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With UCF near the halfway point of spring, offensive coordinator
Chip Lindsey said they learned a lot from their recent scrimmage while also updating the progress of the quarterbacks.
Recap:
Today was the 7th practice. They began a lot of new installs today. It challenges the quarterbacks mentally, similar to different game plans week to week during the season. He expects the QBs to "know what we know" in terms of the system.
The energy was good coming off the scrimmage.
"My experience over the last 10 years or so is the teams that really enjoy going to practice, improving to get better, and don't just go through the motions are the teams that will be pretty good. I think we've got a lot of guys on our team that love football. That's a big part of it. Obviously playing Division I athletics at any school, there's a lot on you, handling academics and all that stuff. It was good to see them come out and respond today. I thought we made a lot of progress."
What did he learn from the first scrimmage?
"I thought we learned a lot. It was really a base scrimmage. Not a lot of stuff on defense, not a lot of special things on offense. Line up, put the ball down, run it and throw it. See who can block and tackle. You saw it real quick. Practice is different because we'll go four play sets in practice. You get out there on the field (in a scrimmage) and situations pop up and they have to react, get the signal and process. It's a whole different ballgame. I thought it was really good to see our quarterbacks react to that. They all did some good things and messed up some things which was to be expected. Overall, it was a positive scrimmage. I think the quarterbacks will be much better the next time we scrimmage."
Mikey Keene had the one interception which we know of. How was he?
"He was good. He looks like a guy that's played a lot. You can tell. Almost like a veteran guy. He made a mistake there on third down. Of course the receiver made a mistake as well. It's one of those deals where people don't see the big picture. Mikey understood that right there he probably shouldn't throw the ball when it gets cloudy in that direction. Overall, I thought Mikey was really solid. Does a great job handling the team on the sideline. Does a great job on the field communication. Really an even-keel guy. Never too high or too low which is what you like. Made some good throws too I thought. Good decisions in the RPO game. Overall, I thought he had a really positive scrimmage."
And what of
John Rhys Plumlee in his first scrimmage?
"There were a couple plays that were wow plays that he might have gone to the house (but he wasn't live). I thought he made good decisions. He threw a nice ball up the sideline on a wheel route. With him, he had a couple busts on protection calls which was somewhat expected I guess. A guy who hasn't played quarterback near as much. The live reps in a game situation, first down, second down, now it's third and three. Now it's a big play. We're going fast. Tempo play. Reset. All the different situations. It's not scripted like practice. It's a lot for those guys to process. But really impressed with how he did the first scrimmage considering there was a lot of stuff thrown at him. The key is taking that next step in the next scrimmage."
What about the progress of freshman QB
Thomas Castellanos?
"He's doing well for a guy that probably should be in high school. Coach Malzahn said in front of the team the other day he hasn't been to his prom yet. He's obviously very talented. His whole deal is just the terminology and getting the protections right, doing all those things. The thing that I really like about him is he's really trying to work at it. You've got to remember, he's really coming in here and it's a lot different from a terminology standpoint and what he's required to do. I think he's doing really well considering his age. He's a very talented guy for sure. Lots to clean up with him. But the future looks very bright for him, for sure."
Lindsey on the WR competition:
"I think we have some guys obviously returning that have played. You kind of know what you're going to get with those guys. I think Coach Heard rotates those guys and create that competition which is really important. Obviously you've got
Ryan O'Keefe, Flash and
Jaylon Griffin. Those guys have played a lot. Kobe Hudson is in the mix.
Amari Johnson is having a good spring so far. Then we'll have some more guys come in the summer time. I like that room. I think we've got a lot of potential in that room. Some guys that are somewhat established and played, but we need that next group of guys to take that next step."
On the prospect of moving offensive skill athletes around, Chip says Gus will put them in the right spots.
The NFL has had a one-way radio in QB helmets for a long time. The Athletic just wrote a story about the possibility about implementing it into the college game so I asked for his thoughts on it.
"100 percent. I wish they'd do it. I've never even talked to Coach about that. For me personally, yes. I'd love to do it. I think it would probably make the game go a little faster I would think as far as the game times. Obviously you don't have to worry about near as much about people stealing signals and all that stuff. You do what you're allowed to do, but I think it would be a positive thing. Maybe there's a negative I don't know yet, but I think it would be nice to be able to talk to them."
Isaiah Bowser being limited in some respects this spring opens up opportunities for other RBs.
"I thought
Johnny Richardson in our scrimmage was very sudden, got a great burst. We understand he made a lot of good plays for us last year. I think that group, obviously
R.J. Harvey is not released yet but he's very talented. I've seen enough from video last year to know that. Obviously
Mark-Antony Richards came on strong. I think that group, I don't know if I've ever been around a group that deep. At the same time, guys get banged up so you're gonna need them."
Lindsey explained that in 2019 at Troy he was down to one scholarship running back and they had to find an Uber Eats driver to come and rejoin the team (he had been a walk-on the year before). Now he's a U.S. Army Paratrooper. Anyway, he ran 14 times vs. Akron and then tore his ACL the following week.
How has
Joey Gatewood made the transition to WR? How are his hands?
"His hands are good. He does some natural things. He's very athletic. It is different though. When I was a high school coach, a lot of times we'd try to get basketball players to come out but they don't move the same out there in football. A little bit different. I think Joey is going through that at wideout, thinking about it and processing. How deep does this route need to be. He's got a lot of potential. It's going to take him some time because he's played quarterback his whole life. It's a different deal. Being physical and all that. Really pleased. His attitude is great. He is talented. It's honing him in and getting him to learn the details."
On WRs blocking, it's all about a mindset. He thinks Grant Heard is a great teacher of that.
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