(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
ORLANDO, Fla. – At the start of the 2017 season, University of Central Florida head coach Scott Frost and his team liked when their bye week was scheduled: Week 9. Hurricane Irma’s interference, though, cancelled two games and rescheduled another, as UCF scheduled Austin Peay State University during the originally scheduled bye week for an 11th game.
That sort of interruption has forced the Knights to alter their approach in practice, making the sessions less physically tolling, as UCF enters the season’s final stretch. But it’s in the team’s depth that the Knights have managed to stay “healthy and fresh” for the final two games of the regular season.
“We’ve adjusted a little bit as the season’s gone along to try to back off a little bit and make sure we’re healthy and fresh,” Frost said at the team’s game-week presser on Nov. 13. “But I think our depth has changed that from last year. When we practice, there’s a lot more guys that are getting reps. In games, there’s a lot more guys getting reps and feel like we’re a lot healthier and fresher this year than we were at the same time last year, despite having played a lot of games in a row.”
The physical toll from practice is somewhat alleviated thanks to walk-ons. For true freshman Otis Anderson, he’s seen the non-scholarship players provide depth and quality reps in drills so players can rest more throughout the season.
“Yeah, everybody that’s on the team can play, even from our walk-ons,” Anderson said after practice on Nov. 13. “Our walk-ons on to the starters—we all can do the same thing. Production level is pretty much perfect. It’s not really a drop-off, so just having that much depth really helps us be able to rest and catch breaks when we need it.”
That contribution in practice has actually translated into playing time. Defensive back Jonathan Gebka recorded two tackles against Austin Peay and one against the UConn Huskies on Nov. 11, and wide receiver Alex Harris has, so far, caught six passes for 80 yards in three games.
“Yeah, we treat the walk-ons just as regular players, man,” offensive coordinator ande wide-receivers coach Troy Walters said after practice on Nov. 14. “They understand if they pay the price and they work hard, then they’re gonna have [opportunities], and we don’t limit anyone because if they’re a walk-on or not… And even when their number’s called…they’ve come out and made plays.”
Walters actually approaches this grueling, nine-game stretch with a glass-half-full perspective. The Knights are among the top-15 teams in the country and are producing the nation’s best scoring offense (48.6 points per game) just two seasons after going 0-12. For Walters, playing without the Week 9 bye week will be used to UCF’s advantage.
“We just keep playing, you know, and we use not having a bye to our advantage,” Walters said. “We don’t wanna have any rust. We just use the moment that we’ve had in the previous game and have that carry over… And if we keep winning, we just keep feeding off that energy and that momentum and keep playing.”
UCF travels to face Temple University for its final road game of the season on Saturday. That game is scheduled to start at noon and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for Temple, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
