It's an interesting week for Andrew Thacker.
As UCF's safeties coach, he's tasked with preparing his players for this week's defensive game plan. But he can't ignore the fact they'll be facing his alma mater, Furman University.
"It's always strange," Thacker said. "There will be a couple familiar faces, but for the most part it's a new staff and obviously new players. I haven't been back in nine years. There are a couple familiar faces. It's the same offensive coordinator. A guy I played with is the wide receivers coach. Obviously I know some of the support staff and some of the fans that are still with the program. I'll have a chance to say hello and interact with them. It's a neat situation playing your alma mater, but of course I'm worried about UCF and finding a way to beat the Paladins and win the game with our group."
Thacker, a Georgia native, enjoyed a standout career for the Greenville, S.C.-based school. Playing safety, he was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2004, advancing to the FCS Playoffs in three of his four seasons as Furman compiled a 35-15 record during that span.
"I had a great experience there," Furman said. "We won a couple conference championships there. We went on to the National Semifinals. In portions of my career we were the No. 1 team in the country. We got some rings and a couple little individual accolades. I was All-Conference and the Freshman Conference Player of the Year. I had a very good experience there. It's a great program. I have a lot of respect for it and Coach Fowler and the whole crew there."
Thacker is still close to many friends from his Furman days and they've definitely been letting him hear it.
"There is some ribbing," he said. "There is some trash talk by some friends. No responses. I'm start enough not to respond. I just care about our business here. But there's definitely some ribbing from some old friends and old teammates."
For a time, Thacker wasn't sure whether he'd follow the coaching path. His degree at Furman was in political science and Spanish.
"I've got a father that's a lawyer and an assistant district attorney and a stepdad that I lived with who is a high school football coach," Thacker said. "I had some academic interests, but I always had a love for football. Of course I started my coaching career here (at UCF) as a graduate assistant, getting my master's. I definitely fell in love with the profession."
Thacker's family had a personal connection with former UCF assistant and current Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, who helped set him up with the graduate assistant spot he held during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He later became a G.A. at Oklahoma State before becoming a full-time assistant at Southern Miss in 2013. He spent last year as a defensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons.
Furman may have less scholarships to distribute than their higher-division counterparts, but FCS teams annually have their share of upsets. Four FCS teams have already defeated FBS teams this season and last week No. 6 Auburn needed a last-minute rally and overtime to defeat Jacksonville State.
When they face UCF at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Furman will be looking for their first win against a FBS program since they knocked off North Carolina in 1999.
"We've got a sour taste in our mouth from the last two weeks," Thacker said. "We understand how talented they are. For us a secondary, they've got talent there in their receivers, No. 1 and No. 3 and a quarterback that can spread the ball around. We've got to take care of ourselves and clean up some things. There's no chance we'll underestimate them as an opponent."