(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida will face an unusual challenge in its season-opener against Florida International University. Following the firing of former Panthers head coach Ron Turner, FIU brought in Butch Davis and a host of other new coaches. That’s an odd challenge for second-year Knights head coach Scott Frost and team, as the Panthers’ new staff provides a degree of uncertainty. For Frost, that leaves him and his team guessing.
“To be honest with you, we’re taking a lot of guesses,” Frost said at the team’s weekly game-week press conference on Aug. 28. “These guys are new coaches. They’re coming from different places on the offensive side and their defensive side, so we’re doing the best we can to piece together what we think they’re gonna be running. That being said, our players are gonna have to be ready to adjust in the middle of the game. They could come out and run something completely different than what we’re expecting.”
While uncertainty lingers around what kind of team Davis, a former National Football League head coach, will put together, the Knights enter the season with simply higher expectations.
In 2016, the Knights finished with a 6-7 record after a loss in the AutoNation Cure Bowl, the team’s first bowl appearance since 2014. Now, a six-win improvement from the 2015 season has attracted external pressure to meet certain expectations. UCF is projected to finish second in the American Athletic Conference East Division by an AAC media poll revealed during the conference’s media day in July.
But the team has higher expectations for itself as well. Tight end Jordan Akins said he wants to win every game this season, and he’s confident his team can do so.
“Going undefeated, man. I wanna win every game,” Akins said at the team’s weekly game-week press conference on Aug. 28. “If we come out and we execute and we play our hardest and we [lose] the game, that’s still a win to me. You know, I’ll pick up my teammates and just keep going along with it. We’re trying to build this university and take it to new places. So I’m very excited to see where this year takes us.”
Coaches expect more out of their team as well. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said he’s expecting more out of his defensive line.
“Yeah, I expect more production out of [the D-line] this year,” Chinander said after practice on Aug. 29. “I expect them to run the show a little bit. But, with that being said, you know, there’s guys that can come in and spell them. It’s a little different than last year. Last year, we were trying to play those a little more, you know, as they clearly rose to the top of the depth chart. Now I think the depth chart’s much, much better. So we can keep those guys more fresher. So, hopefully, you’re gonna see a lot of bodies rolling in and out of there.”
As for FIU’s defense, Panthers defensive coordinator Brent Guy served in the same role at the University of Tulsa from 2011 to 2014. So, naturally, the Knights have been watching Tulsa film to help predict what FIU’s defense might show.
“We’re expected to see a four-down defense,” redshirt junior offensive tackle Wyatt Miller said after practice on Aug. 28. “You know, the defensive coordinator from [Tulsa] is coming to FIU. So we’ve been watching a lot of Tulsa film. So we’re expecting a lot of movement up front. But we’ve been game-planning for them all week. We think we have a good game plan going into this game.”
UCF is also preparing itself for two options for FIU’s quarterback: Alex McGough and Maurice Alexander. McGough, a pocket-passer, was the perennial, go-to option. He threw for 1,891 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and rushed for another four touchdowns in nine games last season. Maurice, a dual-threat quarterback, was the team’s second option. He threw for 613 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions while also running for 109 yards and one touchdown in eight games.
“Yeah. I mean, last year we saw the dual-threat guy, and I know they also have a very good pocket passer we saw at the end of the game last year,” Chinander said. “We’ve seen them both on tape. So it’s a little bit of a different game plan. It’s not so much different calls—it’s more tweaking the calls for whoever’s in the game. So the guys are ready for both.”
In the Knights’ corner, one question mark circled an offense that tried to keep pace with the team’s defense last year. Entering the first regular-season game of 2017, though, the Knights are more comfortable on offense, as players are more familiar with expectations and schemes. Leading running back from 2016 Jawon Hamilton said the offense is already further along than it was at this point last season.
“Last year, we didn’t get to really get through all the installs, but, this year, this camp, we kinda got all the way through,” Hamilton said at the team’s weekly game-week press conference on Aug. 28. “And pretty comfortable and everything. Everything’s going pretty smooth. So everyone knows all the plays.”
After spring ball, summer workouts and training camp, the Knights have been ready to hit another opponent. Despite FIU’s 4-8 record last season, the Knights are expecting a tough game from the Panthers.
“So we’re expecting a tough team—a physical team,” UCF offensive coordinator and wide-receivers coach Troy Walters said after practice on Aug. 29. “We know the defensive staff and coaches that they have, and they’re gonna get the guys ready to go, so we’re gonna be on our A game.”
UCF hosts FIU at 6 p.m. on Thursday. UCF holds the all-time record at 3-2, as the Knights won the last meeting 53-14 at FIU last season. Though, the last time the Panthers visited Orlando, they beat the Knights on a last-second field-goal block to start the Knights 0-12 2015 season.
For more on the Knights, as they enter their first regular-season matchup of 2017, follow Ryan Weiss on Twitter at @NDR_RyanWeiss.
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