(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)
Sept. 19, 2017 at Wayne Densch Center
Availability: DC Erik Chinander, OC/WR coach Troy Walters
- The University of Central Florida has gone two weeks without playing a football game due to Hurricane Irma.
- This weekend will be the first game UCF has played since their season-opener against Florida International University on Aug. 31, a 61-17 win.
- UCF resumed practice last week on Sept. 14.
DC ERIK CHINANDER: “Yeah, yesterday I didn’t know exactly what kind of enthusiasm and intensity they were gonna come out with. You know, like I said, knock the rust off, haven’t done it for a while. And yesterday was awesome. Today was like a normal Tuesday for us. I think we’re right back on track. The guys are just right back in season mode.”
“Thursday and Friday was all good on good. So it wasn’t really focused on the [University of Maryland] aspect of it. It was focused on getting speed, getting good blockers against good D-linemen, getting good receivers versus good DBs, getting speed on speed, power on power. So I thought that was awesome for us to get back in game shape. And then today we had a little miniature live period. Get a few tackles in, and then we’re back to normal thud periods and normal scout teams.”
OC/WR COACH TROY WALTERS: “It feels great to be back. It feels great to have a game this weekend. You know, the guys—we used this time off to kinda rest and recover. Because last week might have been our bye week. So we wanna make sure that we got some work in but, at the same time, gave them some rest and recovery. We’ve had a great couple days of practice, and I think the guys are ready to go out there and play against somebody and suit ‘em up, and we’re looking forward to the challenge at Maryland.”
“It was tough [to watch other teams play], but, at the same time, it was fun, you know? Not a lot of times you get to kinda be at home at watch the other games and watch some of your colleagues coach and play. So, you know, we utilized the time wisely. We got our work done, and then we were able to watch a few games, watch some future opponents. So, all-in-all, it turned out to be a good situation, and I think it kinda fueled the sense of urgency of getting back on the field. And when it becomes our time to get out there, we’re ready to go, and you kinda cherish the moment even more when it’s kinda taken away from you. So we’re glad to be back, and we’re looking forward to Maryland.”
“I just went home and hung out with the wife and the kids and just enjoyed being a dad and being around them. And going swimming in our backyard and watching games. And just being a dad and spending as much time with the kids as possible.”
- UCF travels to face Maryland for its first away game of the year.
- Last season, the Knights lost to Maryland at home 30-24 in double overtime.
- True freshman Kasim Hill has taken over starting-quarterback duties since sophomore starter Tyrell Pigrome suffered a season-ending injury in the win over the University of Texas at Austin in Week 1.
- Maryland has the No. 2 scoring offense in the country, averaging 57 points per game.
- The Terrapins have averaged 315 rushing yards in their first two games of 2017.
DC ERIK CHINANDER: “I think their offense is their offense. They ran kinda the same offense with the kid last year, and now they have a guy that can run it a little better. But it was the same offense. Obviously, the quarterback is gonna pull a little more. He’s a little better athlete. But I think their offense is their offense. The package may shrink a little bit for this young kid, but I think they’re gonna do what they do. What they do, they do really well. So I think they’re just gonna keep doing that, and they’re gonna let him run the whole thing.”
“Yeah, I mean, [Hill’s] done a nice job. I mean, I think he was like an Elite 11 guy and all kinds of stuff. He’s big, he’s 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He can run the ball. Against [Towson University], he showed he can throw it pretty well. So, impressed with him, the way he’s handled himself. They have a really good running back. Really good receiver. And No. 12, who’s emerging as a No. 2 receiver for ‘em. So, got some—definitely challenges for us. And I told some guys the other day, ‘I see No. 6, and I see No. 1 on every special team.’ So I know they’re tough kids. So, not only are they good skill players, but they’re also tough players. So that’s impressive.”
“I mean, I think that’s always a challenge we want, right? We don’t want somebody that’s averaging 100 yards a game. We want the best of the best. You want they heavyweight championship. You gotta beat the champion sometimes. So it’s gonna be a good one. I’m excited.”
OC/WR COACH TROY WALTERS: “Yeah, I mean, every game’s a big game. So, we know what happened last year. We know we had a great chance to win and turned the ball over too many times. And we know we’re better. We know they’re better. We know it’s another opportunity in front of us. We’re playing a Big Ten team that’s undefeated, in their house. So a lot at stake, and we’re excited and ready to go.”
- UCF is exploring the possibility of adding an 11th game during their scheduled bye week.
- Without another bye, UCF would play 10 straight weeks.
- During the bye week, coaches will visit high schools’ games and speak with prospects’ coaches.
- Of the commits for UCF’s 2018 recruiting class, 11 hail from the state of Florida.
DC ERIK CHINANDER: “I mean, [preparation for playing 10-straight weeks is] a little bit above my head right there. That’s for the head coach…to have a plan. And I know he’s gonna have a great plan for us moving forward. He’s been in situations like this where we play a lot of games in a row. Some of us have been in the NFL where sometimes you play 12 games in a row. So, to me I don’t really care. I don’t really care when our bye week is. I don’t care if we get one. I just wanna play.”
“That’s one piece that, you know, you’re gonna lose if you get an 11th game with no bye. Obviously. we couldn’t go out during the hurricane. All the schools were closed, so you’re gonna lose a week on the road recruiting. But, fortunately for us, being in the state of Florida, most of our players that we want come from the state of Florida. So we can get a lot of them here for a lot of our games. That seems to overcome us being out there a little bit. You know, when we were at other places, we were flying across the country on bye week. Here, we’re driving to Miami, we’re driving to Ft. Lauderdale, we’re driving to Tallahassee. So I think we can get those kids here, and then maybe on a Thursday night, or maybe a Friday night for games, we can get to them and see ‘em. But you’re right—that definitely changes the recruiting strategy.”
OC/WR COACH TROY WALTERS “Usually you use your bye week to go out in the road and recruit and see games and visit schools, so, if we do play during our bye week, then we’ll have to make adjustments. We’ll have to get out on a Thursday afternoon or a Friday night and go see some games. So we’ll make adjustments and keep rolling. But, first and foremost, we gotta win games. So it’s all about the 2017 season and making sure our guys are ready to play, and then recruiting will come later. But we’ll find ways to recruit, and it’s easier to recruit when you’re winning games. So that’s that key, and that’s the focus is to win football games. And once we get kids on campus, they’ll see what an awesome place this is, and they’ll want to come and join the family.”
- UCF has the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, scoring 61 points in their first and only game this year.
- Last season, quarterback McKenzie Milton made his first start as a true freshman against Maryland.
- Milton fumbled six times, losing three and also threw an interception.
- In the Knights’ first game against FIU, UCF ran for just 148 yards on 45 attempts (3.3 yards per carry).
OC/WR COACH TROY WALTERS: “Oh, he’s grown tremendously. Just in terms of taking care of the ball. You know, any time you’re a freshman first time out, you know, you kinda don’t know any better. And so he’s kinda out there, a gun-slinger and just throwing balls wherever. And now he’s smarter. He knows the offense. He knows where to go. He understands the value of taking care of the football. And we told the offense this week, ‘We have the No. 1 scoring offense. They’re No. 2.’ So we can’t turn the ball over. We can’t give ‘em short fields. We gotta take care of the football, and I think he knows that. He knows the offense, so he’s able to make better reads. And we’re better around him than we were last year. We got more weapons. Offensive line is better. So we’re a better football team.”
“We made the emphasis that we gotta be able to run the football. And it’s all about coming off the ball. But not only coming off the ball but finishing our blocks. Whether it’s the offensive line, whether it’s the receivers. Finishing, finishing, finishing. So that’s what we’ve been preaching over the break and even this week about finishing our blocks. ‘Cause we know if we can run the football, it’s gonna create more lanes outside to throw it. So that’s been a point of emphasis. We’ve done a good job so far, and I think that’ll carry over [to] Saturday.”
- Maryland’s defense has given up an average of 391 yards in two games.
- The Terrapins’ defense has also forced four turnovers this season and has nine sacks.
OC/WR COACH TROY WALTERS: “They’re similar to our defense. You know, they’re very aggressive. They’ll be in a three-down front, four-down front. You know, they’re gonna blitz their linebackers. On the perimeter, they’re gonna play man-to-man. They’re gonna tell their corners to lock up the outside guys and put pressure on the quarterback. So, across the board we have challenges. The offensive line, they’re gonna have to worry about the defensive line and their stunting and movement. Linebackers are aggressive, downhill players, and then the secondary—they’re gonna man you up. So, across the board, we have challenges, but we’ve had a good couple days, and we’ll be ready to go.”
For more on the Knights, as they prepare to take on Maryland in their first away game and second game of 2017, follow Ryan Weiss on Twitter at @NDR_RyanWeiss.
