Hodges Dominates As UCF's New Starting Quarterback

On a night when brotherhood and solidarity shined bright, senior transfer quarterback Brett Hodges made his first start as a Knight, making him the ninth UCF quarterback to start in black and gold since the team joined the Football Bowl subdivision ranks.

Determined to prove his worth as UCF's golden boy, and to bounce back from a disappointing loss against C-USA rivals Southern Miss, Hodges found his groove at home at Bright House Networks Stadium, going 15-20 for 141 yards and completing 10 of 10 pass attempts in the second half.

Indeed, the entire team seemed to gel in the last 30 minutes of the game. During that time, UCF's strong defense quickly shut out quarterback Zach Maynard and the Bulls, allowing the offense to come in and score 16 additional points to win the game.

Since the coaching staff's announcement that Brett Hodges would start for the rest of the 2009 season, it appears that a final decision has been helpful to the team and their chemistry. Hodges' rushing prowess didn't hurt either.

“The guy was a great runner and he moved the chains. He kept drives going and those kinds of drives were a killer for us," Buffalo head coach Turner Gill said. Hodges was exceptionally light on his feet, running for 71 yards on 13 carries.

It was the highest rushing total for a Knight quarterback since now-backup quarterback Rob Calabrese had 86 last year against UTEP. In addition, Hodges lit up in the “wildcat” formation, impressing fans who still might not have been decided on the two-game quarterback standoff.

Hodges admitted after the game that he wasn't used to running the ball as much as he did, but it appears that he has a gift that many weren't aware of.

Since Calabrese is the usual quick legs of the duo, Hodges' speed caught the Bulls off guard, allowing him to take advantage of the limited amount of tape that his opposition had of him.

To Hodges, the game felt good. It felt as if maybe this is the start of something bigger and better for the 2009 Knights.

“Our offense started really clicking in that second half,” Hodges said. “I really feel like our guys are starting to believe now and we're starting to get that chemistry throughout the entire team that we needed.”

Read this article at Examiner.com Orlando