Univ. of Central Florida Knights beat Baylor Bears, 52-42
Photos for Headline Surfer® / Don Burnette, shown at left, is all smiles at the University of Phoenix, who along with his wife and several friends, flew out to Arizona to watch the UCF Knights win big in their first BCS Bowl, 52-42 over the Baylor Bears in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- What a way for Port Orange City Councilman Don Burnette to kick off the new year.
Burnette was still celebrating his UCF Knights' big win over the Baylor Bears in the New Year's Day Fiesta Bowl hours after the game.
Then again, he is two time zones away from home. He'll likely feel the jet lag when he returns home to Port Orange.
But for now, then again, perhaps the rest of his life, Burnette will cherish what he and his wife saw firsthand in the University of Phoenix stadium as the 15th-ranked Knights took it to the No. 6 Bears in a a high octane affair by both teams.
"What a Knight!!!," wrote Burnette on his Facebook page after the win. "UCF goes from BCS buster to BCS winner!!!"
Don Burnette, Port Orange City Councilman and UCF alumnus
"What a Knight!!!," wrote Burnette on his Facebook page after the win. "UCF goes from BCS buster to BCS winner!!!"
The UCF Knights take the field for the pre-game warms at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, which they won handily over the favored Baylor Bears, much to the pleasure of Port Orange's Don and Anita Burnette who were there in Arizona to cheer their college team on.
Burnette, who studied marketing management at UCF where he also earned his MBA and is a proud season ticket holder, can be forgiven for the cliche of "Knight vs. night."
After all, he is a politician; though as honest and sincere as you can expect from his profession, which ranks as low as that of a lawyer or member of the media.
And speaking of the media, wife Anita Reber Burnette, really dug her nails (figuratively) into college football analyst Lee Corso for what she saw as his pre-game dissing of the Knights.
In Corso's defense, UCF was pegged as a 17-point underdog in its first BCS bowl game. But don't tell Anita Burnette that.
"Hey Lee Corso, did you actually watch the Fiesta Bowl?," she asked almost tauntingly on her Facebook page.
Anita Burnette didn't stop there, adding, "The game you did not even give a second thought about.... Well guess what UCF showed up and dominated the game and WON!!! What do you have say about the game now??? Go UCF Knights, proud to be a fan, (alumnus) and a season ticket holder!!!"
Anita Burnette, shown hereat left and wife of Port Orange Councilman Don Burnette, wasn't pleased with college football analyst Lee Coso's lacvk of love for the UCF Knights.
"Hey Lee Corso, did you actually watch the Fiesta Bowl?," Anita Burnette asked almost tauntingly on her Facebook page. She didn't stop there, adding, "The game you did not even give a second thought about.... Well guess what UCF showed up and dominated the game and WON!!! What do you have say about the game now??? Go UCF Knights, proud to be a fan, (alumnus) and a season ticket holder!!!"
UCF got on the scoreboard first against Baylor, the nation's top-ranked offense, with two quick touchdowns -- piling up 566 total yards compared to the 550 yards compiled by Baylor, the Big 12 champs -- in what turned out to be the second highest scoring BCS bowl to date.
UCF junior quarterback Blake Bortles on the strength of his arm and his legs accounted for four scores himself. Bortles and his Knights' teammates scored in double figures in three of the four quarters, with 14 points in each of the first two quarters, a mere 7 points in the third and then 17 in the fourth to put the game away.
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