field. ...

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December 21, 2012

By Chris Fuhrmeister 1 of 1

2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl results: UCF eases past Ball State, 38-17

Central Florida had little trouble with Ball State, claiming a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl victory.

The Central Florida Knights picked up their second-ever bowl win Friday night, defeating the Ball State Cardinals, 38-17, in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl at Tropicana Field.

As the final score indicates, the Knights (10-4) dominated the stat sheet. Central Florida outgained Ball State (9-4), 494-286, and finished with 31 first downs, compared to 23 for the Cardinals. UCF was 9 of 12 on third downs, while Ball State was just 3 of 9. The Knights had a huge advantage in the run game, picking up 223 yards, compared to Ball State’s 68.

Quarterback Blake Bortles and running back Latavius Murray had big games for UCF. Bortles was 22 of 32 for 271 yards and three touchdowns, and he rushed nine times for 79 yards and another score. Murray picked up 73 yards and a TD on 21 carries, and he caught six passes for 32 yards and two more touchdowns.

Keith Wenning completed 22 of 34 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals.

Jahwan Edwards rushed 14 times for 89 yards, and Willie Snead hauled in seven catches for 78 yards and two scores.

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December 21, 2012 By: Tim Blank 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Ball State vs. UCF game preview, location, history and more The Central Florida Knights play the Ball St. Cardinals in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., Friday night. The Knights enter the game with an opportunity to win 10 games in a season for only the third time in school history while the Cardinals are looking for their first ever bowl game victory in their sixth attempt.

The Knights are led in this game by quarterback Blake Bortles who has thrown for 2,787 with 22 The Central Florida Knights play the Ball St. Cardinals touchdowns in the Knights’ run-first offense. in Friday night’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Where can fans On the other side. the Cardinals are led by watch or listen to the game and who won last year’s quarterback Keith Wenning who has thrown for Bowl game?

2,878 yards and 22 touchdowns as well.

Other notable offensive players, according to Bill Connelly of SB Nation, include the Knights Latavius Murray, who scored nine touchdowns and ran for 714 yards in his last five games, excluding games against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. As for the Cardinals, Connelly highlights wide receiver Willie Snead, who has caught more than1,000 yards from Wenning this season.

Game date and time Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m.

Location Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. Spread Knights favored by seven points, according to OddsShark.com TV schedule/Online option ESPN/WatchESPN App. Radio schedule WYGM 740 AM Orlando and other UCF IMG Sports Network affiliates 37

October 23, 2013 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl names Sirata Beach Resort media HQ The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl has named the Sirata Beach Resort and Conference Center in St. Pete Beach its media headquarters for the 2012 game.

The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, featuring teams from the Big East and Conference USA, is scheduled at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Dec. 21. It is an ESPN Regional Television-owned bowl game.

The “Bowl Media Center” will be located in the Sirata’s conference center building and will serve as the media hub from Dec. 18-21.

The previous year’s headquarters was Hotel Indigo in downtown St. Petersburg. http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2012/10/23/beef-o-bradys-bowl-names-sirata. html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2012-10-23

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December 26, 2012 By: Isaac Babcock 1 of 2

Knights dominate in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl win

Four quarters of explosive offense led to the UCF Knights’ second ever bowl win by a much more impressive margin than the first. With a 38-17 score on the board in St. Petersburg, the Knights walked off Tropicana Field victorious over Ball State in grand style in their final game as a Conference USA team.

Quarterback Blake Bortles electrified UCF’s offense from the start, converting a crucial third down to keep the Knights’ first drive alive, and going on to pass or run for 352 of the Knights’ 494 total yards — the second most team yardage in a game this year.

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Bortles was particularly prolific, averaging 8.2 yards per pass attempt, 12.4 yards per pass completion, and 8.9 yards per run. The Knights on the whole averaged 6.6 yards per play on the day.

And they made things happen when it counted, converting 9 of 12 third downs, more than double the rate of Ball State.

Bortles’ big run on the third play of the game may have set the Knights’ offensive tone. After two botched run attempts that sent the Knights into negative yardage, Bortles took the ball on a third down and 12 yard play and ran for 19 yards up the left side for the first down. Ten plays later, the Knights were in the end zone.

The UCF defense meanwhile went to work stuffing Ball State, forcing two punts and a botched field goal in the first half while shutting down big plays. Neither team would have an offensive play that went 50 yards or more in the game. Breshad Perriman’s 45 yard reception that would cross the field and set up a UCF touchdown would be nearly twice as long as any other pass of the game. Perriman’s 90 yards ended up the most of the game by any receiver.

The win closed out the Knights’ season with one of their best records in team history at 10-4, sending them into the next season with high hopes, though a very large senior class will result in some big losses in their lineup. Next year they’ll join the Big East, which is still working through what its team lineup may be in the near future. For the Knights, who deferred NCAA punishment for recruitment violations, next year may not see a postseason. http://www.wpmobserver.com/news/2012/dec/26/knights-dominate-beef-obradys-bowl-win/

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December 20, 2012 1 of 4

What to Watch For Between Now and the End of the Year in Florida Sports (December 20-January 7)

The 2012 Calendar Year comes to a close in Florida with the College Football Lovers Dream Come True.

The seven-game Florida College Football Bowl Season kicks off tomorrow night in St. Petersburg when the University of Central Florida Knights meet the Ball State Cardinals in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in the Tropicana Dome.

It ends the night of January 7 when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Alabama Crimson Tide battle it out for the BCS National Championship.

During those 17 days, more than 400,000 football fans, representing 10 states, will pack five Florida stadiums for college football action and bring more than $400 million in economic impact to the state.

Besides the action on the field, Florida’s college football bowl games offers visiting players, staff and fans various ways to enjoy the Sunshine state. Here’s a sample.

Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl Beach Bash – On St. Pete Beach Ball State and UCF spent an afternoon enjoying the wonderful scenery of St. Pete Beach. The teams participated in numerous activities, including paddle boarding, beach volleyball, and a dunk tank. The teams then gathered at Rum Runners Pool, where they competed in multiple competitions, including the 41

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popular belly flop contest.

Battle of the Bands: The UCF and Ball State bands will battle on the white sands of St. Pete Beach at the Sirata resort. Fans, cheerleaders, and mascots will be attending in beach attire for the festivities. Cheerleaders will compete in a tug-o-war and the bands will compete in an eating contest at the Coconut Pavilion.

Capital One Bowl Day with the Kids Players and coaches from Georgia and Nebraska meet at DisneyQuest for Day for Kids, a charity event with the Florida Citrus Sports Foundation. The Cornhuskers and Bulldogs take time out of their Capital One Bowl preparations to spend some time with disadvantaged children from around Central Florida.

“You always want to give back,” said Nebraska head coach Bo Pellini, after the 2011 event. “The kids in our program understand that. Many of them don’t come from a lot either. This gives them a chance to be around some kids who have also had a rough go of it.”

The children are paired off with players and set loose on DisneyQuest, a five-story arcade at Downtown Disney in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. From Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters on the third floor, down to the Virtual Jungle Cruise on the first, and up to Ride the Comix on the fourth, the kids and players race around at a pace that makes a regular practice session seem relaxed.

Outback Bowl Beach Day in Clearwater Of all the annual traditions of Outback Bowl Week perhaps the most popular for thousands of visiting fans is when they join the teams, college bands, cheerleaders and local residents for Clearwater Beach Day. This year’s event will be held Sunday, December 30th and feature performances by the Michigan and South Carolina marching bands and cheerleader squads. The day also includes live music on stage, the Budweiser skydiving team, a tug-of-war contest between the cheerleading squads, and even a pie eating contest among fans.

Orange Bowl and BCA National Championship Game The Orange Bowl features multi-platinum recording rapper and singer-songwriter Flo Rida performing at the Discover Championship Fan Experience presented by Bud Light & Dr Pepper, taking place January 5-6, 2013.

The free, two-day family-friendly fan experience created by the Orange Bowl as a community celebration of the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game, will take place on famed South

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Beach, and feature a Sunday evening performance by Flo Rida. Additional performances by some of the music industry’s hottest artists will be announced at a later date.

In addition to the exciting musical entertainment, fans of all ages will enjoy an interactive “fan area,” featuring inflatables, a zip line, games and more, as well as performances by National Championship team bands, cheerleaders and local talent. Fans will also have the opportunity to take a free photo with The Coaches’ Trophy Presented by Dr Pepper. The Discover Championship Fan Experience presented by Bud Light & Dr Pepper will take place from Noon – 8 p.m. on Ocean Drive between 7th and 10th Street. Admission to the Discover Championship Fan Experience presented by Bud Light & Dr Pepper is free and open to the public.

U.S. Women to Face Scotland on Feb. 9 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville The U.S. Women’s National Team match meets Scotland on Saturday, Feb. 9, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, with a 5:00 p.m. kickoff.

The U.S. Women’s team features members of the U.S. World Cup and Olympic teams, including Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe (roster subject to change).

In May, EverBank Field hosted the U.S. Men’s Soccer National Team vs. Scotland with more than 40.000 in attendance.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and go on sale, Friday, December21 to the public.

2013 is 125th Anniversary of Spring Training Baseball in Florida When the calendar turns to 2013, the countdown to Major League Baseball’s magical phrase, “Pitchers and Catchers reporting date” will be on the minds of baseball fans and Florida Spring Training Parks will begin sprucing up for the 2013 Spring Training season, the celebration of 125 years of Spring Training Baseball in Florida.

Schedules are currently available for the 15 teams who call Florida home during the month of March and tickets are already on sale for the season that begins the weekend of February 23, 2013 and many teams already have tickets, or ticket packages, available for purchase.

Since the 2012 season ended, that drew more than 1.5 million fans to 14 Florida locations, plenty has happened to enhance Florida’s reputation as the state celebrates the 125th Anniversary of the Washington Nationals venturing south to prepare for the 1888 season.

Bradenton’s McKechnie Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is being renovated to include an outfield boardwalk and party area. It is the first phase of a four phase renovation. Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, home of the Minnesota Twins, was approved for renovations and the Twins agreed to a 30-year extension to their current lease.

In this, the final “What to Watch For This Week In Florida Sports,” of 2012, The Florida Sports Foundation would like to thank you for your support throughout the year. We also wish you a Happy Holiday Season and look forward to another exciting year of Sports in Florida in 2013.

Florida Sports Foundation Director of Communications, Nick Gandy.

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Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit www.flasports. com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play. http://floridasportsfoundation.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/what-to-watch-for-between-now-and-theend-of-the-year-in-florida-sports-december-20-january-7/

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December 22, 2012 By: Andrew Mishler 1 of 2

Ball State blown out in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- All season long Ball State had been a dangerous team when it came to scoring points in the third quarter.

But in Friday night’s 38-17 loss to Central Florida in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Ball State started off the third quarter in a nightmare fashion when running back Jahwan Edwards fumbled.

That single play summarized how the bowl game went for Ball State.

“I don’t think it was anything they did, it was more us,” linebacker Travis Freeman said after the game. “We had a lot of missed opportunities.”

Senior linebacker Travis Freeman heads back into the locker room after the Ball State defeat to Central Florida. The Cardinals were defeated 38-17 in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Friday night. DN PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS

Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity Ball State had the entire night was late in the second quarter.

Trailing 21-7, Ball State used a 27yard run by Edwards to get into the red zone. The offense would get down to the Central Florida seven-yard line before a sack forced a field goal attempt.

Kicker Steven Schott missed the 35-yard try wide left and Ball State was left with a missed opportunity.

“That was critical,” coach Pete Lembo said. “That was a good drive. We converted some third downs and stayed alive. Absolutely would have loved to come away with a touchdown there but a minimum you have to come away with three.”

Lembo said that drive wasn’t the deciding point of the game, but it made the game that much tougher when Central Florida responded by scoring a fourth touchdown 50 seconds later to end the first half.

And Ball State never got any closer than 18 points the rest of the game.

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Running back Latavius Murray was the focal point of Central Florida’s offense the entire season, but it was quarterback Blake Bortles that led his team its second bowl win in school history.

Bortles handled Ball State’s defense easily throughout the entire game. He consistently had plenty of time to go sit in the pocket, evaded Ball State’s blitzes and extended the plays that resulted in touchdowns. He finished the game with 272 passing yards and three touchdowns.

He also ran for a touchdown in the second quarter, bowling over Freeman for the final two yards into the end zone.

“It became a problem with [Bortles] scrambling around and making plays,” Freeman said. “But I think it was a lack of detail. When you don’t do that, things like that are going to happen on the football field.”

Ball State will head back to Muncie still without the program’s first bowl victory. But the loss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl won’t take away what the team was able to accomplish in the 2012 season.

The team won nine games on the season, the most since 2008 and boasted a 1,000-yard running back for the first time since that season as well.

As Edwards put it after the game, the future for Ball State football is bright.

“I think we’ll be pretty decent next year,” he said.

http://bsudaily.com/Content/Default/HomepageRotator/Article/BOWLEDOVER/-3/8/33807

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December 22, 2012 By: Andrew Mishler 1 of 2

Edwards expects even better things to come for Ball State in 2013 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Losing a bowl game 38-17 should be a disastrous scenario for any college football running back.

It only makes matters worse for one to know four of the team’s five starters on the offensive line will graduate before next season.

Yet somehow, Ball State running back Jahwan Edwards looked past any anxiety after his team lost the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl to Central Florida on Friday night.

All it took was for him to remember the talented players he still had around him.

Ball State running back Jahwan Edwards celebrates with a teammate after scoring a touchdown. DN PHOTO COREY OHLENKAMP

“You always expect progress,” he said. “Even though the offensive line is gone, the skill players are more senior now. I expect Keith Wenning to be better. I expect me to be better. I expect Jamill Smith to be better. I expect Connor (Ryan) to be better – just all across the boards. Zane Fakes.”

Edwards also said he expects redshirt freshman center Jacob Richard and redshirt freshman guard Jalen Schlachter to make impacts a new members on the offensive line next season.

Then Edwards was reminded of another up-and-coming player on offense: true freshman wide receiver KeVonn Mabon.

“Oh, yeah, Mabon is a talented kid,” he said. “I felt like he should have played more, but coaches didn’t feel like he was ready. What got him a lot of playing time on offense was he busts his tail on special teams. He’s a hard worker and it shows on the field.”

Mabon finished the game with three catches for 30 yards, extending his first-year statistics to 23 receptions, 335 yards, two touchdowns and a 15.3 yards per catch average.

Even though Wenning didn’t utilize Mabon often in games, Edwards saw enough dynamic abilities from Mabon in practice to know how good of a player he can become next season.

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“Mabon will be in the mix next year, I can bet you that,” he said.

Edwards could only talk up players he only saw in practice so much, however. The most talented young players he could point out were the ones dishing out hits to him in practice.

“Let me tell you something about the defense for next year … I go against the developmental squad every day, and those safeties are so physical when they’re coming up to hit,” he said. “They’re not afraid to hit me, and that’s what I like about them.

“I know a lot of guys out here, when I run up to them their eyes get big. Who knows what’s going to happen. But these guys hit me hard.”

Edwards said freshmen safeties Aaron Taylor, Dae’Shaun Hurley and Martez Hester and freshmen cornerback Tyree Holder were a few of those players who have made impressions on him this season.

While many familiar names won’t be on the team next season, new names, like Edwards when he was a freshman, will eventually take their place.

“I know they’re fearless, and I’m ready to see them get the job done.”

http://bsudaily.com/Content/Sports/Football/Article/ EdwardsexpectsevenbetterthingstocomeforBallStatein2013/4/49/33808

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December 22, 2012 By: Kellan Deam 1 of 1

VIDEO: Ball State falls to UCF in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

http://bsudaily.com/Content/Sports/Football/Article/ VIDEOBallStatefallstoUCFintheBeefOBradysBowl/4/49/33809

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December 21, 2012 By: Mat Mikesell 1 of 2

Three thoughts from Ball State’s 38-17 loss Bortles impressive in Central Florida victory Three thoughts from Ball State’s loss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Final score: Central Florida 38, Ball State 10 Blake Bortles impressive against Ball State defense While running back Latavius Murray is the focus of the Central Florida offense, quarterback Blake Bortles made easy work of Ball State’s defense all game long. Bortles consistently had plenty of time to Central Florida Running Back Latavius Murray gains yardage after sit in the pocket and scan his wide blowing past Ball States defense at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. receivers and was able to scramble to either extend the play or run the ball. He Petersburg, Florida on Dec. 21. The score leading into the half is 2817 DN PHOTO COREY OHLENKAMP easily avoided any pressure Ball State could get on him and even juked lineman Brandon Newman on his sack attempt.

Bortles finished the game with 271 and three touchdown passes. He also ran for a touchdown that involved overpowering linebacker Travis Freeman on his way to the end zone.

Central Florida shuts down Ball State offense Ball State came into the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl averaging 35 points per game on the season. Central Florida would only allow Ball State to score 17 points in the game. The Knights’ secondary did an excellent job of covering Ball State’s wide receivers, holding Jamill Smith quiet the entire game.

The defensive line was also able to get pressure on quarterback Keith Wenning, getting sacks and tipping several passes at the line of scrimmage. The only touchdowns for Ball State came when Wenning was able to find wide receiver Willie Snead for seven and 16-yard touchdown passes.

Crowd at Tropicana Field heavily favored Central Florida

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Central Florida fans only had to make a two hour drive from its campus to Tropicana Field, which made for a home game feel for the team. Of the 21,759 fans in attendance, more than half were wearing black and gold and let themselves be heard throughout the game. Ball State did have a decent showing of fans and students that made the trip to St. Petersburg, Fla., but were easily drowned out by the Central Florida fans. Central Florida used the atmosphere to its advantage and scored on three of its first four possessions to put early pressure on Ball State. http://bsudaily.com/Content/Sports/Football/Article/ ThreethoughtsfromBallStates3817loss/4/49/33805

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December 20, 2012 1 of 1

Ball State students beat Central Florida in tug-of-war, eating competition

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl festivities on Thursday started with a “Battle of the Bands” and ended with Ball State president Jo Ann Gora showing off her dance moves.

Band members from the Central Florida marching band stood in groups on the beach, tuning their instruments in front of the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Petersburg on Thursday afternoon. Some tuba players stood in the surf while saxophone players planted themselves farther away from the water.

As the band prepared to play, a Central Florida student rushed over to the saxophone players, pointing in the opposite direction. The Pride of Mid-America Marching Band was marching down the shoreline.

“The redcoats are coming!”

The two marching bands met for a “Battle of the Bands” on Thursday as part of the planned event surrounding the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. The two bands – along with cheerleaders and flag corps members – traded songs back and forth before challenging each other in multiple rounds of tug-ofwar and an eating contest.

While no winner was announced for the music portion of the event, Ball State students defeated Central Florida in 4 out of 5 tug-of-war matches and the eating contest.

Near the end of the “Battle of the Bands” festivities, students began dancing on a small stage set up near the beach. When students noticed Ball State President Jo Ann Gora talking with a small group of people nearby, they convinced her to join them on stage. Gora danced with students for a few minutes before leaving the stage.

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December 20, 2012 By: Mat Mikesell 1 of 2

Ball State students enjoying time in St. Petersburg ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For a group of dedicated Ball State students, the location of the football team’s bowl game destiny didn’t matter to them.

When it was revealed Ball State was headed to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, sophomore history major Erik Jones immediately looked on the internet for the cheapest way to get to St. Petersburg, Fla. But he wasn’t coming up with anything in his price range.

“The second they announced it we immediately looked up prices,” Jones said. “To get any flights its $600 roundtrip.”

That’s when Ball State announced its student package: round trip travel, hotel, game ticket and souvenirs for at most $300.

For Jones and his three friends, Jeremy Murtz, Tyler Noragon and Ryan Wiaranowski, the offer was too good to pass up. The group of them were the first four students to sign up for the package.

“We might not get another opportunity to do this, and the fact it’s in St. Petersburg,” Jones said. “It’s a heck of a deal.”

But the trip almost never happened. The school made a deadline of 36 students by Friday, Dec. 14 or the trip could be canceled. Two days before the deadline, only 20 students had signed up for the package.

The group was worried that the trip wouldn’t reach its minimum, but a rush of students in the final days allowed the trip to still happen.

“We were kind of screwed if it fell through,” Wiaranowski, a sophomore journalism graphics major said. “We really wanted to come. It was a once in a life time opportunity almost. It’s not often a school gets to go to a bowl game.”

The group of 40-some students left Muncie at 10 p.m. Tuesday and arrived at the Alden Beach Resort at 6 p.m. Wednesday after making a bus driver change, stopping to eat and getting caught up in traffic.

The bowl game isn’t until Friday night, but in the meantime the group is spending time on the beach that’s just steps from their hotel room and enjoy the bowl game events.

But even with the price and logistics of the bowl game, the group said they were disappointed at the number of students that signed up for the package.

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“We should have five buses just of students coming to this,” Jones said. “We got one bus and we had to struggle to get there. It’s been upsetting for me that there’s a real lack of support for the team when they’re really darn good.”

But the group of Jones, Wiaranowski, Noragon and Murtz aren’t going to let the number of students in St. Petersburg ruin their time. They’re making the trip one of the best experiences of their time in college.

http://bsudaily.com/Content/Sports/Football/Article/ BallStatestudentsenjoyingtimeinStPetersburg/4/49/33780

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December 20, 2012 By: Andrew Mishler 1 of 2

Jarrett Swaby spending time with current, former teammates for bowl game ST PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jarrett Swaby is in a seemingly awkward position this week.

Since Monday, the Ball State safety has been enjoying pre-game festivities like beach parties and player cruises for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl with his teammates. But that doesn’t just include his teammates at Ball State.

It also includes his former teammates at Central Florida, which Ball State will play against Friday.

“I’ve been away for a long time,” Swaby said.

From 2009-11, Swabby played safety for Central Florida. He didn’t have much to show for his time there, registering only 12 tackles in 11 games in 2011 after he recorded zero stats in 2010. He redshirted in 2009.

Instead, Swaby’s most impressive accomplishments at Central Florida came in the classroom. He completed his criminal justice undergraduate degree in only three years, thanks in large part from his former coach, George O’Leary, who Swaby already talked to this week.

Junior safety Jarrett Swaby runs out of the tunnel in the game against Eastern Michigan earlier this semester. Swaby gets to play a bowl game against his former Central Florida teammates on Friday. DN FILE PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS

“He was just telling me that he’s impressed with me [and] happy for me that the transfer went good for me as far as getting school done,” Swaby said. “He let me take 19 hours, which is a lot of credit hours. He trusted me to get it done. Through that, and through him helping me, I was able to make everything possible.”

With two years of football eligibility remaining, Swaby transferred to Ball State last summer. Only months removed from that transition, he’ll line up against his former teammates and friends in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Friday night.

For Swaby, time hasn’t gone by so quickly since changing schools.

“We only had six seniors last year, so I pretty much know the whole team,” he said. “It was good to see the guys again. There was never bad blood between us. I just had to do what was best for me.”

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Swaby said, in particular, he’s kept in contact with Central Florida linebacker Jonathan Davis, halfback Dontravius Floyd and wide receiver Jeff Godfrey while at Ball State. Still, they weren’t the only ones he was glad to see again this week.

“Pretty much everybody,” Swaby said. “All of us were always cool. We were always really tight.”

But with the happy reunion in place, will it feel strange to Swaby when he has to make that first tackle against a former teammate?

“Not at all,” he said. “ It’ll be like a scrimmage.”

http://bsudaily.com/Content/Sports/Football/Article/FRIENDSWITHTHEENEMY/4/49/33781

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December 20, 2012 By: Ball State Student Media 1 of 1

Fan Fest (http://vimeo.com/56067498)

Chirp TV: Special Bowl Game Edition (http://vimeo.com/56059259)

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December 21, 2012 By: Ryan Gillespie 1 of 2

Football: UCF defeats Ball State in the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl When under pressure and with defenders clinging to his jersey, redshirt sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles spun, ducked and dodged his way to a career game.

The Knights (10-4) defeated Ball State (9-4) 38-17 to win the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, and Bortles turned in a memorable performance that earned him the MVP award.

Bortles completed 22 of 32 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

“I thought Blake Bortles played extremely well with his feet and his arm and made quick decisions and I thought that was the difference in the game,” head coach George O’Leary said.

The Knights offense was clicking from it’s opening possession. In it’s first possession, UCF and Bortles set the tone, driving the ball 78 yards in 13 plays. Bortles highlighted the drive with a 19-yard rush on third down and 12.

Bortles carried the ball nine times for 79 yards and had an emphatic touchdown as he bowled over two Ball State defenders on his way to pay dirt.

Bortles was criticized early in the season for forcing passes into coverage and protecting the ball.

That was not a problem in this game, nor has it been a problem for the latter half of the season.

Bortles exemplified his patience many times on Friday night, especially on his third quarter touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore J.J. Worton. Bortles dodged the rush, rolled out to his left and lofted his pass into the corner of the end zone. Countless times Bortles was able to extend plays and give his receivers plenty of time to get open down field.

“I think he took some bad plays and made some good plays out of them,” O’Leary said. “Again he had a good night and when your quarterback does well, your offense moves the ball.”

OFFENSE Knights fans were gifted this holiday season with a glimpse of the future. Freshman wide receiver Breshad Perriman was the beneficiary of Bortles career night, setting career highs in both catches and yards.

Perriman hauled in five passes for 90 yards.

“Clemson had some outstanding athletes and I don’t think these guys were very far off,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said of UCF’s athletes.

Perriman had three of his catches on the opening drive, and four total in the first quarter.

Up front, the Knights’ offensive line had a dominant performance, giving Bortles plenty of time to 58

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work through his progressions and allowing receivers to break open. The line was also instrumental in controlling the clock for over 35 minutes and rushing for 224 yards.

“The offensive line did a great job of just opening up seams and when they drop deep out there, it’s either check down or take off,” Bortles said.

Latavius Murray continued his productive ways, ending his career in style with 21 carries, 71 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Muray also caught six passes for 32 yards and two scores.

DEFENSE The Knights’ defense was able to suffocate the Cardinals, and made it difficult for them to get into any kind of rhythm. The Knights presence inside was dominant and disruptive.

At a critical stage late in the second quarter, Ball State drove down into the red zone, and was in prime position to cut the score to 21-14 just before halftime. The Knights were able to track down junior quarterback Keith Wenning for a sack and for a loss of eleven yards.

“You penetrate deep in their end, and you absolutely love to come away with a touchdown there but at a minimum you have to come away with three,” Lembo said.

The Cardinals missed the ensuing field goal wide left, allowing UCF to push its lead to 28-7 at halftime.

UCF amassed sacks, hurries and senior safety Kemal Ishmael forced a fumble.

The Cardinals were held to 286 yards in the game and 2.8 yards per carry.

Ball State was unable to produce on third down consistently, converting on only three of nine opportunities.

The win boosted the Knights to their fourth ten-win season and provided the program’s second bowl victory.

http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/sports/football-ucf-defeats-ball-state-in-the-beef-o-brady-sbowl-1.2803110#.UgF8Wr9qfy8

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December 19, 2012 By: Ryan Gillespie 1 of 2

UCF Knights and Ball State Cardinals set to face off Friday Coming off an up-and-down 9-4 regular season, UCF is scheduled to travel across the state to play Ball State in the Beef ‘O’ Bradys Bowl at Tropicana Field on Friday night.

Ball State finished its season on a six-game winning streak. The Cardinals have one win against a ranked team, and that came against the No. 25 ranked team at the time, Toledo.

If there is such a thing as a quality loss, then Ball State has three of them. The Cardinals fell to No. 12 Clemson, MAC champion Northern Illinois and MAC runner-up Kent State.

Ball State boasts a strong passing game headlined by sophomore wide receiver Willie Snead. Snead has 82 catches for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Expect the Knights to roll coverage to his side, as he will be the focal point of the offense.

Junior Jamill Smith may also get a lot of looks early on. Smith causes problems for defenses due to his quickness. Smith is as small as receivers come, at 5-foot-8, 138 pounds, he was able to score six touchdowns on 69 catches.

The UCF pass rush has its hands full in trying to get after junior quarterback Keith Wenning.

Wenning has been sacked only seven times in 426 attempts. Look for the Knights to try to get senior defensive end Troy Davis going early, as he has shown a tendency to disappear if he doesn’t have early success, according to head coach George O’Leary.

Wenning has 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season, and will have the ball in his hands plenty.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles is a completely different player than he was in the beginning of the season. Bortles has developed patience and an ability to extend plays, which has led to some of the Knights longest plays of the season. Bortles tossed 22 touchdowns and just seven interceptions on the season.

Bortles also has shown an aggressiveness in the running game at times this season. Bortles has 205 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground.

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The majority of the workload on the ground will come from redshirt senior Latavius Murray. After battling a series of injuries early in the season, Murray was still able to run for 1,035 yards and 14 touchdowns.

UCF will likely look to Murray early in the game to set up the play-action passing game and to soften up the Cardinals defense.

Bortles has found an increased trust in freshman Breshad Perriman, and the big receiver has found an bigger role in the offense in the past few games. The Knights passing game is difficult to prepare for due to its balance. UCF has six players with at least 21 receptions and eight players with multiple touchdown receptions.

The game kicks off at 7:30 PM, and will be televised on ESPN.

http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/sports/ucf-knights-and-ball-state-cardinals-set-to-face-offfriday-1.2803024#.UgF8Xr9qfy9

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December 5, 2012 By: Ryan Gillespie 1 of 2

UCF leans on a veteran core of defensive backs as it prepares for a potent Ball State offense In 2009, Kemal Ishmael and A.J. Bouye made their way to UCF to further pursue their academic and athletic careers. Head coach George O’Leary had recruited the two players with the understanding that they would get their degrees and contribute on the field when they were ready.

“When we came in, we always went everywhere together, playing around like kids,” Bouye said.

Now seniors, they have grown into AllConference USA players. Ishmael was voted onto the All-Conference First Team and Bouye was voted onto the All-Conference Second Team.

Ishmael has contributed a team-high 116 tackles, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions in 2012. Bouye has seven breakups and is second on the team with two interceptions. “[Ishmael’s] well-respected not because he talks a lot; I think he’s a very quiet individual,” O’Leary said. “I think he’s respected because of what he does. He’s always where he belongs and he understands his responsibilities.”

On Dec. 21, the duo will play its final game against Ball State in the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg.

The game may provide one of the toughest tests for the defensive pair. Ball State offers a balanced attack, throwing for 257 yards per game and rushing for 214 yards per game.

Ball State junior quarterback Keith Wenning has completed 65.5 percent of his passes, thrown 22 touchdowns and earned a 134.6 quarterback rating this year, providing a threat to UCF under center.

But Ishmael and Bouye aren’t swayed by numbers, they have a few accolades themselves.

Ishmael, who was also named to the All-Conference team as a sophomore, was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list prior to the 2012 campaign, which honors the nation’s top defensive backs.

Bouye entered the season with high expectations, taking over for Josh Robinson who left for the NFL draft. Bouye has scored two touchdowns and is one of only three UCF players of all time to return a fumble and an interception for a touchdown in the same season.

The leadership of Ishmael and Bouye has been critical in the accelerated success of their young proteges Brandon Alexander and Geathers.

“They know me and B.A. [Alexander] are young, but like Kemal always says, ’You’re not [a] freshman.

Play like you’re a senior,’” Geathers said.

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Alexander and Geathers represent the future of the Knights’ secondary. Geathers has excelled in his sophomore season, finishing second on the team with 107 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Alexander started five games as a freshman when Bouye went down with a knee injury, and in 2012, Bouye was named the conference defensive player of the week for his performance against Memphis, during which he returned a fumble for a touchdown, and had an interception.

To top it all off, both players made the cut when league honors were announced. Ishamel was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-C-USA First Tean and Bouye was given second team honors.

“It’s a good chemistry back there; Kemal and A.J. are the leaders,” redshirt sophomore safety Clayton Geathers said. he returned to the starting lineup and flourished.

“I think Brandon has done a good job and is solidly the starting corner over there,” O’Leary said.

“He’s another 6’1” guy. You can’t find those guys with range. All these guys have these 6’4”, 6’5” receivers. You need some range over there to combat that.”

The secondary has grown a tight bond, and that play has translated onto the field. Geathers and Alexander know that in just a few more games, Ishmael and Bouye will no longer be in the same meeting room and practice field, as they will graduate and pursue their NFL dreams.

“We watch film together all the time to get little edges on our opponents; that really helped a lot,” Geathers said.

If both Geathers and Alexander can remember the lessons they have learned from the upperclassmen, their futures could be as bright as the gold on their helmets. http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/sports/ucf-leans-on-a-veteran-core-of-defensive-backs-as-itprepares-for-a-potent-ball-state-offense-1.2800775#.UgF8bL9qfy8

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December 22, 2012 By: Ryan Gillespie 1 of 1

UCF Knights Dismantle Ball State 38-17, Win Beef The UCF Knights won their second bowl game in school history, defeating the Ball State Cardinals 38-17 at Tropicana field on Friday. The Knights have a bright future ahead of them, as redshirt sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles had a career night totaling 4 touchdowns on 272 yards passing and 80 yards running. UCF started the game off with a seven and a half minute drive that ended in a Blake Bortles pass to Latavius Murray for a touchdown. Ball State had no answer for the Knights, going three and out on their first drive, and picking up only one first down in the first quarter before they had to punt it away after three straight incomplete passes by quarterback Keith Wenning. UCF came right back and off a few deep passes by Bortles and a two yard run for a touchdown by Latavius Murray, the Knights got up 13-0 in the first quarter, having their XP blocked.

The only time in the night that the Ball State Cardinals threatened the Knights was in the second quarter when they chipped away at UCF’s 13-0 lead and got within six points. After that, the Knights ran away with the game, getting up 28-7 by halftime. Breshad Perriman was another bright spot in the Knight’s big victory, posting career highs in both receptions and yards. The true freshman only adds to the depth that the Knights will have coming into next season. Ball State had no answer in the second half and the Knights continued to add to their lead. Check out the video below for the game recap:

- See more at: http://knightnews.com/2012/12/ucf-knights-dismantle-ball-state-38-17-win-beefobradys-bowl/#sthash.BJkLepus.dpuf

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December 21, 2012 By: Jake Rakoci 1 of 1

UCF vs. Ball State: Live Updates of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Pete The University of Central Florida Knights take on the Ball State Cardinals in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Pete. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.

KnightNews.com has a team in St. Pete for this bowl by the bay. We’ll be giving lives updates from the press box over our @UCFKnightNews twitter feed (embedded below). We’ll also be chatting with any other UCF fans below: - See more at: http://knightnews.com/2012/12/ucf-vs-ball-state-live-updates-of-beef-o-bradysbowl-in-st-pete/#sthash.IPAwp8sZ.dpuf

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December 20, 2012 By: Jake Rakoc 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Preview: Keys to a Knight’s Victory The UCF Knights (9-4) are set to take on Ball State (9-3) in the Beef O’Brady’s bowl Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Tropicana Field in St.Petersburg, FL. The Knights are no stranger to the Beef O’Brady’s bowl, as they just played in the bowl in 2009 when they lost to Rutgers 45-24. Ball State will be making their first bowl appearance since 2008 when they lost to Tulsa 45-13 in the GMAC bowl.

The Knights won the Conference USA East Division this year for the fourth time since joining the league in 2005. Although they lost to Tulsa in the Conference USA championship, their 9-4 record proved to be good enough to send them to their fifth bowl appearance in the last eight seasons.

The Ball State Cardinals from Muncie, Indiana are currently riding a six game winning streak dating from October 6th when they lost to Northern Illinois 35-23.

Keys to Knights victory: The Knights are no stranger to the endzone this season, averaging 35.2 points per game which puts them 27th in the nation. A big reason for these numbers is the bigger role and responsibility on behalf of Sophomore QB Blake Bortles who has thrown 22 touchdowns on the season.

If the Knights can get the run game going with running back Latavius Murray taking the brunt of the carries and getting the ball to leading receivers J.J. Worton and Jeff Godfrey, the Knights should have no problem putting points on the board.

points in every game this season, so that should bode well for the Knights offense.

Defensively, the Knights may have a tough assignment against Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning who missed the Cardinals’ last regular-season game after having surgery on his fractured right ankle. Wenning has shined this season, throwing for 2,878 yards and 22 touchdowns. If the Knights can contain the Ball State passing attack and force the Cardinals to punt, C-USA Special Teams player of the year Quincy McDuffie will have a chance to show off his flashy kick/punt returns.

Final thoughts: The Knights have an obvious home field advantage, being that St.Petersburg is only 125 miles away from campus. The match-up is pretty even, with the Knights favored by 7. Ball State will have a tough time stopping UCF from putting up lots of points, with the Knights having a myriad of scoring options on offense and even special teams. It doesn’t help the Ball State case when Kemal Ishmael, voted UCF’s Most Valuable Player, is lurking in the backfield against Keith Wenning who has thrown 10 interceptions this season.

The game will be close, but UCF will prevail on the intangibles and capitalize on Ball State turnovers, final score: UCF 31, Ball State, 27.

- See more at: http://knightnews.com/2012/12/ beef-o-bradys-bowl-preview-keys-to-a-knightsvictory/#sthash.s2pJOtLq.dpuf

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December 20, 2012 By: Jake Rakoc 1 of 1

UCF, Ball State Hit the Beach Before Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl The Sunshine State is definitely living up to its name this bowl weekend in St. Petersburg for the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl showdown between the University of Central Florida Knights and the Ball State Cardinals.

The festivities kicked off today on St. Pete beach with a battle of the bands between the two school’s marching bands and continued with an eating contest, dance-off, and various tug of war competitions between representatives of each school.

KnightNews.com spoke to many fans, here for both sides, about their predictions of tomorrow’s game. Activities are expected to go on well into the night with fans sprawled out all over the beautiful beach until the game tomorrow set to kick-off from Tropicana Field at 7:30 p.m.

Coverage tomorrow will feature the tailgate fan-cam, where we’ll be getting in depth with both UCF and Ball State fans asking the tough questions around the ‘burg. Make to check out your UCF student news source with the only constant video coverage of tomorrow’s game and live updates feed right from the KnightNews. com website.

UCF, Ball State Cheerleaders do Tug of War

- See more at: http://knightnews.com/2012/12/ucf-ball-state-hit-the-beach-before-beef-o-bradysbowl/#sthash.vsEHloXh.dpuf 67

December 22, 2012 By: Jamal Wilburg 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 2012: Grading Ball State and UCF’s Performances

The UCF Knights destroyed the Ball State Cardinals 38-17 in the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

The Knights were led by quarterback Blake Bortles’ outstanding performance passing and rushing.

They scored on their first two possessions and never looked back.

The Cardinals came out of the gate lethargic and were down two scores before they noticed, and they would never make the game competitive.

Although the game was a blowout, there were some good, bad and ugly performances from players on both teams throughout the game.

Here is a complete list of postgame grades from the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

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December 21, 2012 By: Jamal Wilburg 1 of 1

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl 2012: Ball State vs UCF Live Scores, Analysis and Results

The UCF Knights completely dominated the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, defeating the Ball State Cardinals 38-17.

The win marked the first time in the five year history of the bowl game that the Conference USA representative has won the game, including UCF’s loss to Rutgers in the 2009 game.

The Knights were led by redshirt-sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles led the charge with 272 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Bortles was aided by an incredible performance by running back redshirt-senior running back Latavius Murray. Murray scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.

Ball State looked outmatched from the beginning

of the game.

They fell behind 14-0 early after they could only gain 15 yards on eight plays on their first two drives while not being able to stop UCF. Their struggles continued with a missed field goal late in the second quarter leaving UCF enough time to add another touchdown before halftime.

They finished with 288 yards of total offense compared to UCF’s 494 yards.

The Cardinals also struggled on third down converting only 3-of-9 attempts while the Knights converted 9-of-12.

With the win UCF brings the series record with Ball State to a 2-2 tie.

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December 21, 2012 By: Doug Miles 1 of 2

UCF defeats Ball State 38-17 in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night

Blake Bortles threw three touchdown passes, two to Latavius Murray as the UCF Knights rolled over Ball State 38-17 in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. UCF, from nearby Orlando, set the tone on its first possession by keeping the ball for seven and a half minutes while mounting a 13 play, 78yard drive capped off by Bortles first touchdown toss of the game to Murray from 7 yards out to go ahead 7-0.

UCF scored again the next time it had the ball, this time in a more expedient 2:34 going 57 yards in 7 plays as Latavius pounded it in from 2 yards out. The extra point was blocked. UCF led 13-0 after the first quarter.

Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning pulled the Cardinals to within its closest margin of the game 13-7, when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter after a 10 play, 82 yard drive.

Doug Miles recaps the 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL between UCF and Ball State.

2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Post Game Report UCF responded with a 75 yard scoring drive as quarterback Blake Bortles rumbled in from the 6 yard line. A two-point conversion gave the Knights a 21-7 margin.

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connection to the Tampa Bay area. Joel Godett, who does radio play-by-play for Ball State, was the former broadcaster for the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League.

Bortles connected with Latavius Murray on a 5-yard TD pass with 5 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give UCF a 28-7 lead at the half.

USF fans were probably rooting for cross-state rival UCF in Friday’s game as the Bulls lost a Bowl Bits One of the game’s broadcasters has local connection to the Tampa Bay area. Joel Godett, who does radio play-by-play for Ball State, was the former broadcaster for the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League.

Ball State received the second half kickoff and promptly turned over the ball when Jahwan Edwards fumbled.

The Cardinals managed only a 45-yard field goal by Steve Schott in the third quarter while the Knights added a third touchdown pass by Bortles to J.J. Worten to make the score 35-10.

Ball State scored a late fourth quarter touchdown on Keith Wenning’s 16-yard touchdown toss to Willie Snead.

Blake Bortles completed 22 of 33 passes for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns for UCF. Latavius Murray rushed for 71 yards on 21 carries and scored 1 touchdown on the ground and 2 receiving.

Ball State’s Jahwan Edwards ran for 83 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Keith Wenning went 15 of26 for 142 yards.

UCF and head coach George O’Leary completes a successful 2012 season with a 10-4 record while winning 7 of 8 in Conference USA. Ball State finishes with a 9-4 record, 6-2 in the MAC for head coach Pete Lembo. Bowl Bits One of the game’s broadcasters has local connection to the Tampa Bay area. Joel Godett, who does radio play-by-play for Ball State, was the former broadcaster for the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League.

USF fans were probably rooting for cross-state rival UCF in Friday’s game as the Bulls lost a Bowl Bits One of the game’s broadcasters has local

USF fans were probably rooting for crossstate rival UCF in Friday’s game as the Bulls lost a heartbreaker to Ball State 31-27 in a last minute victory back on September 22 in Muncie, Indiana.

Nashville recording artist Shelly Starks from Clearwater sang the National Anthem before tonight’s game.

Announced attendance for tonight’s game at Tropicana Field, 21,759.

Tonight’s game was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Radio. http://www.examiner.com/article/ucf-defeatsball-state-38-17-beef-o-brady-s-bowl-fridaynight

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December 21, 2012 By: Doug Miles 1 of 2

UCF defeats Ball State 38-17 in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night

Doug Miles recaps the 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl from Tropicana Field in St.

Blake Bortles threw three touchdown passes, two to Latavius Murray as the UCF Knights rolled over Ball State 38-17 in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. UCF, from nearby Orlando, set the tone on its first possession by keeping the ball for seven and a half minutes while mounting a 13 play, 78-yard drive capped off by Bortles first touchdown toss of the game to Murray from 7 yards out to go ahead 7-0.

UCF scored again the next time it had the ball, this time in a more expedient 2:34 going 57 yards in 7 plays as Latavius pounded it in from 2 yards out. The extra point was blocked. UCF led 13-0 after the first quarter.

Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning pulled the Cardinals to within its closest margin of the game 13-7, when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter after a 10 play, 82 yard drive.

UCF responded with a 75 yard scoring drive as quarterback Blake Bortles rumbled in from the 6 yard line. A two-point conversion gave the Knights a 21-7 margin.

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Bortles connected with Latavius Murray on a 5-yard TD pass with 5 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give UCF a 28-7 lead at the half.

Ball State received the second half kickoff and promptly turned over the ball when Jahwan Edwards fumbled.

The Cardinals managed only a 45-yard field goal by Steve Schott in the third quarter while the Knights added a third touchdown pass by Bortles to J.J. Worten to make the score 35-10.

Ball State scored a late fourth quarter touchdown on Keith Wenning’s 16-yard touchdown toss to Willie Snead.

Blake Bortles completed 22 of 33 passes for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns for UCF. Latavius Murray rushed for 71 yards on 21 carries and scored 1 touchdown on the ground and 2 receiving.

Ball State’s Jahwan Edwards ran for 83 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Keith Wenning went 15 of 26 for 142 yards.

UCF and head coach George O’Leary completes a successful 2012 season with a 10-4 record while winning 7 of 8 in Conference USA. Ball State finishes with a 9-4 record, 6-2 in the MAC for head coach Pete Lembo.

Bowl Bits One of the game’s broadcasters has local connection to the Tampa Bay area. Joel Godett, who does radio play-by-play for Ball State, was the former broadcaster for the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League.

USF fans were probably rooting for cross-state rival UCF in Friday’s game as the Bulls lost a heartbreaker to Ball State 31-27 in a last minute victory back on September 22 in Muncie, Indiana.

Nashville recording artist Shelly Starks from Clearwater sang the National Anthem before tonight’s game.

Announced attendance for tonight’s game at Tropicana Field, 21,759.

Tonight’s game was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

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December 14, 2012 By: Doug Miles 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Donates Game Tickets to MacDill Air Force Base As a recognition of the great contribution that the active military does for our country, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will be providing 300 tickets for military members based at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base. This year’s game features UCF and Ball State on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

The game will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

The Bowl is also providing the opportunity for MacDill military, civilians, and family members to participate as volunteers with the Bowl for the third consecutive year. Coordinating the efforts between MacDill and the Bowl has been Major Shane Huff, Chief of Public Affairs, 927th Air Refueling Wing.

“The donation of tickets is a generous gesture of support and appreciation for our uniformed services,” said Huff. “We have helped the past two years with providing volunteers and interest is high in participating in this event again this year.”

“We are forever indebted to these courageous men and women of the military,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. “Major Shane Huff has been a tremendous help in coordinating our efforts with MacDill Air Force Base to provide tickets and the opportunity for volunteers be involved with our event.”

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December 3, 2012 By: Doug Miles 1 of 1

Ball State and UCF Selected for 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg from all over the country. Ball State’s football program is proud to represent the Mid-American Conference at the bowl, and we are looking forward to the event.”

Ball State, which is riding a six-game winning streak, has accepted a bid to the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. The Cardinals will face the Conference USA East Division Champion UCF Knights in the fifth edition of the ESPN owned bowl game from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN radio.

The Cardinals, from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), filled a slot for the BIG EAST, which didn’t have enough teams to fulfill its bowl commitments. Ball State will be the first-ever MAC team to play in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

Ball State (9-3, 6-2 MAC) scored 30 or more points in 10 of its 12 games this season, including a season-high 52 points in a win over Ohio on November 14. A total of 13 members of the Ball State football team were honored by the Mid-American Conference, including five first-team selections. Among the first team selections is sophomore WR Willie Snead (Belle Glade, FL), who pulled in a teambest 82 receptions for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns. Snead ranks fourth on Ball State’s record book in both receptions and receiving yards in a single season. Ball State defeated USF 31-27 on September 22.

Head Coach Pete Lembo, who is in his second year with the Cardinals, took over a four-win squad following the 2010 season, and led the program to its most wins since 2008.

“Ball State is a hot team right now winning six straight, including a road win over conference foe Toledo, which was ranked in the Top 25 at the time,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. “We look forward to providing a great bowl week experience for the team and their fans.”

“Ball State University is very excited to participate in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl”, said Bill Scholl, Director of Athletics for Ball State.

“We have heard great things about this bowl and are sure it will be an enjoyable experience for our student-athletes, alumni, and fans 75

The Cardinals are making their first bowl appearance since 2008 when they played Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl. Ball State has played in seven bowls and is seeking its first bowl win.

This will be the fourth meeting between Ball State and UCF. All three meetings took place while UCF was a member of the MAC (200204). The Cardinals, which own a 2-1 series advantage, scored a come-from-behind 21-17 win at home in the last matchup on November 13, 2004.

December 4, 2012 By: Doug Miles 1 of 1

ESPN and ESPN Radio to carry 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl The 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will have the ESPN announce team of Dave Neal, Desmond Howard and Andre Ware, along with Cara Capuano on the sidelines. UCF from Conference USA will face Ball State from the Mid-American Conference at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the fifth edition of the Bowl, which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN. In addition, the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg can be heard nationally on ESPN Radio with Clay Matvick calling the play-by-play, Matt Stinchcomb handling the analysis and Allison Williams reporting from the sidelines.

“I’m thrilled with the on-air team ESPN has assigned,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “The first thought I had when I received the news is that we’ll have three Heisman Trophy winners with us during Bowl Week with Danny Wuerffel serving as our kickoff luncheon keynote speaker and Desmond Howard and Andre Ware as the TV analysts.”

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May 3, 2012 By: Doug Miles 1 of 1

ESPN moves Beef O’Brady’s Bowl to Friday night Dec 21 at Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay, FL) ESPN Regional Television and the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg announced that the 2012 game will be played on Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The game, which is televised on ESPN, features a Big East Conference team against a Conference USA school.

“The Friday primetime kickoff will enable more fans from our community to attend the game while also showcasing our market to a national viewing audience on ESPN,” said Brett Dulaney, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director. “The switch to Friday night should be beneficial for the St. Petersburg tourism industry as well. Teams will arrive earlier in the week with their fans, filling up hotel rooms and restaurants during a week that is typically one of the slower tourism weeks.”

Last year, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Bowl hosted Marshall of Conference USA against FIU of the Sun Belt Conference in a Tuesday night primetime game.

The Beef O’Brady’s Bowl is one of several post-season football games owned by ESPN which produces the telecasts as opposed to paying for broadcast rights to air the traditional bowl matchups like the Rose, Orange or Fiesta Bowls. The game, heading into its fifth year, is the second of two post-season bowl games in the Tampa Bay area along with the Outback Bowl held at Raymond James Stadium in early January.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will go on sale later this year.

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October 24, 2012 By: Leigh Armstrong 1 of 1

Sirata Beach Resort Chosen as Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Media HQ When the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl hit’s St. Petersburg in December, the Sirata will be the point for all medi

The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg brings down a lot of media to the Bay area, and their headquarters will be based right on the beach.

The Sirata Resort and Conference center was chosen as the media headquarters for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl on December 21.

The media in town for the Bowl game will be getting a package deal at $79 per night. That includes includes WiFi in guest rooms, overnight parking and a beach cabana rental for the off-hours.

The actual media center will be held on the third floor in the conference center and feature areas for the media to work from.

The Bowl game is coming to St. Petersburg on December 21 and will be played at the Tropicana Field.

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July 20, 2012 By: Jeffrey Rosenfield 1 of 1

Youth Football Clinic Draws Mike Alstott, Dozens of Area Kids, Coaches Former Buccaneer Mike Alstott was the special speaker at the 3rd edition of the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg NCAA Youth Football Clinic. were put through drills run by coaches from the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, Jacksonville University and Wiregrass Ranch High School.

The attendees, each between the ages of 5 and 14, were broken up into groups and sent to stations to work on offense, defense and agility skills.

The kids and their parents didn’t seem to mind the smaller turnout either, as they had more attention devoted to them individually.

Dozens of local kids and coaches, along with local gridiron legend Mike Alstott, attended the third annual Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg NCAA Youth Football Clinic at the Joe DiMaggio Complex on Friday.

And despite a lower than expected turnout for the free event, organizers and participants were pleased with the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the kids and the coaches.

“Last year we probably had 120-130 kids, this year we’ve had about 35-40 kids,” Brett Dulaney, executive director of the Beef O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl, said. “But we live in Florida and there’s a lot of things to do, so it’s to be expected.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the kids, especially since it’s free,” said Andre Simmons, an Atlanta resident who brought his 7-year-old son, Miles. “To attach a name like Alstott’s to it really legitimizes it.”

And what does the former Buc, who is an honorary chairman for the Beef O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl, think of the event?

“Kids that are here and take advantage of this opportunity are very fortunate. There weren’t these opportunities when I was growing up,” Alstott said.

“But as long as these kids that are here have fun and get something out of it, then I’m happy.”

“I think kids need to be involved in sports, not just football, but team sports in general,” he added. “They learn about discipline, character and how to work together in adverse times.

After Alstott, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback and current Northside Christian High School head coach, spoke to the kids, they

“They need to learn that it’s not all about ‘me’, it’s all about ‘team’. That’s going to help them transition into being a better person.”

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July 18, 2012 By: Jared Leone 1 of 1

Five Things to Know Today: Thursday, July 19 A free college football clinic seeks participants, city leaders meet to talk about laws aimed at the homeless, actor Cozi Zuehlsdorff comes to town to film a documentary and more is going on in Clearwater Thursday, July 19.

1. Weather: Expect the summer rains to continue just not today. It should be a mostly sunny day with a high near 90 and a 20 percent chance of afternoon showers, according to the National Weather Service.

2. Cheap gas: Sure, gas prices are going up but that doesn’t mean you can’t find out where to spend less for it. A gallon of regular unleaded is $3.17 at Marathon, 2926 Roosevelt Blvd., according to tampagasprices.com.

3. Government: City Council will discuss a handful of among items on the at , 112 S Osceola Ave. 4. Entertainment: Did you see Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Hazel Hackett from Dolphin Tale, is coming to Clearwater? She is in town filming a documentary about the aquarium called Winter: The Dolphin that Could, recounts the story of Winter the dolphin. Catch Zuehlsdorff from 11:15 a.m. to noon at , 300 Osceola Ave. 5. Sports: Boy and girl athletes aged 5 to 14 are needed for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, at the , 2450 Drew Street. The event teaches football fundamentals, character development and the importance of education.

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July 18, 2012 By: Jared Leone 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg NCAA Youth Football Clinic Friday Seeking Participants

The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg and the NCAA Football Youth Initiative will once again team up to host a free youth football clinic for boys and girls ages 5-14 from the Tampa Bay area.

The event will take place on Friday, July 20 from 9 a.m.- Noon at the , 2450 Drew Street.

The NCAA Youth Football Initiative partners college bowl games with NCAA Football to host a first-class event that teaches football fundamentals, character development and the importance of education to youth in the bowl community.

“We are proud to be able to bring the NCAA’s Youth Football Clinic once again this year to our community,” said Brent Dulaney, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director.

“The clinic provides a wonderful opportunity for young athletes to learn the fundamentals of football from the sport’s top coaches while promoting the values of teamwork and sportsmanship.”

Football coaches from the staffs of the University of South Florida, University of Central Florida and Jacksonville University will lead the participants through a number of offensive, defensive and special teams drills.

Mike Alstott, the honorary chairman for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, will be the special guest speaker at the clinic. Alstott was a six-time Pro Bowl selection during his 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It’s going to be a fun and educational day for the youth in our community and we look forward to another terrific turnout,” said Dulaney.

This is the third consecutive year the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg has hosted the clinic. Last year’s event attracted more than 400 participants.

Those wishing to participate in the clinic can register online at www.BeefOBradysBowl.com.

Call the Bowl office at 727-290-9865.

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December 4, 2012 By: William Mansell 1 of 1

UCF, Ball State to Square off in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl On Saturday, Dec. 21 the University of Central Florida will take on Ball State inside Tropicana Field at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

Thousands of University of Central Florida grads reside in the Tampa Bay area and on Dec. 21, those alumni can watch their alma mater play in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field against Ball State.

The bowl matchup, which will be televised live on ESPN at 7:30 p.m., was announced Sunday. The UCF Knights are from Conference USA and the Ball State Cardinals are from the Mid-American Conference.

“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 in a news release. “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.”

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s bowl games usually feature a matchup between the Big East and Conference USA, but this year the Big East did not have enough teams that qualified for bowls to fill that slot.

“Ball State is a hot team right now, winning six straight, including a road win over conference foe Toledo, which was ranked in the Top 25 at the time,” Dulaney said in a news release. “We look forward to providing a great bowl week experience for the team and their fans.”

Ball State was 9-3 and 6-2 in the MAC this year while UCF was 9-4 and 7-1 in Conference USA. “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 UCF coach George O’Leary in a news release. “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.”

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start at $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

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December 26, 2012 By: Isaac Babcock 1 of 1

Knights dominate in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl win Four quarters of explosive offense led to the UCF Knights’ second ever bowl win by a much more impressive margin than the first. With a 38-17 score on the board in St. Petersburg, the Knights walked off Tropicana Field victorious over Ball State in grand style in their final game as a Conference USA team.

Quarterback Blake Bortles electrified UCF’s offense from the start, converting a crucial third down to keep the Knights’ first drive alive, and going on to pass or run for 352 of Photo by Isaac Babcock UCF quarterback Blake Bortles totaled 352 yards in the Knights’ the Knights’ 494 total yards — the second most team yardage in a game this year. rout of Ball State in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl.

Bortles was particularly prolific, averaging 8.2 yards per pass attempt, 12.4 yards per pass completion, and 8.9 yards per run. The Knights on the whole averaged 6.6 yards per play on the day.

And they made things happen when it counted, converting 9 of 12 third downs, more than double the rate of Ball State.

Bortles’ big run on the third play of the game may have set the Knights’ offensive tone. After two botched run attempts that sent the Knights into negative yardage, Bortles took the ball on a third down and 12 yard play and ran for 19 yards up the left side for the first down. Ten plays later, the Knights were in the end zone.

The UCF defense meanwhile went to work stuffing Ball State, forcing two punts and a botched field goal in the first half while shutting down big plays. Neither team would have an offensive play that went 50 yards or more in the game. Breshad Perriman’s 45 yard reception that would cross the field and set up a UCF touchdown would be nearly twice as long as any other pass of the game.

Perriman’s 90 yards ended up the most of the game by any receiver.

The win closed out the Knights’ season with one of their best records in team history at 10-4, sending them into the next season with high hopes, though a very large senior class will result in some big losses in their lineup. Next year they’ll join the Big East, which is still working through what its team lineup may be in the near future. For the Knights, who deferred NCAA punishment for recruitment violations, next year may not see a postseason.

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December 4, 2012 By: Brandon Watson 1 of 1

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Odds: Central Florida Knights vs. Ball State Cardinals The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will feature the Central Florida Knights and the Ball State Cardinals. The game is being played on December 21 and has a 7:30 p.m. start time. Currently the odds for the game have Central Florida favored by 8 points.

While this bowl game has one of the strangest names of any of the contests, there’s no doubt that we will see two really good football teams. Both Central Florida and Ball State won nine games this year and the winner will get the rare opportunity to finish the season with double digit victories.

Pretty impressive for each team.

On Central Florida’s side of things, we see that the Knights finished with a 7-1 record overall in Conference USA and lost in the title game to Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes clearly had UCF’s number this season, giving the Knights two of their four losses overall on the season. Their other two losses were to Ohio State and Missouri. The Knight’s defense was pretty solid on the season overall, allowing just 22.5 points per game. A fairly balanced squad, the Knights did a great job of keeping opposing defenses from being able to shut them down as they were consistent all season, scoring 35 points per game.

Ball State finished with a 6-2 record overall in the MAC this season, dropping games to Northern Illinois and Kent State — the two best teams in the entire league. The Cardinals had a very productive season in non-conference as well, with the only loss on the schedule coming at Clemson early in the year. Ball State closed the year with six straight wins, four of which came on the road.

The Cardinals can score points at 35 per game, but playing in the MAC tends to inflate defensive numbers as the squad gave up more than 31 points per game this season, which ranked 91st in the country.

UCF will want to stop Ball State’s ability to run the football effectively. Sure, they can move it around the field via the pass, but Ball State has won nine games this season by being a team that pounds the rock. Expect a good one here in St. Pete.

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December 22, 2012 By: Sports Network 1 of 2

Behind Bortles, UCF blasts Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, FL – The Central Florida senior class tallied their school-record 34th win, but it was the sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles who led the way.

And the Knights left Conference USA with a bang.

Bortles threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in UCF’s 38-17 rout of Ball State in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.

“He moved the ball downfield very easily, and I’m sure they’re excited to have him back for another two years,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said of Bortles.

The Knights (10-4) will head to the Big East next season.

Bortles accumulated 272 yards through the air on 22-of-33 efficiency and added 80 yards rushing for UCF, which suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Tulsa in the Conference USA title game that would’ve given it a berth in the Liberty Bowl. The consolation for UCF was getting to play about 100 miles from campus.

“I thought Blake did everything he needed to do by making the right decisions,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said. “Basically, he made the right decisions that moved us down the field. He really showed tonight why he’s our guy out there.”

The Knights were an astounding 9-of-12 on third down.

Latavius Murray ran for 77 yards on 21 totes and a score, while adding two touchdowns receiving in the victory.

Keith Wenning was 22-of-34 for 217 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals (9-4), who were looking for the school’s first-ever bowl victory.

Ball State had won six in a row coming in.

The Knights jumped all over the Cardinals right from the onset and recorded touchdowns on four of their five possessions in the opening half.

UCF slowly matriculated down the field on its initial march and took 7:33 of the clock as it traveled 78 yards in 13 plays. Bortles capped the drive when he eluded safety Jarrett Swaby, who came on a blitz, and stepped up in the pocket before finding Murray for a 7-yard score.

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December 22, 2012 By: Sports Network 2 of 2

Following a Ball State three-and-out, Murray finished off a 7-play, 58-yard trek with a 2-yard TD plunge. The extra point was blocked as UCF led, 13-0.

After an exchange of punts, Wenning’s 7-yard TD toss to Willie Snead on a back-shoulder fade cut the deficit to 13-7 early in the second.

Bortles showed his rushing ability on UCF’s ensuing possession. He ran three times for 32 yards on the march, which was capped when Bortles took on two Ball State defenders at the 2-yard line, lowered his shoulder and bulled his way for the 6-yard score.

Steven Schott missed wide left on a 35-yard field goal on Ball State’s ensuing series, and the Knights got the ball back at the 20 with 55 ticks left in the half.

On a 2nd-and-5 from their own 37, Bortles floated a pass down the right sideline for Breshad Perriman, who ran a streak route, and hit him in stride for a 45-yard gain to put the ball at the Ball State 18.

Bortles then flipped a 5-yard swing pass in the right flat to Murray for a touchdown and a 28-7 UCF advantage heading into the break.

Schott nailed a 45-yard field goal before J.J. Worton hauled in a 7-yard score and Shawn Moffitt booted through a 25-yard field goal, which made it 38-10 early in the fourth.

Snead caught a 16-yard touchdown pass later in the frame to conclude the scoring.

Game Notes Murray finished his career with 44 touchdowns, which is second most in school history behind Kevin Smith’s 46 scores ... UCF’s 10 wins are the second most in program history ... Ball State moved to 0-6 all time in bowl games ... UCF fell to Rutgers in its first trip the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in 2009 ...

Bortles became UCF’s first 3,000-yard passer since 2002. http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/12/21/behind-bortles-ucf-blasts-ball-state-in-beef-o-bradybowl/#ixzz2XBJy9zDk

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Radio & Television

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December 20 Todd Wright Show Guest: Mike Alstott

Dec 13 Tuck & O’Neill Guest: Mike Alstott

Dec 10 Spitzer on Sports Guest: Brett Dulaney

September 25 Rich Herrera Show / Bowl Talent Tryouts with guest Brett Dulaney

The Steve Dueming Show Guest: Mike Alstott

December 6 Joel Godett Show Guest: Brett Dulaney

Tampa The Charlie Bernstein Show Dec 6 LIVE REMOTE Todd Stansbury George O’Leary Pete Lembo Bill Scholl Dec 5 Charlie Bernstein Guest: Brett Dulaney July 19

Dec 14 ESPN Afternoons with Scott Anez Guest: Mike Alstott

The Whitney Johnson Experience Guest: Brett Dulaney

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December 21, 2012 By: Brian A. Shactman 1 of 2

Beef O’Brady Gets Big Return on Bowl Game Yes, it’s that time of year.

No, not time for fruitcakes, high credit card balances and too much red wine.

It’s college football bowl season. Thirty-five games, ranging from the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl to the Discover Financial BCS National Championship.

Getty Images Wide receiver Aaron Dobson #3 of the Marshall Thundering runs 39 yards with a pass in the fourth quarter for a touchdown against the Florida International University Panthers December 20, 2011 in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The cost to sponsor a bowl game ranges from a few hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars.

What does it get you? Naming rights. Commercials. A national audience.

The days of the Cotton, Sugar and Orange Bowl are long gone. (Read More: ‘Johnny Football’ Manziel: No Plans to Turn Pro) Say hello to the Taxslayer Bowl, Bell Helicopter Bowl, R L Carriers Bowl, the AdvoCare V100 ... and then, of course, my favorite: the Beef O’Brady Bowl.

If you are from Vermont or Oregon, the only way you probably know the name is through their sponsorship of the bowl game in Tampa, Florida. “In the beginning, many people didn’t know what Beef O’Brady was,” admitted CEO Chris Elliott.

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“Time Magazine rated us the No. 1 craziest bowl name. We took a lot of pride in that and got a kick out of that ... for us, the exposure was a good thing, not a bad thing.” (Read More: Alabama vs.

Notre Dame? That’ll Be $2,400) Beef O’Brady is a mid-sized chain of sports-themed pubs with more than 200 restaurants, concentrated in the Southeast.

Reportedly, it’s buy-in to sponsor the bowl is $400,000 a year for four years. In exchange, the company received the naming rights — plus eight commercials during the ESPN broadcast.

And the game is right in their backyard.

“We started in Brandon, Florida 25 years ago, and 65 percent of our locations are in Florida,” Elliott said. “It made a lot of sense for us just because of the pure locale.”

In terms of return on investment, it all depends on the bowl. Discover sponsors the national championship. Its media mentions not only will be frequent but also will be in front of large, captive audiences.

For Beef O’Brady it still gets a national audience on ESPN, but the audience will be much smaller. It has two good teams involved — Central Florida and Ball State — but they are second-tier names.

So, the ultimate judge on ROI (Return on Investment) is when you put it all together.

“We get a really good ROI for the bowl,” Elliott said. “Each year, after the bowl, ESPN conducts a media analysis, and that information tells us we are getting a 25 to 1 return on our investment.”

(Read More: College Football: Why Pressure to Win Is So Big) That means, according to the study, Beef O’Brady would have to spend 25 times what it spends on the bowl game in order to get the same level of media exposure. “We look at the opportunity cost. “if we took the same amount of money and tried to spend it another way, could we get the same result?

The answer is no,” Elliot explained.

Beef O’Brady sees a huge spike in terms of Google searches. More people come into the restaurants, and there’s more interest in franchising. For example, last year’s game attracted franchise inquiries from all over the world, including Kuwait.

“It makes Beef O’Brady look like a much bigger company than what it is,” Elliott said.

The Beef O’Brady Bowl will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Friday night, December 21.

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Ball State Will Face UCF In Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Central Florida’s loss in the Conference USA championship game has the Knights staying close to home for the holidays against Ball State in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

UCF (9-4) will make the 100-mile trek west from Orlando to St. Petersburg to face the Cardinals, who will take a six-game winning streak in the Dec. 21 matchup at Tropicana Field.

Ball State (9-3) received its first postseason berth since appearing in the 2008 GMAC Bowl, filling a slot for the Big East, which didn’t have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the league’s commitments.

UCF lost the Conference USA championship game33-27 in overtime on Saturday. Ball State went 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

The teams are former MAC rivals, with the Cardinals winning two of three meetings while the Knights were in the league from 2002 to 2004. They last met on Nov. 13, 2004, when Ball State rallied for a 21-17 victory at home.

“Ball State is a hot team right now winning six straight, including a road win over conference foe Toledo, which was ranked in the Top 25 at the time,” bowl executive director Brett Dulaney said.

The Cardinals, who have never won a bowl game, scored at least 30 points in 10 of 12 games.

UCF is headed to Tropicana Field — home of major league baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays — for the second time under coach George O’Leary. The Knights lost to Rutgers in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl.

A victory over Ball State would enable the Knights to finish with at least 10 wins for the fourth time in program history.

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Preview Of Beef O’Brady’s Bowl the Trop has easy access from Interstate-275.

Simply take the I-175 exit and follow the signs to the stadium. There’s parking on the premises for $20 and plenty of places in surrounding areas to park for various prices. While it was built to accommodate baseball, the Trop makes an intimate football venue with seating for about 34,000 fans. Tickets start at $35 at Ticketmaster.

The Miller Lite Party Deck seats, located directly behind the team bench, include food, beer, wine and mixed drinks for $200.

UCF vs Ball at Tropicana Field 1 Tropicana Drive St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 290-9865 | www.stpetersburgbowl.com Date: December 21, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

This year UCF (9-4) will make the 100-mile trek west from Orlando to St. Petersburg to face the Ball State Cardinals, who will take a six-game winning streak in the Dec. 21 matchup at Tropicana Field for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is an up-and-coming, family-oriented sports bar based in the Tampa Bay area. Combining this establishment with an up-and-coming college bowl game seems like a natural connection. Not to be confused with the more established Outback Bowl, which is played in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium later in the bowl season, the Beef ‘O’Brady’s bowl takes place on December 21st in the first week of the bowl season. The game is designed to match teams from the Big East Conference and Conference USA. If those conferences can’t send a team, teams from the Sun Belt and/or Mid-American Conference can be chosen.

Getting There Tropicana Field is one of the most recognizable landmarks in St. Petersburg. Coming south from Tampa or north from Bradenton and Sarasota,

Where to Stay The official BIG EAST team hotel of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl The Renaissance Vinoy Resort 501 Fifth Avenue NE St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 894-1000 | www.vinoyrenaissanceresort. com

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The official media hotel of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: The Sirata Beach Resort and Conference Center 5300 Gulf Boulevard St. Pete Beach, FL 33706 (727) 363-5100 | www.sirata.com Postcard Inn on the Beach 6300 Gulf Boulevard St Pete Beach, FL 33706 (727) 367-2711 | www.postcardinn.com Events Beach Bash Wednesday, Dec. 19 3-6pm Location: TBD Free & open to public Battle of the Bands Thursday, Dec 20 2-5pm Location: TBD Free & open to public Block Party Ferg’s Sports Bar Across from Tropicana Field 1320 Central Avenue St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 822-4562 | www.fergssportsbar.com While the Kickoff Luncheon is a formal affair in one of Tampa Bay’s most historic venues, the pre-game block party that starts at 5 p.m. is a chance for everyone to come downtown and unwind. Headquarters for the block party are Ferg’s Sports Bar, which has been dishing out the best bar food and coldest beer to sports lovers since 1992. While it promises to be a hoot and a half for fans and innocent bystanders, there’s no need to worry about things getting too far out of hand since Ferg’s is located directly across the street from the St. Petersburg Police headquarters.

Game Day Fan Tailgate Extravaganza Friday, December 21 1:30pm – 7:30pm (Kickoff) Tropicana Field Free & Open to Public

Related: Best Cigar Bars in Tampa & Pinellas Hot Beach Bars Undertow Beach Bar 3850 Gulf Blvd., St Pete Beach 33706 (727) 368-9000 | www.undertowbeachbar.com The bartenders are mostly female and wear very small bikinis. Outside there are numerous tables and chairs to watch more hard body action during the day and a eventually a sunset.

You can play volleyball with other patrons, or kickback enjoy the music and the beach hotties.

For night-owls the Undertow has a Midnight Happy Hour 12am to 3am Monday – Sunday.

The Beach at Caddy’s 9000 W Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, FL 33706 (727) 360-4993 | www.caddysotb.com Sunset Beach in Treasure Island is a great option if you want the Florida barefoot on the beach alcohol loaded party scene. This beach is a meat market that is packed with hot babes and drooling guys…old and young. If you are going to lay out and drink on the beach get there early, or you will be stuck at a picnic table on the beach wiggling your toes in the sand. Tip: Parking at Caddy’s costs $5 and is valet. There are a few parking meters down the street.

Bongos Beachside Bistro 5250 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706 (727) 360-1811 | www.grandplazaflorida.com This bar is a tropical paradise on the beach. To celebrate the magnificent sunsets they hand out free tropical shots every night after the sun has disappeared. Bongos is also your headquarters for fresh frozen tropical drinks, they boast over 200 on their menu. They serve mostly burgers, salads, wraps and seafood. Some scenes from the soon to be released movie with James Franco and Selena Gomez were shot here.

Bongos is casual, fun, and has live music.

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Making a Difference: Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl teams visit All Children’s Hospital

http://www.wtsp.com/sports/article/288145/4/Bowl-teams-visit-All-Childrens-Hospital

St. Petersburg, Florida - The Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl game will be played at Tropicana Field Friday night.

On Thursday, players, cheerleaders and even mascots from Ball State University and the University of Central Florida visited kids at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

The kids were given caps, t-shirts and calenders.

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Beef O' Brady’s Bowl - St. Petersburg NCAA Football Youth Day Clinic Youth are invited to attend a free half-day clinic at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex. The clinic is hosted by the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in partnership with NCAA Football’s Youth Initiative. This clinic, one of 22 being held nationwide over the summer, will give participants the opportunity to meet and work with coaches and athletes to complete on-field agility drills, offensive and defensive training.

Registration will be open to the first 300 youth, ages 5 to 14. www.NCAAFootballClinics.com.

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December 20, 2012 By: WTSP Web Staff 1 of 1

Ball St., UCF ready for Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) - The winner of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl will finish with 10 victories this season. That is a major step forward for growing programs such as Ball State and Central Florida.

See Also: Bowl teams visit All Children’s Hospital The Cardinals and Knights meet Friday night at Tropicana Field in a game that Ball State coach Pete Lembo and UCF’s George O’Leary view as an opportunity set a nice tone for next season.

Ball State (9-3) is seeking its first bowl win in eight tries, while UCF (9-4) hopes to rebound from a loss in the Conference USA championship game in its final game before moving into the new-look Big East.

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Ball State battles UCF in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - A pair of former Mid-American Conference foes will square off in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, as the Ball State Cardinals take on the UCF Knights.

”We are very pleased with the opportunity to go to the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl and the chance to play Ball State who has a 9-3 record,” head coach George O’Leary said. “We’re looking forward to the competition as well as the festivities in St. Petersburg.”

For Ball State this is its first bowl game since 2008 when the squad made an appearance in the GMAC Bowl after posting a 12-1 record in the regular season under former head coach There have only been three all-time meetings Brady Hoke. This season the Cardinals finished between these squads. The last one came during with a 9-3 mark which was just its second ninethe 2004 season when UCF was still a member win season since 1978. Ball State has made five of the Mid- American Conference. The Knights bowl appearances but has never managed to spent only three seasons there before moving to earn a victory. Ball State closed out the regular Conference USA. Ball State has a 2-1 record and season on the road with a 31-24 win against won the last meeting 21-17.

Miami-Ohio.

Ball State’s strong season was just part of the On offense Ball State was one of the best teams Mid-American Conference’s stellar campaign in in the MAC this season, ranking second in both 2012. scoring (35.0 ppg) and total yards (471.3 ypg).

“We’ve had an exciting season, there’s been Down the stretch the Cardinals were especially some memorable wins for us,” said head coach effective running the ball. Ball State ran for 220 Pete Lembo. “It’s been a special season in the yards or more seven times this season including Mid-American Conference and a privilege to be four times in the last five matchups. apart of such a competitive season and to see so many Mid American Conference schools going The running back tandem of Jahwan Edwards on to the postseason and being one of those and Horactio Banks has fueled the team. teams.”

Edwards (1,321 yards, 14 TDs) is the primary On the other side UCF also ended the season back and finished the season ranked sixth in the with nine wins making this one of 10 bowl this conference n total rushing yards. Banks (585 season that has two teams with at least nine yards, 4 TDs) had more meager numbers but wins. UCF was originally supposed to be banned showed his ability to rack up big yardage in the from postseason play but since the NCAA will last two weeks when he rushed for 215 yards not rule on the appeal until January, the Knights and a score. were able to earn the bowl bid. This will be the Running the offense from under center is fifth bowl for UCF, all of which have come in the quarterback Keith Wenning who has had a rather last eight seasons. In those games the Knights strong season. Wenning threw for 2,878 yards have garnered just a 1-3 record but they did win and 22 touchdowns, while completing 65.5 their most recent postseason appearance with percent of his passes. Wenning was intercepted a 10-6 victory over Georgia in the 2010 Liberty 10 times as well but was rarely under pressure as Bowl. he took only seven sacks all year.

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He also threw for more than 400 yards twice.

However Wenning is listed as questionable for the bowl game with an ankle injury. Kelly Page is the backup but threw only 28 passes all season long.

Wenning had the benefit of throwing to Willie Snead this year. Snead finished the season as the top receiver in terms of yards in the MAC by totaling 1,070 yards on 82 catches. The talent in the receiving corps doesn’t end there as Jamill Smith (69 receptions, 706 yards, 6 TDs) and tight end Zane Fakes (51 receptions, 404 yards, 5 TDs) were also integral pieces in the Cardinals’ aerial assault.

Defensively Ball State was nothing special this year. The Cardinals ranked ninth in total defense in the MAC (459.8 ypg). Ball State was one of eight teams in the conference to surrender more than 400 yards per game and one of six teams in allow more than 30 points per game (31.5). The Cardinals were also near the middle of the conference in sacks, tackles for loss and opponents’ red zone conversion rate.

Travis Freeman (119 tackles) was selected as an All-MAC Second Team member after posting the sixth most tackles in the conference. Jonathan Newsome (51 tackles, 12.0 TFL, 8.5 sacks) was one of very few pass rushers that managed to prove effective this season.

There was no lack of scoring from UCF in 2012. The Knights ranked 27th nationally in scoring (35.2 ppg), while recording point totals of more than 40 points five times, one shy of the school record. What made the Knights so prolific was how they took advantage of red zone opportunities, turning 56 attempts into 40 touchdowns which tied for the best conversion rate in the conference.

Latavius Murray earned First-Team All-C-USA honors for his performance out of the backfield for the Knights. Murray (1,035 yards, 14 TDs) was second in the conference in rushing touchdowns as well as in yards per game (94.1).

What is even more impressive about those totals

is that Murray missed three games early in the season with a shoulder injury. If there is any lingering issues Storm Johnson (457 yards, 4 TDs) is a capable backup. He rushed for at least 75 yards in all three of Murray’s missed games.

Blake Bortles is the signal caller for UCF. Bortles also turned in a strong season from under center by throwing for 2,787 yards and 22 touchdowns, while completing 62.6 percent of his pass attempts. Bortles also did a good job of limiting his own mistakes by throwing only seven interceptions and with the addition of seven rushing touchdowns, he had the secondhighest touchdown-to- interception ratio in school history (3.57) behind the 4.14 mark put up

by Daunte Culpepper during the 1998 season.

Bortles was voted a Second-Team All- C-USA member for his efforts.

There isn’t one standout receiver for UCF with Bortles spreading the ball around rather evenly.

J.J. Worton (41 receptions, 562 yards, 4 TDs) led the team in receptions, yards and tied for touchdowns. Rannell Hall (557 yards, 4 TDs) also racked up more than 500 yards, while four other players brought in at least 20 passes.

Where UCF has really excelled this season is on the defensive side of the ball. The Knights had the top scoring defense (22.5 ypg) in the conference this season and finished second in total yards (380.2 ypg). There was a lack of strong defensive squads in C-USA but the Knights were one of just three to give up fewer than 400 yards per game. UCF forced 26 turnovers, the third most in its conference.

A trio of defenders finished with more than 100 tackles for UCF. Kemel Ishmael (116 tackles), Clayton Geathers (107) and Terrance Plummer (102) topped the century mark with each recording at least four tackles for loss. Ishmael added three interceptions which tied him with A.J. Bouye for the team lead. Troy Davis (66 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, 6.5 sacks) led the team in TFL and sacks.

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Behind Bortles, UCF blasts Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl

St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - The Central Florida senior class tallied their school-record 34th win, but it was the sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles who led the way.

And the Knights left Conference USA with a bang.

Bortles threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in UCF’s 38-17 rout of Ball State in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.

The Knights (10-4) will head to the Big East next season.

Bortles accumulated 271 yards through the air on 22-of-32 efficiency and added 79 yards rushing for UCF, which suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Tulsa in the Conference USA title game that would’ve given it a berth in the Liberty Bowl. The consolation for UCF was getting to play about 100 miles from campus.

The Knights were an astounding 9-of-12 on third down.

Latavius Murray ran for 74 yards on 21 totes and a score, while adding two touchdowns receiving in the victory.

Keith Wenning was 22-of-34 for 218 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals (9-4), who were looking for the school’s first-ever bowl victory.

Ball State had won six in a row coming in.

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Ball State will face UCF in Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG (AP) Central Florida’s loss in the Conference USA championship game has the Knights staying close to home for the holidays against Ball State in the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl.

UCF (9-4) will make the 100-mile trip west from Orlando to St. Petersburg to face the Cardinals, who will carry a six-game winning streak in the Dec. 21 matchup at Tropicana Field.

Ball State (9-3) received its first postseason berth since appearing in the 2008 GMAC Bowl, filling a slot for the Big East, which didn’t have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the league’s commitments.

UCF lost the Conference USA championship game 33-27 to Tulsa in overtime. Ball State went 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

Read more: http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/20241726/2012/12/02/ball-state-will-face-ucf-inbeef-o-bradys-bowl#ixzz2sTlOTsDM Follow us: @myfoxtampabay on Twitter | FOX13TampaBay on Facebook

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December 21, 2012 By: Fred Goodall 1 of 1

Bortles shines for UCF in Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG (AP) -- Blake Bortles threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth to lead Central Florida to a 38-17 rout of Ball State in the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl on Friday night.

Bortles threw first-half TD passes of 7 and 5 yards to Latavius Murray, who also scored on a 2-yard run to help the Knights (10-4) win their final game as a member of Conference USA. Ball State (9-4) was hoping to finish with at least 10 wins for the third time in school history, however its high-powered offense sputtered while being held to a season-low point total.

Keith Wenning threw a 7-yard TD pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter, but the Cardinals didn’t get into end zone again until Snead scored on a 16-yard reception with 5 minutes remaining.

Read more: http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/20400911/2012/12/21/ball-st-ucf-ready-for-beefo-bradys-bowl#ixzz2sTn5QYA8 Follow us: @myfoxtampabay on Twitter | FOX13TampaBay on Facebook

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Dec. 21 Bortles Shines for UCF http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/sports/article.html/content/news/articles/ bhsn/2012/12/21/bortles_shines_for_u.html

Dec. 20 Teams Enjoying the Bowl Week Festivities http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/sports/article.html/content/news/articles/ bhsn/2012/12/20/with_festivities_ove.html

Dec. 12 UCF and Ball State Coaches in St. Pete http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/sports/article.html/content/news/articles/ bhsn/2012/12/12/beef_o_brady_s_bowl_.html

Dec. 2 UCF to Play Ball State in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/sports/article.html/content/news/articles/ bhsn/2012/12/2/ucf_to_play_ball_sta.html

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UCF Accepts Invite from Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

By This is a press release from UCF ORLANDO, Florida (UCFAthletics.com) – The UCF football team has accepted a bid to “Bowlin’ on the Bay” to end the 2012 season. The Knights were awarded a trip to the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl for the second time in program history and look to take on an opponent from the BIG EAST, its future home for all sports beginning in 2013.

“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.”

It will be the fifth time in program history that the Knights have gone bowling since they took part in the 2005 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In 2010, UCF earned its first bowl victory with a 10-6 triumph over Georgia in the Autozone Liberty Bowl.

“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. “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.”

The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl will give the Knights a chance at double-digit victories for the fourth time in program history and also see the 2012 senior class go for its 34th win, the most in school history.

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George O’Leary Talks Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

UCF Head Coach George O’Leary discusses Friday’s Beef O’Brady’s Bowl.

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UCF Blasts Ball State In Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

Blake Bortles earned MVP honors with three touchdown passes as the Knights beat the Cardinals, 38-17.

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RAW - UCF Prep For Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

UCF let the WFTV camera inside Wednesday’s practice. The Knights face Ball State on Friday in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl.

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UCF Preps for Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

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UCF rolls to 38-17 win in Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Blake Bortles threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth to lead Central Florida to a 38-17 rout of Ball State in the Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl on Friday night.

Bortles threw first-half TD passes of 7 and 5 yards to Latavius Murray, who also scored on a 2-yard run to help the Knights (10-4) win their final game as a member of Conference USA. Ball State (9-4) was hoping to finish with at least 10 wins for the third time in school history, however its high-powered offense sputtered while being held to a season-low point total.

Keith Wenning threw a 7-yard TD pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter, but the Cardinals didn’t get into end zone again until Snead scored on a 16-yard reception with 5 minutes remaining.

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UCF Blasts Ball State In Beef O’Brady’s Bowl

Blake Bortles earned MVP honors with three touchdown passes as the Knights beat the Cardinals, 38-17.

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1 of 2 December 22, 2012 By: Ball State Athletics

BALL STATE SPORTS LINK

MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State Sports Link, the immersive learning program and a national leader in digital sports media and production, will provide daily coverage of Ball State Football’s trip to the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. Follow the action with the links to the right, plus watch the SL exclusive videos from the week below.

Ball State Sports Link Daily Bowl Videos Friday, Dec. 21 | Ball State vs. UCF Game Recap

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Friday, Dec. 21 | 3rd Down Chirp Bowl GameDay Special

Tuesday, Dec. 18 | Barrington Scott

Thursday, Dec. 20 | From St. Pete & SL’s excusive locker room access

Monday, Dec. 18 | SL Cribs: Football Edition

Wednesday, Dec. 19 | Beach Bash, SL Top 5 Plays

Sunday, Dec. 17 | One-on-One with Pete Lembo

Tuesday, Dec. 18 | Muck City Football

Saturday, Dec. 16 | Rise of the Cardinals Feature

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1 of 1 December 21, 2012 By: Doug Miles

UCF defeats Ball State 38-17 in Beef O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night Ball State received the second half kickoff and promptly turned over the ball when Jahwan Edwards fumbled.

The Cardinals managed only a 45-yard field goal by Steve Schott in the third quarter while the Knights added a third touchdown pass by Bortles to J.J. Worten to make the score 35-10.

Ball State scored a late fourth quarter touchdown on Keith Wenning’s 16-yard touchdown toss to Willie Snead.

Blake Bortles threw three touchdown passes, Blake Bortles completed 22 of 33 passes for two to Latavius Murray as the UCF Knights 272 yards and 3 touchdowns for UCF. Latavius rolled over Ball State 38-17 in the Beef Murray rushed for 71 yards on 21 carries and O’Brady’s Bowl Friday night at Tropicana scored 1 touchdown on the ground and 2 Field in St. Petersburg, FL. UCF, from nearby receiving.

Orlando, set the tone on its first possession by Ball State’s Jahwan Edwards ran for 83 yards on keeping the ball for seven and a half minutes 12 carries. Quarterback Keith Wenning went 15 while mounting a 13 play, 78-yard drive capped of 26 for 142 yards. off by Bortles first touchdown toss of the game UCF and head coach George O’Leary completes to Murray from 7 yards out to go ahead 7-0. a successful 2012 season with a 10-4 record UCF scored again the next time it had the ball, while winning 7 of 8 in Conference USA. Ball this time in a more expedient 2:34 going 57 State finishes with a 9-4 record, 6-2 in the MAC yards in 7 plays as Latavius pounded it in from for head coach Pete Lembo.

2 yards out. The extra point was blocked. UCF Bowl Bits led 13-0 after the first quarter.

One of the game’s broadcasters has local connection to the Tampa Bay area. Joel Godett, Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning pulled who does radio play-by-play for Ball State, the Cardinals to within its closest margin of the was the former broadcaster for the Bradenton game 13-7, when he threw a 7-yard touchdown Marauders in the Florida State League. pass to Willie Snead early in the second quarter USF fans were probably rooting for crossafter a 10 play, 82 yard drive. UCF responded state rival UCF in Friday’s game as the Bulls with a 75 yard scoring drive as quarterback lost a heartbreaker to Ball State 31-27 in a last Blake Bortles rumbled in from the 6 yard line. A minute victory back on September 22 in Muncie, two-point conversion gave the Knights a 21-7 Indiana. margin.

Nashville recording artist Shelly Starks from Bortles connected with Latavius Murray on a Clearwater sang the National Anthem before 5-yard TD pass with 5 seconds remaining in the tonight’s game. second quarter to give UCF a 28-7 lead at the Announced attendance for tonight’s game at half.

Tropicana Field, 21,759.

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Press Conference Attendees - December 6, 2012

Tampa

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Media Credentials

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Media Credential List Associated Press O’Meara, Chris Associated Press Carlson , Mike Associated Press Blanco, Brian Associated Press Goodall, Fred Associated Press Bellone , Bob Associated Press Camunas, Mike Ball State Daily News Mishler Andrew Ball State Daily News Mikesell, Mat Ball State Daily News Ohlenkamp, Corey Ball State Daily News Deam, Kellan Ball State Daily News Ellis, Bobby Ball State Media Relations Shipley, Ed Ball State Sports Link Blessing, Josh Ball State Sports Link Kartman, Alex Ball State Sports Link Taylor, Chris Ball State University Weller, Jeff Ball State University O’Connell, Mark Ball State University Godett, Joel Ball State University Huffer, John Ball State University Huffer, Jordan Ball State University O’Connell, Mark Bleacher Report Wilburg, Jamal Bright House Sports Network Bass, Ryan Bright House Sports Network Looser, Darren Bright House Sports Network Levine, Randy Bright House Sports Network Engles, Scott Bright House Sports Network Carrasco, Josh Bright House Sports Network Barton, Despina Bright House Sports Network Lyon, Austin Center for Advanced Technologies Schneider, David Center for Advanced Technologies McCort , Shawn Center for Advanced Technologies Hernandez, Daniel Central Florida Future Zunz, Andy Central Florida Future Gillespie, Ryan Central Florida Future Schierholtz, Alex Central Florida Future Russett, Nick Clear Channel Communications Lovre, Frank CSS Bell, Travis Envision Sports Media Roberts, Jason ESPN Orlando Cassandra, Kyle ESPN Radio Lamont,Dave ESPN Radio Stinchcomb, Matt ESPN Radio Williams, Allison ESPN Radio Sokalsky, Ivan ESPN Radio Kramer, John ESPN Radio Neumann, Paul ESPN Radio Lemmon, Dave Florida Sentinel Bulletin Scott, Toby Florida Sentinel Bulletin Chow, Enrricco Florida Sports Wire Bonts, Michael Florida Sports Wire Beecher, Nancy

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FootBasket Sidery, Evan Genesis Communications Gonzalez, Gerardo Genesis Communications Wilson, Cody Genesis Communications Johnson, Whitney Getty Images Meric, John Icon Sports Media Lomoglio, Mark KnightNews.com Rakoci, Jake KnightNews.com Gregory, Evan KnightNews.com Switkes, Sam Metro Networks Gilbert, Tom Muncie Star Press Zaleski, Doug Muncie Star Press Blake, Patti Orlando Sentinel Tenorio, Paul Orlando Sentinel Murschel, Matthew Orlando Sentinel Bianchi, Mike Orlando Sentinel Diaz, George Orlando Sentinel Dowell, Stephen

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Media Credential List Patch.com Mansell, William Pewter Report Magazine Welch, Cliff Positive Impact Magazine Bishop, Bobby Rivals.com Helwig, Brandon Sanford Herald Guzman, Romeo Seminole Chronicle Ryzewski, Steven Seminole Chronicle Thorstenson, Mark Sports Page Magazine Fettig, Michael Sports Talk Florida Buchman, David St. Petersburg Times Auman, Greg St. Petersburg Times Zuppa, Chris Stadium Journey Dietrich , Jim Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kirksey, Jared Tampa Bay Examiner Miles, Doug Tampa Tribune Neary, Phil Tampa Tribune Johnston, Joey Tampa Tribune Fennelly, Martin TampaBaySportsCentral.com Girandola, Chris TampaBaySportsCentral.com Petersen, JP The Orlando Advocate Cooper, Janice The Sports Xchange Layberger, Tom UCF Alumni Association Garner, Jeffrey UCF Alumni Association Gallucci, David UCF IMG Radio Daniels, Marc UCF IMG Radio Harvey, Ashley UCF IMG Radio Harvey, Bill UCF IMG Radio O’Neill, Jerry UCF IMG Radio Bouteiller, Dave UCF IMG Radio Adams, Scott UCFAA Schubert, Chris UCFPhotos.com Drexler, James UCFPhotos.com Evertsen, David US PRESSWIRE Klement, Kim Valencia Voice Morales, Danny Valencia Voice Gallardo, Juan WCRD Radio Boylan, Pat WCRD Radio Fogarty , Timothy WESH-TV Ridley, Larry WESH-TV Reyes, Adrian WFLA-TV/NBC Hansen , Robert WFLA-TV/NBC Jennings, Jason WFLA-TV/NBC Lucas, Dan WFTS-TV Korun, Tom WFTS-TV Luria, Andrew WFTS-TV Davis, Brad WFTV (ABC) ORLANDO Whitehead, Shane WFTV (ABC) ORLANDO Kepner, Joe WFTV (ABC) ORLANDO Bruey, Christian WFTV (ABC) ORLANDO Whitman, Justin WHOO Radio Baumann, David WKMG TV Pingalore, David WKMG TV Taylor, Tee WKMG TV Seh, Jamie

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WPEC CBS 12 Man, Karl WTAN Radio Harris, Randy WTSP TV Wirth, Dave WTSP TV Fischer , Chris WTSP TV Tilley, Chris WTSP TV Dixon, Mike WTSP TV Kasper, Paul WTSP TV Zimmer , Beau WTSP TV Carlson, Kevin WTVT Fox 13 News Miller, Anthony WTVT Fox 13 News Beckman, Corey WTVT Fox 13 News Campbell, Jeremy WTVT Fox 13 News Galed, Jonathan ZUMA Sports Wire Rivers, Kurt

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Press Releases/ Daily Recaps

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2012 Daily Bowl Update Dec. 18

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Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 Today’s Weather: Hi: 79 degrees Lo: 56 degrees Sunny UCF TEAM ARRIVAL: Led by a police escort, four charter buses pulled up to the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in beautiful Downtown St. Petersburg this afternoon bringing UCF’s entire team - all 104 players - to their bowl week home. As soon as the coaches and players exited their buses, local and national media greeted them to get their insight into the bowl events and the game vs. Ball State.

George O’Leary, UCF Head Coach On being in a bowl game close to home “Basically our fan base is close and I like playing games in a warm weather areas. We are looking forward to the game Friday. I think the city of St. Petersburg has done a great job of organization with the bowl and they really make you feel at home as far as taking care of all your needs.”

Sean Beckton, UCF WR Coach On playing at Tropicana Field “I enjoyed last night, seeing these guys pick up their bowl gifts. Today I enjoyed watching these guys see the nice arena over here.”

On getting time to relax during bowl week “Coach O’Leary gives us an opportunity to spend some time with our families in the afternoon. We get our work done early in the morning so that after practice we have time to bond with our families and catch up after a long season.”

Lyle Dankenbring, UCF Safety On how important it would be to get 10 wins as a senior.

“It’d be huge! I think one of our coaches mentioned this week that only 25 teams have the chance to win 10 games, so that would be huge. A great way to go out.”

On what he is looking forward to.

“The game, obviously we are here to play the game. We want to come out here and play our best and send all the seniors off right. The Beach Bash was fun in 2009 watching the big guys go down the waterslide. It should be fun.”

Victor Gray, UCF DL On what he is looking forward to.

“You’re gonna relax, but also know you came here for business as well.”

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BALL STATE PRACTICE: Ball State arrived on Sunday and has held practice in Clearwater the past two days. The first official Bowl Week practice takes place at Tropicana Field on Wednesday.

TEAM CRUISE: The Player VIP Cruise was this evening with both teams being treated to a special 90-minute dinner cruise and around Tampa Bay. What’s Happening On... Wednesday, Dec. 19 Weather Forecast: Hi: 77 Lo: 61 Mostly Sunny UCF Practice at Tropicana Field: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Closed to the media, interviews post-practice.

Ball State Practice at Tropicana Field: Noon - 2:00 p.m.

Open to media, interviews post-practice.

Beach Bash at Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center: 4:00 p.m.

UCF and Ball State will enjoy the afternoon on St. Pete Beach for fun and friendly competition.

Players will be able to take advantage of numerous beach activities before convening at the Sirata Beach Resort pool for the first head-to-head competition of Bowl Week. Bragging rights will be on the line in the belly-flop contest and various other events. The school travel parties, including cheerleaders will be on site to cheer on the players. The event is open to the public to attend.

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2012 Daily Bowl Update Dec. 19

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Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 Today’s Weather: Hi: 75 degrees Lo: 63 degrees Sunny Ball State Practice: The Ball State Cardinals opened their practice today with high energy. The team focused on game specific situations throughout the practice in order to be ready for the UCF Knights on Friday. The coaching staff, led by Head Coach Pete Lembo, also made sure the team was adjusted to the stadium lights and spacing since playing in a dome is a new experience for the majority of the players.

Pete Lembo, Head Coach On his team preparation for Friday ‘’It is business as usual for our team. We had a good and productive practice today. We made sure that our team got adjusted with the lights and space that are present at Tropicana Field. This is an incredible experience for our team, and we look forward to Friday.’’

Jarrett Swaby, safety On playing against his ex-teammates ‘’It will be fun to compete against my former team. I look forward to contributing to our team’s success. Friday will be a special day for me.’’

Keith Wenning, quarterback On his ability to play against UCF ‘My foot injury is healed. I am able to move around the pocket efficiently, and make all the throws without any pain. I’m excited to play on Friday.’’

Jahwan Edwards, running back On playing in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg ‘’I am really excited. I have never been in a baseball stadium. This is an incredible experience. I can’t wait to play on Friday. I am focused and ready to perform against UCF.’’ UCF Practice: UCF held their first practice at Tropicana Field this morning in preparation for Friday’s matchup against Ball State. After dancing the night away and eating a delicious meal on last night’s players’ dinner cruise, they were in full game mode going into practice today. Every day counts as the impending game inches closer.

George O’Leary, Head Coach On Ball State coming off a six-game winning streak “I worry about my own football team and making sure that we know what we have to get done.”

On the focus of the players today in practice “They know that when they cross that white line, it’s gameday.”

On the dinner cruise last night “I thought the cruise last night was outstanding. The food was great. It was a nice boat.”

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Brynn Harvey, running back 2 of 2 On playing the last bowl game of his senior year in his hometown “It’s amazing. Just to play your last college football game, it’s a great feeling.

On his college career “It’s been an amazing five years here at UCF. It flew by so fast, so every moment Ihave right now I am trying to soak it in with my teammates and seniors that I came in with.”

On the importance of winning the last game of his senior year “Every senior wants to go out with a bang, especially in their last game. You want to come out as the winner, and playing in the bowl game in St. Petersburg - in a great atmosphere and a great environment - you want to win here too.”

Latavious Murray, running back On being honored All Conference USA first team “It’s a great honor. It was definitely one of my goals going into the season. We won a lot of games and it happened for me.”

Beach Bash:

Ball State and UCF spent their late afternoon enjoying the wonderful scenery of St. Pete Beach.

The teams participated in numerousactivities, including paddleboarding, beach volleyball, and a dunk tank. The teams then gathered at Rum Runners Pool, where they competed in multiple competitions, including the popular belly flop contest.

Contest Winners: Belly Flop: Ball State Hula Hoop: Ball State Coaches Sexy Leg: UCF What’s Happening -- on Thursday, Dec. 20 Weather Forecast: Hi: 79 Lo: 57 Sunny Children’s Hospital Visit: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Ball State and UCF will each be represented by their team captains, mascot and two cheerleaders at the All Children’s Hospital. ESPN/Disney and both participating teams will be graciously donating gifts to the children at the hospital.

Kickoff Luncheon: 12:00 p.m. The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will welcome Ball State and UCF, along with their staff, bowl sponsors, community leaders and fans, to St. Petersburg at the official bowl kickoff luncheon at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. Dress is business casual and speeches will be given by each head coach, as well as featured speaker, former Florida Gators quarterback Danny Wuerffel.

Battle of the Bands: 2:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The teams’ bands will battle on the white sands of St. Pete Beach at the Sirata resort. Fans, cheerleaders, and mascots will be attending in beach attire for the festivities. At 3:30, the cheerleaders will compete in a tug-o-war and at 3:45, the bands will compete in an eating contest at the Coconut Pavilion.

Bowl Block Party: 5:00 p.m. Downtown St. Petersburg will be full of fun and festivities as bands, cheerleaders and mascots in uniform come out to pump up the crowd for the game on Friday.

Live bands, interactive games, bowl tickets and merchandise will be available.

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2012 Daily Bowl Update Dec. 20

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Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 Today’s Weather: Hi: 79 degrees Lo: 57 degrees Sunny Hospital Visit: The Cardinals and Knights began their day at All Children’s Hospital, a pediatric treatment center located in St. Petersburg. Players, cheerleaders, and mascots for both teams were inattendance along with former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Alstott, the honorarychairman of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Alstott and his family have spent the past 18 years visiting the All Children’s Hospital and this is the fifth year that the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl has come to the hospital. With the bowl game on everyone’s mind this week, it is important that these players take a step back and realize the effect they can have not only on the field, but off the field as well. As student athletes, these young men serve as role models and their presence at All Children’s Hospital made a world of difference for these kids and their families, especially during the holiday season.

Kickoff Luncheon: It was another beautiful day in sunny Florida as the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg hosted its kickoff luncheon at the historicRenaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg. The event brought together both teams to highligt their achievements during the 2012 college football season. The festivities included opening remarks from the Master of Ceremonies Dave Reynolds, highlights of bowl week and head coach’s remarks from Ball State’s Pete Lembo and UCF’s George O’Leary, who are both anxious to take the field tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. Ball State Athletic Director Bill Scholl and UCF Athletic DirectorTodd Stansbury also spoke on the accomplishments of their teams. The keynote speaker was former Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, who talked to players about the challenges of life and the game.

Pete Lembo, Ball State Head Coach “We are excited to be here. It’s been a great season for our team, we’ve been grinding every week.

Our kids are excited about this opportunity; many have not been to a bowl game before so this has been a great week. The hospitality has just been phenomenal and now we are closing in on kickoff and that’s what it is all about.”

George O’Leary, UCF Head Coach “It’s been a great week. I think the bowl committee has done a great job with the players and the coaches and the fans that were here, it was well organized.”

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2 of 2 Battle of the Bands: Ball State and UCF fans, bands, cheerleaders, and mascots met on St. Pete Beach outside the Sirata Beach Resort and Conference center for fun and festivities under the sun.

The bands of both teams battled back-and-forth on the sand. The bands started off with their schools theme song and then branched off and played songs such as Outkast’s “Hey Ya” and Fun’s “We are Young.” Among the spectators were students, parents of the players, and some passers by. In the crowd was first-time Florida visitor Laura Langille from Canada. “This is honestly like nothing I’ve ever seen,” said Langille. “This is school spirit at its finest.” The Cardinals and Knights cheerleaders then competed in a tug-o-war. Finally, the bands headed over to the Coconut Pavilion for a corn fritter eating contest. Ball State won by eating over 60 corn fritters.

Block Party: Fans spent the eve of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg at Ferg’s Sports Bar in downtown St. Petersburg for the Bowl Block Party. The teams’ bands, cheerleaders, and mascots were all present for the night’s festivities. Spectators came out for live bands, interactive games, displays, bowl tickets and merchandise, which were all made available. The UCF and Ball State coaches shows were broadcasted for fans and while everyone was in good spirits, the rivalry between the teams could be sensed among the crowd.

What’s Happening -- on Friday, Dec. 21 Weather Forecast: Hi: 70 Lo: 48 Sunny Fan Tailgate Extravaganza: 2:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Fans of Ball State and UCF are invited to gather at the Tropicana Field interactive game day area. Lot 7A will be filled with entertainment for fans of all ages to come out in their game day attire for a day of festivities leading up to the big game. Food and beverage will be available to purchase and the event is free to the public.

2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Game Day Details: Ball State and UCF will take Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg at 7:30 p.m. for the highly anticipated 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.

Stadium Ticket Office opens at 9:00 a.m.

Parking Lots open at 1:30 p.m.

Media Will Call opens at 4:30 p.m. Stadium Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Moves to Friday Night in 2012

Fifth Annual Game Set for Friday, Dec. 21 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 1, 2012) - ESPN Regional Television and the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg have announced that the 2012 game will be played Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The game, which is televised nationally on ESPN, features a BIG EAST Conference team against a Conference USA school.

“The Friday primetime kickoff will enable more fans from our community to attend the game while also showcasing our market to a national viewing audience on ESPN,” said Brett Dulaney, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director. “The switch to Friday night should be beneficial for the St. Petersburg tourism industry as well. Teams will arrive earlier in the week with their fans, filling up hotel rooms and restaurants during a week that is typically one of the slower tourism weeks.”

Last year, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Bowl hosted Marshall of Conference USA against FIU of the Sun Belt Conference in a Tuesday night primetime game. The Thundering Herd prevailed 20-10 over the Panthers, providing Conference USA its first-ever win bowl win at Tropicana Field in the first four years of the game. Two players from the 2011 game were selected in the 2012 NFL Draft this past weekend, with Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry going in the second round to the Philadelphia Eagles and FIU wide receiver T.Y. Hilton chosen in the third round by the Indianapolis Colts.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will go on sale later this year with prices starting as low as just $35. Tickets for the Hancock Bank Club, which overlooks the field on the mezzanine level and includes an all-inclusive buffet featuring a variety of high-quality food and dessert plus unlimited bar service (beer, wine and soda), are $150. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1.800.745.3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Bud Light Lounge, the only on-field hospitality village in all of professional or college football. Fans 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 you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage any fan would want. Tickets for the Bud Light Lounge have sold out the past two years. Fans interested in being in this special section may contact Carlos Padilla at 727.290.9865 for more information.

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information.

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ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, MidAmerican, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events: Collegiate Football BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala); Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Collegiate Basketball Anaheim Classic (Anaheim, Calif); Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Classic (Madison Square Garden); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); Sears BracketBusters and State Farm Champions Classic (Georgia Dome, Atlanta) Collegiate Lacrosse ESPNU Warrior Classic Additional Events Hawaiian Islands Invitational (Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

-30Media Contacts: Rachel Margolis, ESPN, rachel.l.margolis@espn.com or 860.766.2798 Jeffrey Kamis, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl / Trifecta Team, jeff@trifectateam.com or 813.784.3642 Jack Heilig, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl / Trifecta Team,jack@trifectateam.com or 954.634.2299 ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Recording Artist Shelly Starks to Sing the National Anthem at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 13, 2012) – Nashville recording artist Shelly Starks, who has performed with Grammy®winning artists such as Sugarland and Bryan White, will be singing the national anthem at this year’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. The game, which features UCF and Ball State at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m., is owned by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, and will air on ESPN. Starks, a resident of nearby Clearwater, Fla., has performed the national anthem at more than 20 professional and collegiate sports events, including several Major League Baseball games and locally for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

Signed to London’s Right Recordings and distributed via Universal Music Group, her recent single “To Be A Woman” has been charted on iTunes and Amazon in several countries around the world.

Customer reviews currently rate the single five out of five stars on both iTunes and Amazon.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to have a local resident and national recording artist kick off our game,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “Shelly has received terrific fan responses from her past performances and we look forward to having her set the tone for a great night of football.”

Learn more about Shelly Starks on her website at http://www.shellystarks.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at @ShellyStarks. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Donates Game Tickets for Active Military Based at MacDill ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 14, 2012)- As a recognition of the great contribution that the active military does for our country, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will be providing 300 tickets for military members based at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base. This year’s game features UCF and Ball State on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game, owned and operated

by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

The Bowl is also providing the opportunity for MacDill military, civilians, and family members to participate as volunteers with the Bowl for the third consecutive year.

Coordinating the efforts between MacDill and the Bowl has been Major Shane Huff, Chief of Public Affairs, 927th Air Refueling Wing.

“The donation of tickets is a generous gesture of support and appreciation for our uniformed services,” said Huff. “We have helped the past two years with providing volunteers and interest is high in participating in this event again this year.”

“We are forever indebted to these courageous men and women of the military,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “Major Shane Huff has been a tremendous help in coordinating our efforts with MacDill Air Force Base to provide tickets and the opportunity for volunteers be involved with our event.”

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. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 2012 Talent Tryouts Winner Announced ST. PETERSBURG, FL. (December 13, 2012)– Sonee Thompson, a graduate of the University of Florida and certified fitness expert, was selected as the 2012 winner of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl 2012 Talent Tryouts. Thompson was chosen after a rigorous selection process from a group of five finalists.

The tryouts, which were created to discover an on-camera, sports personality to cover Bowl events, are in their third year of existence.

A native of Pensacola, Florida, Thompson will join the Bowl’s professional video crew as the on-air talent and will cover various events leading up to the game, including the Beach Bash, the Battle of the Bands, the Team Hospital Visit and the game between UCF and Ball State on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Televison (ERT), will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

“I’m excited to see Bowl Week unfold from the shorelines to the sidelines,” said Thompson. “I’m thrilled to be chosen to cover the events, meet the teams and executives and capture their energy and adrenaline in words and actions.”

As host, Thompson will be the face of the bowl, conducting interviews with players at the events.

“We had a very talented group of finalists and all of them could have very easily been our choice,” said Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director Brett Dulaney. “We had to review the demo tapes a few extra times to finally determine our winner and we are happy to have Sonee serve as our host reporter.”

You can view Sonee’s video reports during Bowl Week as well as her finals competition video on the Bowl’s You Tube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/stpetebowl.

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. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

2012 Team Welcome Press Conference ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 6, 2012) - The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Team Welcome Press Conference took place on Thursday, December 6 at Tropicana Field. Bowl Executive Director Brett Dulaney formally welcomed UCF and Ball State to this year’s game. The athletic directors and head coaches from both teams spoke about the upcoming matchup between the nine-win teams that will be played at 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 21 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

The event, which was held at the Everglades Smokehouse overlooking the football field, drew a standing-room crowd that included Bill Foster, Mayor of St. Petersburg, and the six-time Pro Bowl NFL player Mike Alstott who is Honorary Game Chairman.

Event Quotes Todd Stansbury, UCF Vice President & Director of Athletics Opening Comments “On behalf of UCF, we are extremely excited to come to the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. I know the team and our fans can’t wait to get over here and start the festivities.”

On playing in the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg for the 2nd time “I have heard nothing but good things about the last trip, with the exception of the final score. Coach [O’Leary] has assured me that we are in pretty good shape this time.”

George O’Leary, UCF Head Coach: On playing in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg “I know how much work goes into a bowl game and I think we have a great facility and a great town to have the game in. I know the football team is looking forward to getting over here.”

On playing Ball State “I think we have two good football teams and great game expectation as far as crowd and competition is concerned.”

“I have had the opportunity to look at them on film. It is going to be a great competition and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Bill Scholl, Ball State Director of Athletics Opening Comments “I want to thank the people of the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl and St. Petersburg for inviting Ball State to come and be apart of it. It’s a very exciting moment for our program.”

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“On behalf of Ball State, Ball State Athletics and the Muncie community, I want to say thank you for having us and also for how we will be treated when we get here.”

On the hospitality of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg “The folks who are here today with me doing a site visit are raving about the hospitality and I can’t imagine that this will be anything but a spectacular week in St. Petersburg for the Ball State fans who find their way down here for the game.”

On his school’s football team “I can’t leave the podium without telling you how proud I am of Ball State’s student athletes, our football student athletes and our football staff. It wasn’t very long ago that the idea of being here today with a 9-3 record was nothing more than a dream. Certainly a vision of our head coach and it’s pretty amazing how in a very short period of time we are now here to play in this very meaningful game.”

Pete Lembo, Ball State Head Coach Opening Comments “Its absolutely an honor for me to be here representing our staff, players and our support staff. When we got to Ball State two years ago, one of our long-term goals was to get the program to a point where we could be playing in meaningful postseason games like this one and to be here as quickly as we are, in two years, is really special.”

On this season “We’ve had an exciting season, there’s been some memorable wins for us.

It’s been a special season in the Mid-American Conference and a privilege to be apart of such a competitive season and to see so many Mid American Conference schools going on to the post-season and being one of those teams.”

On the bowl game “This game against Central Florida is going to be a tremendous challenge for our program, so we are going to have to do a great job in preparation, but we certainly hope to come down here and represent Ball State well.” ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Two Heisman Trophy Winners Featured as Part of Telecast ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 3, 2012) - The 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg will have the ESPN announce team of Dave Neal, Desmond Howard and Andre Ware, along with Cara Capuano on the sidelines. UCF from Conference USA will face Ball State from the Mid-American Conference at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET, in the fifth edition of the Bowl which is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN. In addition, the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg can be heard nationally on ESPN Radio with Clay Matvick calling the play-by-play, Matt Stinchcomb handling the analysis and Allison Williams reporting from the sidelines.

“I’m thrilled with the on-air team ESPN has assigned,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “The first thought I had when I received the news is that we’ll have three Heisman Trophy winners with us during Bowl Week with Danny Wuerffel serving as our kickoff luncheon keynote speaker and Desmond Howard and Andre Ware as the TV analysts.”

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 (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. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Ball State Selected for 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 2, 2012)– Ball State, which is riding a six-game winning streak, has accepted a bid to the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. The Cardinals will face the Conference USA East Division Champion UCF Knights in the fifth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl gamefrom Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

The Cardinals, from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), filled a slot for the BIG EAST, which didn’t have enough teams to fulfill its bowl commitments. Ball State will be the first-ever MAC team to play in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.

“Ball State is a hot team right now, winning six straight, including a road win over conference foe Toledo, which was ranked in the Top 25 at the time,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “We look forward to providing a great bowl week experience for the team and their fans.”

“Ball State University is very excited to participate in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg,” said Bill Scholl, Director of Athletics for Ball State. “We have heard great things about this bowl and are sure it will be an enjoyable experience for our student-athletes, alumni, and fans from all over the country. Ball State’s football program is proud to represent the Mid-American Conference at the bowl, and we are looking forward to the event.”

Ball State (9-3, 6-2 MAC) scored 30 or more points in 10 of its 12 games this season, including a seasonhigh 52 points in a win over Ohio on November 14. A total of 13 members of the Ball State football team were honored by the Mid-American Conference, including five first-team selections. Among the first team selections is sophomore WR Willie Snead (Belle Glade, FL), who pulled in a team-best 82 receptions for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns. Snead ranks fourth on Ball State’s record book in both receptions and receiving yards in a single season.

Head Coach Pete Lembo, who is in his second year with the Cardinals, took over a four-win squad following the 2010 season, and led the program to its most wins since 2008.

“Our football program is extremely pleased to be representing the Mid-American Conference at the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg,” said Lembo. “We have had an outstanding season, and are looking forward to allowing the fans of Florida and our fans across the country to see our exciting team. This is an honor for our football program and our university, and our fans and alum are excited about the invitation.”

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The Cardinals are making their first bowl appearance since 2008 when they played Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl. Ball State has played in seven bowls and is seeking its first bowl win in its history.This will be the fourth meeting between Ball State and UCF. All three meetings took place while UCF was a member of the MAC (2002-04). The Cardinals, which own a 2-1 series advantage, scored a come-from-behind 2117 win at home in the last matchup on November 13, 2004.

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. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

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 plus11 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. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Bowl Teams Set to Visit All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg During Bowl Week ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (November 19, 2012) - One of the most redeeming experiences during bowl week for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburghappens each year when the teams visit patients at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. It is an emotional event that brings the Bowl opponents together for an invaluable investment in time. This year’s visit will take place on Thursday, Dec. 20at 9:00 a.m.

Team representatives, including coaches, team captains, cheerleaders and mascots, along with Honorary Game Chairman and former NFL star Mike Alstott, will visit the children and take pictures, sign autographs and provide gifts from ESPN and memorabilia from each school. In many cases, though, the most valuable gifts are the priceless hugs. Last year, Vince Papale, who inspired the Walt Disney Movie “Invincible” and served as the Keynote Speaker at last year’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Kickoff Luncheon, also made it a point to be at the event.

“When the teams from the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg visit our patients, it really brightens their day,” said Kristin Maier, Director of the Child Life Program at All Children’s Hospital. “It creates a break from the anxiety a child is often feeling while being in the hospital. You can see the excited look on their faces when the players and team mascots enter the room - it’s almost like a ‘WOW’ factor.”

“Year after year, athletic directors from both schools rave about how great of an experience the hospital visit is for their players and coaches,” said Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director Brett Dulaney. “The visit to All Children’s Hospital is an integral part of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl and we’re proud that we have done this in each year of our bowl.”

The 2012 visit to All Children’s Hospital will mark the fifth time in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg’s five years of existence. Media are permitted and encouraged to attend and cover the event.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg game on December 21 at 7:30 p.m. 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. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center Chosen As New Bowl Media Headquarters ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 23, 2012) - The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg is excited to announce that the Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center on St. Pete Beach will serve as the media headquarters for this year’s game. The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg is an ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned bowl game featuring teams from the BIG EAST and Conference USA. The game will be played Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. “Following last year’s game we looked at various areas where we can upgrade our Bowl game experience and being able to host our media at a terrific beachfront resort was one of the goals we set out to do,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “We are very pleased that the Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center leadership worked closely with us to create an ideal package that we feel the media will greatly appreciate.”

The popular beachfront resort on the Gulf of Mexico has 382 newly decorated rooms and suites, three pools, two whirlpools plus two beachfront bars, Harry’s Beach Bar and Rum Runners, providing great outdoor dining in a sunset rich venue.

“The Sirata Beach Resort is extremely excited to be identified as the host hotel for members of the media covering the Beef ‘O’ Brady Bowl St. Petersburg this coming December,” said Gregg Nicklaus, President of the Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center. “It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our beautiful resort and for them to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation on our 13-acre beachfront campus.”

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visitwww.beefobradys.com for more information. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

2012 Game Tickets & Hospitality Packages Available Now ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 10, 2012) - 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. The fifth edition of the ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, owned bowl game features a BIG EAST Conference team against a representative from Conference USA at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. “We’re excited that we’ve been able to move the game to a Friday night this year, making it a terrific entertainment choice for families looking for a great way to enjoy time together,” said Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director Brett Dulaney. “Having a Friday night game is also an ideal way for many people to come over right from work to start their weekend, taking advantage of our pre-game tailgate entertainment before being able to see a very competitive game featuring future NFL stars.”

The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, which began in 2008, already boasts an impressive number of players who have advanced to the NFL. Currently there are 37 former bowl participants on NFL rosters, including rookie WR T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts, who had three receptions in last week’s upset win over the Green Bay Packers.

A unique option which has received tremendous interest over the years has been the Bowl’s one-of-a-kind on-field hospitality village, The Miller Lite Party Deck. This is the only on-field hospitality village in pro or college football where fans can sit right behind the team bench and hear all of the hard-hitting action. In addition to the choice vantage point for watching the game, a ticket to this area includes all the food and beverage any fan would want. The Miller Lite Party Deck has sold out each of the past four years, so be sure to reserve your tickets early. To secure tickets or to learn more about The Miller Lite Party Deck, please contact Carlos Padilla at 727.290.9865.

Four bowl membership packages are also available. The Kickoff, First and Ten, Goal Line, and Touchdown packages provide a variety of desirable benefits. Depending on which membership you choose, you can receive premium game tickets, tickets for the all-inclusive ultra-premium Miller Lite Party Deck, parking passes, passes to the ESPN VIP pre-game tailgate, recognition in the official game program and invitations to exclusive Bowl events.

For more information on the variety of ways to attend and enjoy the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, call 727-290-9865 or email info@stpetersburgbowl.com.

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

Heisman Trophy Winner Danny Wuerffel to Serve as Keynote Speaker at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl Kickoff Luncheon ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 18, 2012) - Legendary University of Florida quarterback and 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Kickoff Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 20 at Noon at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. The Luncheon takes place the day prior to the kickoff of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, which is owned by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, and features a BIG EAST Conference team against a representative from Conference USA at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. “I’m grateful to the Bowl for the invitation,” said Wuerffel. “I look forward to sharing several stories from my life, both from on-and-off the field, to help inspire the listeners to see life from a deeper perspective, looking beyond all the self-centered messages in our culture in hopes that we all might learn to be better teammates and people.”Wuerffel achieved an elite status during his four-year career at the University of Florida, which included leading the Gators to the 1996 National Championship and four SEC Championships. One of the most respected achievements for Wuerffel is that he is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy and also receive the Draddy Trophy, which is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete.

“We are very fortunate to have a college football icon in Danny Wuerffel as our keynote speaker,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “Danny earned so many accolades during his storied collegiate career at the University of Florida and I am confident that the student-athletes and other guests at our Kickoff Luncheon will all look forward to hearing him speak and meeting him afterwards.”A limited number of tables are still available for the Kickoff Luncheon. For more information on availability, please contact the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg office at 727.290.9865.

Tickets for the 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg game are on sale now and start as low as just $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.comor by phone at 1-800.745.3000.

Fans can enjoy the pregame pageantry in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Miller Lite Party Deck, the only onfield 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 you can literally be in the huddle and still enjoy all the food and beverage any fan would want. For tickets in the Miller Lite Party Deck, fans may contact Carlos Padilla at 727.290.9865 for more information.

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visitwww.beefobradys.com for more information. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

35 Past Players from Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg on NFL Rosters ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (September 11, 2012) - The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg is only in its fifth year but it has significant representation in the National Football League. With the kickoff of the 2012 NFL season over the weekend, 35 players that have competed in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl are on an NFL roster.

Rutgers, which defeated UCF in the 2009 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl under currentTampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano, leads the way with nine former players currently in the NFL. The group is led by CB Devin McCourty of theNew England Patriots, who had seven tackles in a 34-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. McCourty also had a crucial pass deflection in the end zone that prevented a touchdown on the Titan’s opening drive.

A total of 19 NFL teams sport players who played in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. The teams with the most players on its rosters are the Patriots with four and Minnesota Vikings with three. All three of the Vikings players, starting CB Mistral Raymond(USF), CB Josh Robinson (UCF) and LB Tyrone McKenzie (USF), were contributors in the season-opening overtime win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“We’ve been fortunate that our conference partnerships have put us in the position to be able to showcase 35 players that now play in the NFL,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg.

The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg is an ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned bowl game featuring teams from the BIG EAST and Conference USA. The game will be played Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Players in the Pros - 35 (as of September 10, 2012) 2011 Game (3) Marshall (2) Vinny Curry

Omar Brown

FIU (1) T.Y. Hilton

2010 Game (6) Louisville (4) Bilal Powell

Johnny Patrick

Greg Scruggs

Byron Stingily

Southern Mississippi (2) Austin Davis

Lamar Holmes

DE DB

Philadelphia Eagles Baltimore Ravens *

WR

Indianapolis Colts

RB DB DE OT

New York Jets New Orleans Saints Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans

QB OG

St. Louis Rams Atlanta Falcons

continued

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2009 Game (15) Rutgers (9) Anthony Davis

Justin Francis

Kevin Haslam

Gregg Johnson

Joe Lefeged

Devin McCourty

Mohamed Sanu

Alex Silvestro

Desmond Wynn

UCF (6) Kamar Aiken

Bruce Miller

Jamar Newsome Jah Reid

Josh Robinson

Torell Troup

2008 Game (11) USF (6) Nate Allen Tyrone McKenzie Jerome Murphy Mistral Raymond George Selvie Jeremiah Warren Memphis (5) Charlie Bryant Kellen Heard Ronald Leary Clinton McDonald Frank Trotter

OT DE OL DE DB CB WR LB OL

San Francisco 49ers New England Patriots San Diego Chargers * Tampa Bay Buccaneers Indianapolis Colts New England Patriots Cincinnati Bengals New England Patriots * Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WR FB WR OT CB DT

Buffalo Bills * San Francisco 49ers Kansas City Chiefs * Baltimore Ravens Minnesota Vikings Buffalo Bills #

CB LB CB CB DE OT

Philadelphia Eagles Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints Minnesota Vikings Jacksonville Jaguars New England Patriots *

DL DT OL DT DE

San Diego Chargers * St. Louis Rams Dallas Cowboys * Seattle Seahawks Philadelphia Eagles * ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

2012 NCAA Youth Football Clinic ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 20, 2012) - The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg and the NCAA Football Youth Initiative will once again team up to host a free youth football clinic for boys and girls ages 5-14 from the Tampa Bay area. The event will take place on Friday, July 20 from 9 a.m.Noon ET at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater (2450 Drew Street).

The NCAA Youth Football Initiative partners college bowl games with NCAA Football to host a first-class event that teaches football fundamentals, character development and the importance of education to youth in the bowl community.

“We are proud to be able to bring the NCAA’s Youth Football Clinic once again this year to our community,” said Brent Dulaney, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Executive Director. “The clinic provides a wonderful opportunity for young athletes to learn the fundamentals of football from the sport’s top coaches while promoting the values of teamwork and sportsmanship.”

Football coaches from the staffs of the University of South Florida, University of Central Florida and Jacksonville University will lead the participants through a number of offensive, defensive and special teams drills.

Mike Alstott, the honorary chairman for the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, will be the special guest speaker at the clinic. Alstott was a six-time Pro Bowl selection during his 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It’s going to be a fun and educational day for the youth in our community and we look forward to another terrific turnout,” added Dulaney.

This will mark the third consecutive year that the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg has hosted the clinic. Last year’s event attracted more than 400 participants. Those wishing to participate in the clinic can register online at www.BeefOBradysBowl.com. For more information, call the Bowl office at 727.290.9865.

About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www.beefobradys.com for more information. ###

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Press Release

For Immediate Release

2012 Bowl Talent Tryouts Kick Off Friday Aug 31 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 30, 2012)- The 2012 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg’s “Bowl Talent Tryouts,” with a chance to be the game’s official television reporter, begins this Friday, Aug. 31. Aspiring TV personalities will have a tremendous opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience as the winner of this year’s contest. The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg is an ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned bowl game featuring teams from the BIG EAST and Conference USA. The game will be played Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. This will be the third consecutive year the bowl game is holding this contest in which the winner will also receive a free week’s stay at an official bowl hotel in St. Petersburg during Bowl Week. The winner will be working with a professional production team covering all of the bowl week events and game day, posting daily reports on the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl’s official YouTube and blog pages. Interested parties can enter online or audition at one of the four tryouts hosted at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s locations in September.

Beginning Friday, entries can be made online. Details on how to submit your YouTube video audition are available online at www.BowlTalentTryouts.com . Online entries will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 5, 2012.

The on-location tryouts will take place at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s locations in both the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas.

Sat., Sept.1, 11 AM - 2 PM: Waterford Lakes,12789 Waterford Lakes Pkwy., Orlando, (407) 781-0400 Sat., Sept.1, 5 PM - 8 PM: Clermont, 1642 East Hwy. 60, Clermont, (352) 242-9700 Sat., Sept.15, 5 PM - 8 PM: Palma Ceia, 2819 S. MacDill Ave, Tampa, (813) 835-9464 Sat., Sept.22, 5 PM - 8 PM: Lutz, 18421 US Hwy. 41, Lutz, (813) 909-2300 The candidates will be judged via online voting, which runs from October 10-26. The top finalists will then be invited to Tampa on Saturday, Nov. 10 to audition in front of our panel of judges. The winner will be notified on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

“If anyone has dreamed of becoming a college football tv host and reporter, this is a great opportunity that we are happy to provide for someone to experience everything behind the scenes,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg. “We’re looking forward to another year with some great talent to select from to be our host.”

The inaugural winner in 2010 was Jenna Laine, who went on to co-host and produce “The Sports Mob,” a sports talk-radio show that aired on 1010 CBS Sports in Tampa. Last year’s winner was UCF graduate Kevin Keane.

“Winning the Bowl Talent Tryouts and having the opportunity to blog, report, and broadcast news and information throughout the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg last year was such a tremendous experience for me,” said Keane. “I gained valuable skills and experience that I will take with me in my current endeavor of becoming the next great sports broadcaster!”

Interested entrants must be 18 years of age or older and will need to be available to cover all bowl week events from December 17-21, 2012. continued

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About Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a fast-growing national chain of family sports pubs that achieves its success by building relationships with the local schools, youth sports leagues, and other community organizations in each and every Beef ‘O’ Brady’s neighborhood market. The “kid appeal” of this unique concept is reinforced by a very moderately priced kids menu and video games. Ironically, despite what the name implies, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is actually best known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has more than 260 open restaurants throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. Visit www. beefobradys.com for more information. ###

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Final Game Statistics Central Florida vs.

Ball State December 21, 2012 Tropicana Field

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