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UCF plays for a championship this Saturday in New Orleans.
The Knights will meet Tulane in the AAC title game, a rematch of the Nov. 12 game which UCF won 38-31. On Monday, head coach
Gus Malzahn talked about the matchup.
Opening statement:
"We're tickled to death to be playing in the conference championship game. That's been our team's goal since day one. They got us here. I'm real proud of our guys. We're playing a Tulane team and I've said this before. They're one of the better teams in college football. We get to go on the road, their place for the second time. That's a tough feat. We had a really good game last time we played them. It went down to the end. We've got to play really good to win the game this time.
"You look at them. Since we played them, they've played two really good football games. Went to Cincinnati and Cincinnati hadn't lost in forever (at home) and they went there and beat them. That was a really impressive win to get into the championship game. They look pretty healthy. They look like they're playing pretty good football. It'll be a good challenge. That's what championship games are about. We'll see what happens."
What can you tell us about John Rhys Plumlee's status for Saturday and given how he performed the last time vs. Tulane, how important is it that he plays?
"He actually feels better. The thing about it is he's dealt with this hamstring for a few weeks now. It's not like it's something new. He's managed it. Being able to recover and come back. His mindset is to play. So we'll see how he does each day. It's not the first time, so I think that's probably a positive."
What can a game like that vs. USF where it's down to the wire do for your team heading into a conference championship?
"In close games it's about believing and finding a way and getting it done. There's nothing like feeling what it feels like with that pressure. When the whole season is on the line and you've got to respond. Defensively, we didn't play our best but when the moment came and we needed to make a stop, they stopped it, punted and got the ball back. Offense went down and scored. I think that says a lot about our leadership. The character of our team. We've got a lot of winners. That's hard to do, especially when you're up 31-7 against your rival. You lose the lead and the place is going nuts. Those challenging times, that's when you truly find out about your football team.
"To answer your question, I think if it's a close game, we know how to win at the end. I think that's really important."
Do you think Alec Holler's touchdown catch is worthy of the name "Holy Holler?"
"I think that play was worthy of whatever name you want to call it. I knew it was a pretty good catch from the sideline when it happened. I was just worried about it being in. I saw it on my phone after the game and was like wow. That was crazy. That was a crazy play right there. Then when you put the fact of everything in the moment against your rival and how important it was. Boomer, I'd have felt good about him but I didn't want to put a true freshman in that moment. That was a wow catch."
That's the last regular season game for UCF in the American. What's something you learned about coaching in the AAC?
"I knew there was good teams before I got here, but there's nothing like when you go through it. It's a real conference. There's more parity in college football than ever before. This conference has a lot to do with that. For us to get to the championship game in this conference, it's a really big deal."
How difficult is it to beat a team twice in the same season?
"There's no doubt. Especially when you have to go to their place twice. When you play against each other, there's also adjustments that go with it from a coaches' standpoint. What adjustments are they going to make? What adjustments are we going to make. Our players know what it feels like. They understand the speed. They know the personnel. I've had this a few times in my career. We'll know quite a bit about each other."
After wins and losses, you've talked about leaving points on the field be it turnovers or mistakes. How important is that this week against this caliber of opponent. You can't leave opportunities.
"That's exactly right. Championship games, there's a fine line. You've got to play your best games. You've got to be disciplined and not beat yourself. When the opportunity is presented. In my experience in championship games, teams that win play their best game. Their best players have their best games. That's what winning championships is about."
What can you say about Mikey? He had to come in against Cincinnati, led y'all to a win. Had to come in last week and executed that final drive. That was his fourth game. We asked him after the game, we know what the rules are with the redshirt. If John Rhys can't go, are you willing to burn your redshirt and he said, 'Let's go win a championship.'
"I think any time you're on the verge of a championship, it's all hands on deck ready to go. Whatever you have to do to win. We're so blessed to have team guys like Mikey and others. I'm real blessed to be coaching this bunch."
What do you make of the situation with Willie Fritz? There's rumors about the Georgia Tech job.
"He's one of the better coaches and hotter coaches in the country. That's part of the job description now. He's got to deal with it. It's not ideal. We're expecting him to coach the team. He's got a championship-type team. We'll see what happens. It doesn't surprise me because he's really good."
On not knowing who they will start at QB and whether that's an advantage:
"I don't know. I don't think that plays too much into a championship-type game. If John Rhys is healthy, he'll be our quarterback. If he's not, Mikey is ready. Thomas is ready. We're going to do whatever we've got to do to give our guys the best chance of winning."
You expressed disappointment about the tackling vs. South Florida.
"I think we got a little worn down or whatever in the second half. We're better on defense than we showed in that second half. We've got to respond. I really feel like we will."
I know you'd rather be hosting the game on Saturday. But the fact you went there recently, you know the surroundings. Is that reassuring that you sort of know what you're walking into?
"I think you're right about that. Being familiar. A lot of times when you go to a place you haven't been... we've been there. We got to know the locker room. We know the sideline. I think that'll at least be better. Obviously you want to be playing at home. But the fact you are familiar I think that helps."
You ran for over 300 yards last time against Tulane. John Rhys was a huge part of that. How do the tactics change if he can start but maybe is not as effective with his hamstring?
"If he plays, he's going to play like he does. The good thing is he's managed that thing the last few weeks anyway. He wasn't 100 percent in either one of those deals, the last couple games. If he plays, he's going to be ready to run."
How long has he been dealing with injuries?
"Probably a month. Yeah. He plays a Cam Newton-style game at quarterback. Those hits kind of add up as the season goes on. That had something to do with it too probably."
Their star running back, Tyjae Spears, I know he was a little bit limited when you played them. He's really gone off the past couple weeks. Talk about him and the talent he is to try to contain.
"He's a real talent. He's real impressive. To do what he's done in the last two weeks. They've been committed to getting it to him. He carried it a whole bunch of times last week. He'll carry it a whole bunch against us we feel like. We're going to have to do a good job of fitting and gang-tackling. Tackling than we did last week."
Alec Holler had the game-winning catch against USF. Can you talk about what he means to the program and the person he is?
"First of all, he's a great teammate. He's one of our leaders too. He's one of those positive guys. Brings positive energy. He loves this place. He really truly loves it. I think that is important too. He's got a lot of respect from his teammates and coaches. We were extremely excited for him."
Obviously getting ready for a game this week, but a lot of people are saying it's going to get really crazy next week when there's recruiting and the transfer portal window opens. What are your expectations for how the month of December is going to unfold?
"We're in the new age of college football. With this transition it probably be a little different than what we've experienced. You've got to adapt. You've got to be open minded. That's really what our approach is going to be. We're in a really good spot recruiting. Like really good. We just need to make sure we finish. That's kind of where we're at."
Koby Perry won't be available for the first half on Saturday. I know it's a rivalry game and things get chippy, but would you have liked to see more discipline with the unsportsmanlike penalties on both sides?
"First of all, he shouldn't hit the guy late. That's not very disciplined. He hit a guy late on their sideline. We've got to be smarter in the future. I'm disappointed in that. We've got to be smarter than that."
I think the stat if you were a UCF player and you entered the program I think in 2004 and you stayed for four years, you won a conference championship. If UCF wins this championship, that streak would remain intact. How important is it to leave a legacy in the American with another conference championship?
"This is a great program. They've won so many championships like you said. Guys that come here, those are the expectations. It's right in front of us. We're playing one of the better teams in college football on their home field. It's a big challenge, but it's a challenge we're looking forward to. These guys come here and expect to win championships. It's a big game."
How do you approach practice with John Rhys this week?
"Just use your instincts from a coach's standpoint about practice and what it looks like. How much and all that. We'll take it day by day with him. He's a pretty honest young man too, communicating how he's feeling. That's the way we'll go about it."
What was it like in the middle part of last week. I'm sure some were still a little down in the dumps for what happened against Navy. But you see the ranking come out on Tuesday and you knew that you win and you're in. Was that a real jolt of enthusiasm to get ready for this final stretch?
"I felt pretty strongly that if we won that we would be in. But you don't know officially until that comes out. We didn't say anything in the team room and all that, but our players knew. Our team meeting Sunday, we said if we win we're playing in the conference championship. That confirmed it on Tuesday."
You've been a part of championship teams. What gives you confidence this UCF team is championship level?
"I like our leadership. I like our team. We've played really, really good football at times. It's a one-game season right now. It's right there before us. This is what our goal and our dream has been. We're familiar with the team. We've been there. We're looking forward to playing them."
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