(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
Sept. 25, 2017 at Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership
Availability: HC Scott Frost
- President Donald Trump said on Sept. 22 that any National Football League players who kneel for the national anthem should be fired.
HC SCOTT FROST: “Well, we live in a country where everybody’s free to have their own opinion, and everybody’s free to voice that opinion any way that they want to. I cherish that about this country. I’ve traveled a lot of places in this world, and I don’t think there’s a better country in the world. It’s not a perfect country. There’s a lot of things we can still fix. I think people are trying to use their voice to try to get some things that they don’t like fixed. That’s about all I want to say. If I thought my opinion on the matter would make any difference, I’d have a stronger opinion. But, you know, those things are gonna happen. There’s gonna be social change in the country, and people have the right to do what they believe. So, kinda glad, in college, we stay in the locker room before the game. I think it helps us not to be distracted.”
L 🔥 I 🔥 T 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wRLVeMJvBZ
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) September 23, 2017
HC SCOTT FROST: “I got asked that question before, and [offensive coordinator and wide-receivers coach Troy Walters] showed me some things I’d never seen before. I’ve been around Greg Austin a lot, and I’ve seen him dance quite a bit. He’s remarkably nimble for a big man. We might have to have a dance-off if we get another couple big wins and see if I can get some more people involved. Loved to see [D-line coach Mike Dawson] and [quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco] out there. Like to see what they have.”
- The UCF Knights are coming off a 38-10 win over the Maryland Terrapins on Sept. 23.
HC SCOTT FROST: “I liked [our team’s] attitude the best, I think. They went up there with an attitude that they expected to win. I think that’s a big step in the progression of this whole thing is those guys expecting to win a game like that. The effort was unbelievable on both sides. I thought our guys played hard. But they knew their assignments. We’re doing some good things on both sides of the ball and special teams. It was a team win. Everybody was excited, but, like I said, I think they feel like they expected to win game, and they still have more to prove.”
- UCF was supposed to play the Memphis Tigers to open American Athletic Conference play in Week 2, but the game was cancelled because of Hurricane Irma’s impact.
- Since then, UCF has played just two games, most recently beating Maryland.
- Memphis has compiled a 3-0 record, earning a win over the then-No. 25 UCLA Bruins.
HC SCOTT FROST: “Well, we got two more games to watch, so there will be some changes in the game plan, but I think the majority of what we had prepared for ’em we’ll go ahead and go with. Our kids are already familiar with a lot of that stuff. Kinda helps us prepare this week and hopefully be even better on assignments. So we’ll start using that game plan this week, see what we wanna keep, what we wanna take out and see which new kinks we wanna add.”
“Well I think their quarterback, [Riley] Ferguson’s, he’s one of the best players in the country, let alone this conference. I think they got a lot of weapons on offense with some running backs that can really make big plays. Couple big-play receivers. They got a returner that’s one of the best in the country. Really seen some improvement on their defense from what I watched before in these last two games. Think they’re flying around better. They really looked good against UCLA with the way they ran to the ball. They were sound and doing some good things that I think they’re a well-coached team. I think they have a bunch of talent, and I think they’re a threat to compete for the conference championship. So it’s a great opportunity for us.”
“Well, I’m ready to see the place packed. I think our team has done enough to earn a full stadium and a sold-out stadium. It’s gonna be a great game. I think this is gonna be one of the marquee games of this conference year. Memphis is a really good team, have a really good win under their belt. I think we’re getting better every week, and we have a really good win under our belt. So, this should be a great football game. They got a lot of great football players. We got some really good football players. I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch. Our kids are looking forward to it, and I hope we have a packed house.”
- Starting running back Jawon Hamilton suffered a potentially significant leg injury early in the first quarter against Maryland.
- In Hamilton’s stead, Taj McGowan scored two touchdowns, and Adrian Killins scored one.
- UCF improved its rushing potency significantly, rushing for 250 yards in the win against Maryland, 102 more yards than the Knights rushed for against the FIU Panthers in Week 1.
HC SCOTT FROST: We’ll know more on Jawon here coming up. I think it’s a significant injury. I don’t know how long it’ll be yet. He’s such a good kid and such a good teammate that you hate to see anything like that happen to our kid or their quarterback. Unfortunately, that’s part of the game, but you always just hate to see it. Those kids are working hard to be good at something and giving so much effort. It’s heartbreaking to watch that happen.”
“Yeah, injuries are part of the game. We have a couple guys hurt. I know Memphis has some guys hurt. You have to try to adapt to it. We got some good guys at running-back position. I think that’s one of the positions we have quite a bit of depth. Taj did a good job in the game. Adrian Killins can play the position. Gonna have to lean on Cordarrian [Richardson] and Otis [Anderson] to grow up even faster and take on an expanded role. I think all those guys are capable of doing what we need ’em to do.”
“I think we’re getting better every day on the O-line. I think they opened some holes for us in the run game. Some of the schemes helped, but those guys created some of those holes. I think the protection has been really good. McKenzie’s had time to set his feet and throw the ball, and we’ve made some big plays in the pass game. Our O-line’s gonna keep getting better, and I think the first couple games this year have shown their progress.”
“Yeah, Cordarrian’s a guy with a load of talent. When he really decides to go, he’s tough to tackle and tough to bring down. Sometimes it takes freshmen a while to figure it out. Looking forward to the day when he has it completely figured out ’cause he’s gonna be a load to tackle.”
- Last season, the Knights lost to the Terps 30-24 in double overtime.
- The Knights’ 2016 loss to Maryland was quarterback McKenzie Milton’s first collegiate start, wherein he scored three touchdowns but turned the ball over four times.
HC SCOTT FROST: “Yeah, they responded. I don’t know if we were ready to hold on to a win against a good team last year. This year, we were in the same situation at halftime we were in a couple times last where we didn’t finish it. Guys came out after halftime—we got a stop, we got a score. That really gave us the separation we needed in the football game. I think we have more depth this year, which is gonna help us be a better third- and fourth-quarter team. But we also have a better mindset, and I think that showed up on Saturday. The guys were ready to go back out and try to out-play a team, again, in the second half.”
“I thought [Monday’s practice] was great. Like I said, I don’t think they spent that much emotion after a win like that Saturday because I think, in their minds, they were gonna win that game. So we had fun, we enjoyed the win, but guys came back ready to go to work today, and we had a good start to the week this morning, so tomorrow and Wednesday will tell a lot about where we’ll be come Saturday. But if today’s any indication, the guys are ready to get back to work and try to keep getting better.”
“You know, I don’t think our players are buying into people talking about us being good yet. And we’re certainly not gonna let ’em do that. One of the dangers of winning a big game is simply, probably spending so much emotion on that game that you don’t have a lot left in the tank, and that’s one of the things I appreciated on Saturday. We spent our time enjoying it in the locker room. It was certainly a pleasant flight home from up there, but our guys didn’t act like they won the Super Bowl. I think they went up there with the mindset that they expected to win it. When you win one you expect to win, you don’t spend as much energy and emotion on it. Our guys showed up ready to go to work, again, today, so I said before that game that was one of several opportunities we were gonna have, this year, to beat a really good team. Our players understand that the next opportunity comes this week. So, I don’t want our guys reading papers and looking at the Internet or anybody that’s patting ’em on the back right now, and I don’t think we have a bunch of guys that are gonna pat themselves on their back. I think they’re hungry to accomplish more, and this next week’s another great opportunity for us to take another step.”
“Yeah, if you look at last year’s Maryland game versus this year’s Maryland game, it was a completely different guy at quarterback. We were sloppy with the ball. Ball was bouncing all over the place a year ago against Maryland. And that was at home. So being able to go on the road against a really good defense and do what he did—you know, his numbers weren’t huge, but he made plays when we needed him to make plays. There was some big throws to get drives started, some big throws that got us down in the red zone and a couple key runs and decisions to hand the ball on third down that helped us keep drives alive. Quarterbacks in this offense can be playmakers, but, more than anything, they just need to make quick, decisive decisions and make the right decision, and I thought he did a good job of that.”
- In two games prior to playing UCF, Maryland’s Ty Johnson was averaging 15 yards per carry.
- The Terps rushed for just 42 yards on 37 carries (1.1 yards per carry).
- Maryland’s passing attack was also limited, accumulating just 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on the day.
HC SCOTT FROST: “We really ran and hit. If you got a defense that’ll run and hit like that, you’re gonna be able to stop a lot of things. You know, I saw the guys flying around and really their guys too. Early in the game, I thought it was a real battle. We had some things that I thought were there, and the gaps closed fast. They had some runs and some scrambles and some things that I thought were gonna us, and we closed the gaps fast. Our guys ran to the ball, they communicate well. Really loved how we approached trying to get a lot of hats to the ball and tackling.”
“Yeah, I think [the D-line] showed up Saturday. Our D-line played well. Really, they were a team that came in averaging a lot of yards per rush and a lot of yards rushing going into the game. I think they had 42 yards. That speaks to our pursuit to the football, but it also speaks to the guys up front. We rolled a lot of guys in there and got a lot of production from a bunch of guys. I think Jamiyus [Pittman] had a really good day with his sacks, but, across the board in Trysten [Hill] and Tony [Guerad] and Seyvon [Lowry] and A.J. [Wooten] and [Brendon Hayes], and all those guys played well. We kept those guys fresh by rolling ’em in and out, and I was really, really pleased with the production we got from the front.”
“I think we’re getting some really good leadership in the secondary from our safeties. Tre Neal and [Kyle Gibson] are the shot-callers back there, and they’re making plays. They both tackled really well. They got us in the right defense a lot. Mike Hughes has been a big addition. He’s a guy we can trust, one corner, to make the plays and try to lock someone down. Think he’s just a really good football player. I think Brandon Moore will get better every week. He’s doing some really good things, making a few mistakes here and there, but he’s really talented, and I expect him to get light years better every time he goes out on the field. And I think we got some good depth back there with Chris Johnson’s doing some good things. We got a couple other corners who we think can play. Richie Grant’s a guy that we can put in. [Antwan] Collier’s a guy we can put in at safety. We have more depth in a lot of places than we did a year ago and some really good leadership as well.”
- Tight end Jordan Akins is on pace to have a career season in 2017, tying his season-high in touchdowns (two) in just two games.
- He has so far recorded 102 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.
- Last season, Akins had career-highs in yards (347), average yards per catch (15.1) and touchdowns (two), playing in 10 games.
HC SCOTT FROST: “Yeah, you know, I don’t think we saw the best of Jordan last year, coming off the ACL [tear] from the year before. He’s put on a bunch of weight, and he looks faster and more explosive. He’s got elite ball skills and route-running ability, and we’re starting to see that. What I really appreciate—he’s starting to block better, too, and that’s been a big part of the improvement in the run game. So, he’s done some really good things for us, and he’s an asset and a weapon for us on offense.”
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for their first conference opponent of the season, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
