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UCF held their first scrimmage of spring practice on Tuesday inside the Bounce House. Afterward, head coach
Gus Malzahn provided an update.
Opening statement:
"We just completed our first scrimmage of spring. About 81 plays. We worked with two groups. Held
(Isaiah) Bowser out.
Johnny Richardson got a little bit of work. We were very basic. It was probably 70-30 run to pass. We wanted to see who could block, who could hold on to the ball, who could tackle, who could get the ball.
"Defensively, there were two interceptions.
Brandon Adams had an interception for a touchdown.
(Davonte) Brown had a really good interception too. We did some special teams work. We were really focused on punt protection. We had a punt blocked for a touchdown last year that probably cost a game, so we wanted to spend time this spring on that. So far, so good. Did a little field goal work within the scrimmage. Not live.
"Our guys got a chance to show what they can do. Overall, no major injuries which is always a good deal when you put the ball down. First scrimmage overall gave us some really good information. Gave everybody a chance to show what they can do."
Did offense or defense have the advantage today?
"I think the offense started out, in the first half I think we scored two or three times. We had some explosive plays and were able to run the football. In the second half, it was probably more of the defense winning. Did a really good job. Had some three and outs. Got off the field. I think it was really good on both sides."
You said you focused on running the ball, seeing who could block. How did that go?
"Just big picture and looking at everything, trying to call plays and administrate, but overall I thought it was solid. It gave us a chance to see who could tackle. The first time in a scrimmage, from a defensive standpoint, we've been quick whistling and bump tempo. There's nothing like getting a chance to really bring somebody down. Our tackling, I know Coach T-Will will keep working on that. We were good at tackling last year and I feel we'll be the same. First scrimmage is also a learning experience. It gives a chance to see some of the young guys that maybe didn't play as much, to see where they're at. It's hard to single out any one guy, defensively or really offensively. There were some explosive runs in the run game, especially early in the scrimmage."
You usually start with an initial depth chart, guys returning and whatnot. After today do you start analyzing who could move up or down?
"In the spring, it's who wants an opportunity. You operate three groups to start out spring, then you narrow it down to two. Then guys get a chance to prove themselves. Spring is always a good opportunity. You may have a guy working with the twos, had a good scrimmage and a chance to work with the ones. A lot of times, people respond differently when they're with the ones. I'm really hoping off the film some of the guys showed that they deserve a chance. That's what I'm hoping for after watching the film."
How have you see Mikey Keene grow and develop since the Gasparilla Bowl?
"Mikey, he's a veteran. He got a chance to start nine games and won a big bowl game. He kind of knows what it feels like. He's very comfortable with the things we're doing. You can see. He's helped the other quarterbacks too."
You mentioned Brandon Adams had a pick six in the scrimmage. He was a freshman who made some starts last year. How has he developed?
"I've been real pleased with him. Last year being a true freshman he gave us some quality snaps and did a really good job. Now he's a veteran guy. He's no longer a freshman. I think it was a third down and kind of long. Third and nine, third and 10. He made a good pick and he returned it to the house. That was a really good explosive defensive play."
You said Isaiah Bowser was held out. Is that part of treating him like a pro?
"You got it. He chose to come back. He won't get tackled this spring. We're going to be very smart with him. He's doing a whole lot of the bump tempo stuff. He's improved. You can tell. It's all about him staying healthy like we talked about. But he's had a great spring.
"Johnny Richardson is a guy too. We gave him a few carries, very explosive runs. I'd say he's better than he was last year too at this point. Johnny is a lot more confident. This time last year he was kind of feeling himself through. Now he's a really confident running back.
"Coach
(Tim) Harris gave all his other guys a chance.
Mark-Antony (Richards) got a lot of carries.
Anthony Williams got a lot of carries. Our true freshman (
Jordan McDonald) got a lot of carries. It was good to see those guys. I think for the most part I can't remember a ball on the ground. We were really good at protecting the ball from a running back standpoint last year so that's continued so far."
Players have mentioned they like what they see from the offensive line. I see your shirt. What do you like about Sam Jackson?
"
Sam Jackson, another guy that chose to come back. He got limited reps. We had him at left tackle. He also played a little bit of center. He's capable of playing all five positions. He played the first part of the scrimmage. Not the second. That was by design too. The good thing Coach
(Herb) Hand has right now is I can tell right now we're gonna have quality depth. That's real important. Right now, he's trying to mix and match and give our guys opportunities not just to play different positions but to play with different groups. Really hoping by the end of spring we kind of have things sorted out. But the good thing is we've got a lot of guys who can play."
Coach Hand, is he a guy that wants to roll with the same five or if he feels like he has quality depth he can rotate?
"You'd like the same five working together. At the same time, if you have quality depth, you can play different guys. We've always went into each season, if we've got three tackles, three guards and two centers, you've got a real chance. We're trying to develop that here this spring."
The kicking, how is Daniel Obarski coming along? What were the distances for the scrimmage?
"Daniel, I can't remember. I think we had two field goals during the scrimmage. He's done a solid job. You can tell he's a more confident guy. That ballgame (Gasparilla Bowl) did wonders. He helped us win the game. The year before he had a tough go of it. He's a real confident guy. Our freshman,
(Colton) Boomer, he's challenging him now. He's putting some pressure. There's some really good competition with those two guys. Daniel got a chance after practice, I think we put the ball at 45 yards, got everybody up. If he misses, everybody gets 10 including coaches. A little pressure with that. He made it. We'll give Boomer a chance next time we scrimmage. We'll see what he's about too."
You said two groups. Did all the quarterbacks play within those two groups? What's your assessment?
"Mikey and
John Rhys (Plumlee) primarily rotated with the ones and also did some twos.
Thomas (Castellanos) got a chance in the second half of the scrimmage to work with the ones and the twos.
Parker (Navarro) also got a chance at the end to work with the twos and I think he may have gotten in with the ones. We let Thomas and Parker go live. That was good. It gave the guys a chance to show what they can do and play real football. We may let the other two go live before the end of spring. We'll see where we're at."
John Rhys hadn't been a full-time quarterback for the previous 18 months before coming here. How has he jumped in adapted to being a quarterback again?
"First of all, he's really talented. Sometimes you can see he hadn't played quarterback in a year. It takes a little bit. He's really desperate to be good. He's desperate to be good. He sticks around after practice working on the little things. Of course Mikey does too. It's good to have those quarterbacks that are desperate to be the best they can be."
Former UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis could be drafted. What can you say about him?
"He's an impact player. He's got a chance to play at the next level for a long time. He's very explosive. He plays the run well. He's got unbelievable instincts. Pass rushing, he's a great pass rusher. Especially on the man side. He's got great instincts. I can't say enough good things about him. You can tell he was a linebacker in high school and now puts his hand down. He's got instincts. He's very quick and as explosive as I'll get out. He'll play a long time."
You've got three receivers with significant experience. Obviously O'Keefe, Flash and Kobe Hudson last year at Auburn. Is there a fourth guy starting to emerge?
"
(Jaylon) Griffin has had a good spring. He acts like he's a starter. He's different. I've been real proud of him.
Jordan (Johnson) is a guy we're giving an opportunity to show what he can do.
Amari Johnson the same way.
(Ryan) O'Keefe, we're treating him real similar (to Bowser). He played a lot of snaps last year.
Joey Gatewood is a guy we moved to receiver last week. He's got a real chance. I'm excited to see his development. The good thing is we've got a lot of different guys to give us some depth."
When you look back at the injuries last season, has it changed your approach to strength and conditioning?
"Most of the guys that got hurt either got here really late or had some pre-existing things. I feel great about what we're doing strength and conditioning wise. You can tell we look the part. We look different than we did last year at this time. We pass the eye test. That's probably the best way to put it. I feel really good about our speed and development."
Obviously Joey Gatewood would be a big target at receiver. What's the learning curve going from quarterback to receiver and how are his hands?
"Oh, he's got great hands. He's got unbelievable hands. In high school, he played half quarterback, half receiver, kick returner. He was a dynamic player. But it's college football. It takes a while. Where to get lined up. What's the coverage. What do I adjust. Who do I block. There's a lot of little things. The good thing is he's played quarterback, so he understands how things work together. It won't be much of a learning curve. He's already stood out and done some really good things."
How does this spring feel different to you than your first here?
"We didn't know our players. Our coaches were getting used to each other. Now it's completely different. We've got a really good understanding of our core guys, what they can and can't do, working on specific things to help them. The staff has been together. We've done a good job with the two guys we brought in. They've done a super job meshing with your staff."
And you see that from your returning players, more buy in?
"They're starting to be the leaders. The standard. The players are the ones who set the standard. Coaches, I don't hear them near as much about trying to motivate somebody effort wise. It's more of the players. That gives you a chance. When you've got that, you've got a chance. That's one of the things I'm most excited about."
Nearing the halfway point, what's the schedule looking like? Are you working towards another scrimmage on Saturday? Or moving that around?
"We'll do something on Saturday in the stadium. We'll see where we're at with everything. We'll do some type of practice. It won't be a full-fledged scrimmage. We'll probably hold those for the last two Saturdays. We'll do something to get better."
Last time you wore an Isaiah Bowser t-shirt. Today it's Sam Jackson. How many more shirts will you wear?
"As many guys as we have is what we'll do. Those two guys are two of the better football players we've got. Just real excited to wear their shirts. We'll see who else has one."
How has Coach Chip Lindsey moved into your coaching staff?
"He already knew most of our staff already. He's worked with me, this is the third different time. He's so good with quarterbacks. Relationships. Just the whole offense. I've been gone a lot with different off-the-field things. Our offense hasn't missed a lick. He's done a super job."
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