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UCF head coach Gus Malzahn reviews the 40-14 win at FAU and looks ahead to this week's game at home against Georgia Tech.
Opening statement:
"We were very pleased with our road victory against a quality opponent. I think we played good football overall. What we focused on offensively was the three turnovers. Got to correct that. Didn't have any penalties on offense, so that was really good. Defensively, second half was about as good as it gets. Just keep building upon that. Special teams, we did have the one penalty on the punt return. We've got to correct that. Overall, I was happy with our guys' effort. We're going to continue to grow and get better. That's our message. We've got Georgia Tech coming in. Another home game. We need to redeem ourselves. Our crowd was unbelievable last time we played here. Didn't get it done. That's really a motivating factor for us. We really appreciate our crowd and looking forward to being back home."
Looking back at John Rhys' performance at FAU, was there a moment it clicked for him? He looked so comfortable running and throwing.
"I think the big thing was the balance. He was able to run the football effectively. We had 300 yards rushing. 300 yards passing. That's about as good as it gets from that standpoint. He was definitely in a rhythm. Throwing the football, did a really good job. A couple of those he waited until the last second and took a pretty good lick and were completions. He's continuing to get more comfortable with the offense. We were able to get in a rhythm. I think when we can run the football effectively, things get rolling good for us."
The season opener was strong for John Rhys, Louisville not as strong, then FAU. What does he need to do play consistently week to week?
"I really feel as the season goes I think you'll see him getting more and more comfortable. He's still learning the offense and learning his teammates. We're growing as an offense. I really feel like every time he goes out there he's going to feel more comfortable. He felt more comfortable in the game we had last week. I expect that to continue."
John Rhys was the Offensive Player of the Week in the conference. How did the players play around him to set him up to succeed?
"I thought our offensive line did a really good job up front running the football. I thought our running backs made some good runs too. Throwing the football, we were efficient. That was the most efficient we've been. We've got to continue to do that. We were balanced. We played good football around him. He did a good job with the opportunities he had."
What was it about Andrew Osteen's performance that led you to making a change at punter?
"It's a combination. Osteen is still going to punt for us. It's not like with the other guy. We'll use them both in different situations. That's our plan moving forward. We got a punt blocked the very first game. Then we tried to make some adjustments with that. He hurried a few and rushed a few. Weren't great punts. We'll use them both going forward."
How did Colton Boomer step up to the moment? I know he missed the PAT, but made a couple field goals.
"The 40-something yard field goal was huge. That gave our team momentum. A lot of confidence. The biggest one was when we went up by three scores late in the game in the fourth quarter. That was really good for him. It was good for our team. He's confident. He's got a little swagger to him. He got a little quick on the extra point, excited and all that. He did a really good job I felt like."
From an urgency or mentality standpoint, do you see any parallels with Georgia Tech like Louisville two weeks ago?
"Honestly, we're worried about ourselves this week. They've got good players. Coach Collins is a coach I've gone against numerous times. We're worried about us. We need to continue to improve on the things we need to do offensively, defensively and special teams."
What do you see from Georgia Tech on film?
"Defensively, they're very aggressive. They're one of the top teams in the country in TFLs. They get a lot of things behind the line of scrimmage. We're going to have to do a good job with that. They're also really good with interceptions. They've got quite a few. They're very aggressive. We've got to do a good job making sure we do the things we need to do. Offensively, their quarterback has played a whole lot of football. He's a guy you've got to zero in on."
On the defense:
"The adjustments. Our guys settled down. We had two new linebackers. Jason Johnson was playing a new position. We didn't have Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste and he's the leader who gets everybody lined up. I think it was a combination of all that. We adjusted to how they were trying to attack us. We did a good job, definitely in that second half. As good as it gets."
What's the status of Kobe Hudson this week?
"He'll have a chance. We'll see how things go in practice. He'll have a chance to be out there."
Jordan Davis on the opening kickoff got hit pretty hard, blindside. We saw him on crutches. How is he?
"That was a tough deal. Jordan is a phenomenal young man. He was playing really good football. He's going to be out for an extended period of time. We hate it for him. He was really, really doing well."
It's exciting to watch, but do you cringe when you watch John Rhys Plumlee make some of his runs?
"The only time I cringe a little bit is when he tries to run people over. That's what he does. That one he ran the guy over. I told him we just want to do that when it's for the game. Or a huge third down, fourth down deal. That's what he does. He has zero fear. He's got great courage. It scared me a little bit when he went flying up and did the somersault. That definitely got my attention. I hadn't seen that very many times."
Compared to last year, how much of a relief is it being relatively healthy this year?
"It feels completely different. Last year it was a MASH unit. We were still learning our team too. It was a combination. This year we have a lot of great information about our guys. For the most part, we're doing a decent job with the health. Got to continue that moving forward. If you can do that, you can continue to grow. I told our team the other day, this is the time of year the good teams start getting better. You see every year, teams hit a lull, we need to be that team that continues to get better as the season goes. We did that last year after we kind of had that two or three games figuring out our identity and who was injured and all that. We actually got better. We need to do that same thing. I feel pretty confident we have the pieces of the puzzle to do that."
What did the offensive line do better this week?
"They did a good job with the run blocking. They did a good job protecting our quarterback. There's one time they got to him, a guy came late. It was one of those deals. I thought they did a good job protecting our quarterback and got push in the run game. Like I said we've got two new tackles. We moved a tackle to guard. They're still growing, but real confident in that group."
R.J. Harvey scored his first touchdown. Is he in line for more touches?
"I think so. It's good for him to get out there. He broke some tackles. He's a very talented young man. There's a good chance you'll see him on the field more."
UCF going into the Big 12 next year with nine conference games. Do you have a non-conference scheduling philosophy that you share with Terry? Is there a certain way you'd like those three games to be filled out?
"We've talked about that. When we got here we were focused on being in the AAC and what we've got to do and all that. We've had conversations since we're going to the Big 12. The schedules are pretty much set far down the line. Usually it's kind of one Power, good team. That's usually the philosophy. But we've got what we've got right now. Terry is doing a great job managing that. Yeah, we've talked about that numerous times."
What are you seeing from Isaiah Bowser? His statistics don't seem as gaudy as they did last season.
"He'll get his. He's a very good running back. He's doing a lot of things without the ball. He's protecting. He's doing a lot of things right to help us win. He'll get his. It'll come."
With the offensive line performing, how does that open things up for the running backs?
"When we're able to run the football, it opens everything up for us. When your quarterback is a running threat that's a plus-one that changes defenses too. These defenses do things differently than they would against a regular quarterback. We're growing as an offense. We need to continue to get the rushing yards. That helps the passing game. Helps the other running backs too."
How did having Ryan O'Keefe help the offense?
"When he's ready to go, he's such a threat down the field. Of course get the ball in his hands any way you can. First guy hardly ever tackles him. Just trying to get the ball to our explosive guys. Johnny Richardson, you see him every week. He's got the ability to make things happen."
How much does it help when the guys see John Rhys have a complete game and putting his body on the line? He's new to the team this year, but the guys see him do that, what do you think that does?
"I think that would be a good question for our guys coming up here. For me, I know from our coaching staff, the guy's got great courage. He's fighting every play. He's wanting to run the ball. A lot of quarterbacks, nah. Whatever it takes. That's his attitude. He's got a real positive spirit. You coach him hard. There's a couple plays I wasn't real happy with. He heard about it and handled it like a champ. Goes to the next play and does something to redeem himself. He's got great courage. I would assume his teammates have a lot of respect for him because of that."
What more do you want to see from your return game?
"We're pretty close on kickoff return. We had a couple that got called back the first week. I think you'll see before the end of the season that we'll have a chance to return one or two. Xavier Townsend is settling in. We were going after the block quite a bit last week. When we choose to protect, he's got a chance. You saw it in the first game. It was unfortunate it got called back. He does a good job. Newt (Divaad Wilson) was under the weather last week. He didn't do the punt return, but he's getting healthier and feeling better this week. We'll see what happens with that."
What stands out to you about Xavier Townsend?
"We knew when we recruited him that he's a special guy with the ball in his hands. It was good for him to get those quality minutes last week. During the heat of the battle, he really responded well. When we threw him the ball, playing without the ball. Like I said, he's got a chance to be a really good player."
What does a young guy do to earn playing time? It doesn't always happen immediately for everyone. What did Xavier Townsend do to make you realize he's maybe different from a typical freshman?
"He was always wearing me out during the spring about the playbook and plays. That's what you want. When he got here in the summer, same deal. It's very important to him. You can always tell the guys it's very important to. It is with him. That's why he's got a chance to be a special player."
Did you recognize Alec Holler? We talked about the defensive stand, but that wouldn't have happened if Holler hadn't gotten him at the one-yard line. Just like O'Keefe in the first week.
"Alec got our helmet sticker for offensive player of the week. He had the long catches that were great, but making that tackle right there was really big. He was under the weather. He wasn't feeling good. At halftime he had a trash can and was throwing up. For him to play as good as he did under those conditions I thought was really something. He does a lot of the dirty work that gets unrecognized and is very important. Yeah, that was a huge play."
I know Geoff Collins has been in the SEC. Do you know him well? Any thoughts about matching wits with him?
"He was at Mississippi State for a long time. Defensive coordinator. We went against each other numerous times. I've got a lot of respect for him."
but I’ve heard it’s easy to move around?
