Knights excited for season

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With 17 returnees anda strong recruiting class, UCF Coach George O'Leary is thinking big.

The newness was both visible and audible Thursday night as UCF took the field for its first practice of the 2007 football season.

There was the new 45,000-seat stadium literally casting a shadow over the fences plus the new white helmets reflecting the lights.

Then there was sophomore linebacker Chance Henderson, who had barely taken two steps inside the practice field gates when he let out a loud yelp. Not far behind, junior cornerback Joe Burnett summed up his feelings in just two words.

"We're here," he said.
Kyle Hightower : Orlando Sentinel