Now past the midway point, UCF head coach Gus Malzhan says he's looking at the final six games as a "new start."
The Knights began the season with three wins, but have now lost three in a row to Colorado, Florida and Cincinnati. The challenge ramps up this week when UCF hits the road to face No. 9 Iowa State, a perfect 6-0 for the first time since 1938.
After benching KJ Jefferson against last week, it appears UCF will continue to roll with alternates at quarterback. Malzahn didn't announce a starter for Saturday, just that Jacurri Brown will take the first QB reps at Tuesday's practice. It's possible freshman EJ Colson could continue to have a role. Malzahn was non-committal about Jefferson's participation moving forward.
Here's everything Malzahn had to say at his Monday press conference.
Opening statement:
"Okay, just a quick recap of our last game. I thought our defense did some good things. I think we played a solid game.
"The thing that stands out is getting the turnovers in the red zone. That was really big. We focused on that. You know, offensively, had a lot of yards, but it didn't equate to points. 13 points is not good enough to win. We've got to start scoring in the red zone, but overall we did some good things in the game.
"You look at the big picture now. We're halfway through the season. We went 3-3 in the first half. It's a new half. It's a new start, and that's the way we're looking at it.
"We're playing a top ten team in the country right now, Iowa State. You watch them on film, very impressed in all three phases. Their head coach is one of the better head coaches in the country. You look at their defense, you know, they're No. 5 in the country, I think, in points.
"They play an odd front, similar to what we saw last week. They have a lot of veteran guys. I mean, when you look at their roster, a lot of these guys have played a lot of football. They know their answers. Their run fits are very impressive and they're a physical team.
"Offensively, they control the clock. They do a good job with their run. Their quarterback is very, very efficient, and they've got two receivers that both, I think, have 500 yards, so really a well-balanced offense. So, you know, it's an opportunity for us.
"We're looking forward to going and playing one of the better teams in the country in their home field. I know it's going to be a good environment, and so we're looking forward to playing them."
Coach, I know you went with the hot hand on Saturday with Jacurri Brown. Is that the plan going forward? Is he your starter this week, or is that to be determined?
"Yeah, we're still working through it, but he'll be the first to take snaps with the first team tomorrow, and we'll see how that goes moving forward, but I was real pleased with the way he responded. You know, the moment wasn't too big for him. He, for the first time, really out in real action.
"Those other two times were just kind of mop-up. I thought he did some really good things. He gave some spark to our offense.
"EJ, I thought, did some good things for his first rodeo, too, but Brown will be the first to take snaps."
So, when you say first, that means you're going to play two quarterbacks?
"We'll see. All I can tell you right now is he'd be the first to take the snaps tomorrow in practice."
Does KJ Jefferson still have a role?
"We'll see. We'll see how that goes, you know, moving forward right now. Like I said, Brown will be the first to take snaps."
You guys are obviously in the middle of a three-game losing streak. How do you avoid losing the locker room? How do you avoid these guys turning on each other?
"Well, I think it starts with our players. We've got a veteran group of really good leadership. They came out and practiced extremely hard last night. We've got a staff that's very close, you know, and so we'll keep fighting. And the thing about our guys, they fought hard, and we just, we made a few mistakes that were critical at times, but our guys, they'll continue to fight hard."
Coach, this is two games back-to-back where the offense has failed to score a touchdown in the first half. Multiple issues, turnovers, red zone struggles. What needs to change?
"Well, we had a little more life to us. I think everybody could see that. You know, we had 400 yards of offense, I think, and, you know, we had the two turnovers, obviously, that I think we were on the 21-yard line the first drive. I mean, if you score there, I think it's probably at least a different feel for the game, and then we fumbled on the five.
"Got down there, we kicked two field goals short. You know, that's kind of been our Achilles heel. I know I've been talking about that for some time, but that's what's got to improve.
"But we did, with Brown playing quarterback, you can see we had a little more life to our offense. We put the ball vertically down the field. I think he did some good things for his first rodeo."
Back to quarterback, you've been bullish on KJ Jefferson. Going into Cincinnati week, what was it about EJ Colson? Where was he on the depth chart to start at quarterback?
"Yeah, EJ's been practicing extremely well for three to four weeks, and, you know, he's a natural guy. He's a true freshman, obviously. Young, he'll be growing, but he's a really talented guy. So that's what happened probably the last three or four weeks."
Are you comfortable with a two quarterback system?
"We're gonna do whatever it takes for us to try to win games, so we'll see how that goes moving forward. Like I said, Brown will be the first to take snaps tomorrow."
Coach, the second year in a row, UCF started off with three wins and now three losses. Do you think maybe the non-conference schedule has been a little bit weak, starting the season off with lesser opponents that kind of gives a false identity to the team, or maybe hides a few deficiencies that you see a little bit later in the season?
"No... Sam Houston's playing pretty good football right now. I mean, obviously, when you play your conference opponents and you play Florida, that's a different deal. You know, like I said, we just need to keep growing. And we need to find ways, like I talked about, to score touchdowns. And so, you know, I think we're in a good spot for the second half to do that."
As it pertains to the quarterback situation, do you consider eligibility as a part of the equation? Do you consider that you had Tommy Castellanos a couple of years ago where you had to play him and burned his redshirt at the end of the season?
"Well, I think we're in a new age of college football. I think you've got to be aware of everything that goes with that. Obviously, you know, we learned a few things the last few years with that. We'll monitor that as we go."
Kobe Hudson has handled a majority of the passing game reps this season. Is the plan to keep feeding him or can we expect to see other people?
"Yeah, it's best case for us to get other people get involved. There's no doubt to be more balanced and all that. And so, we'll keep working towards that, you know, and pushing the ball down the field, giving our guys opportunities down the field."
Coach, you mentioned the red zone struggles. What have you seen in the last couple of weeks that have played into that? Is it play calling? Is it just the execution when it gets in the red zone? What have you seen?
"Yeah, yeah, there's a little of both. You know, any time you can't get in the end zone, you've got to evaluate everything, whether it's play calling, whether it's scheme, you know, whether it's who's touching the ball. We're doing that, and that's really been our biggest focus.
"There's two things going in this week that we've really focused on, and it is red zone offense and it's third down defense. Last week, we focused extremely hard on red zone defense, and we improved. So, that's been the focus, and those are the two areas that we need to improve on the most, and that's what we'll spend the majority of our practice time this week on."
EJ Colson became the youngest quarterback to start a game since 1973. What do you see his role advancing through this season and beyond?
"Yeah, he's a really good quarterback, and he's been practicing extremely well, and he's got a lot of natural attributes, the makings of a really good quarterback. So, he'll keep working and keep doing what he can to help our team."
Coach, have you saved some of the playbook or new plays for the second half? Can you tailor it a little more?
"Yeah, we're going to tailor around our quarterbacks, and their strengths, and we did that for KJ. Obviously, we got two other quarterbacks with different kind of strengths, and so we'll definitely do that. So, yeah, you'll definitely see some new things. That's probably the best way to put it."
What's the situation at center right now? I know Caden Kitler was there. I think you said he got banged up at Florida, so Cam Kinnie came in there, and then you started Marcellus Marshall in this last game. What's the situation there?
"Yeah, Kinnie, he came in against Florida. We had a couple issues with snapping, not snapping on time. Marcellus has got the majority of the rotating with the ones during the offseason and fall camp and all that, so we just made the decision to give him a full week. He did some solid things with that.
"Hopefully, we'll have Kitler back. Obviously, having our starter back would definitely help. He practiced last night. We'll see how he progresses. He was a little banged up. He's a tough guy, and he fought through. Probably not even 100 percent healthy for a game or two before that, but it would be nice to get him back."
Coach, at the start of this, you said you want to focus on this as kind of like a second half of the season, as a restart. What is it going to take for you guys to have a successful second half and especially get back to winning?
"Yeah, it's about winning football games. I mean, we did some good things. Unfortunately, we didn't score enough points, but we did some good things if you take away from getting beat if you look at it big picture. So we need to win football games. Obviously, this week, we're playing one of the better teams in college football, one of the hottest teams on their home field, but we're looking forward to the challenge."
Coach, game plan wise or play calling wise, are you making any changes to maybe get some other weapons involved maybe from a tight end position like Randy Pittman or maybe some of those other guys that play wide receiver for you?
"Yeah, I think any time you don't score points like we have the last three games, we got to look at everything and look at what we're doing, who's getting the ball, who's not getting the ball. And giving our guys the best chance of scoring points, and that's what we're doing."
Gus, I know you said you haven't made a decision on quarterback, but if it is going to be EJ or Jacurri going on the road in a tough environment at Iowa State against a top 10 team, what do you have to tell those young guys when they're out there?
"Yeah, I think the noise more than anything during the practices. The noise, try to simulate everything. I've never been there before, but the people I've talked to, it's right on top of you, they're loud and all that. And so, handle the noise. We didn't do a great job of that against Florida. Some of it had to do with our center went down, but we got to do a good job."
As a head coach, what keeps you motivated and confident that in the midst of this adversity, three game losing streak and a tough opponent next week, that things can turn around?
"Well, I believe in our players. I believe in our players and believe in our coaches. And like I said, we got to win football games. And so, I really expect us to have a really good second half of the season."
Earlier this year, you talked about taking play calling back. At what point is it maybe too much to handle? You talked a season ago about handing off some responsibilities. Is it too much for you at this point?
"Well, I mean, I think like we said, any time you do not score points in the 20s or whatever, three games in a row, we got to solve that. And now we have another quarterback. Like I said, it'll be a little bit different than it has been with that. But we'll do whatever we have to do to win games and be successful."
Coach, it seemed like you guys were able to get more pressure on the quarterback last week. How important is that to having a success?
"That was another focus that we talked about, third down and affecting the quarterback. I thought our defensive line, we blitzed a little bit more with our linebackers. We got him off his spot a few times. It helped with the turnovers. Both of those turnovers helped with the pressure. They go together. But our guys did a good job getting to him. We're going to have to do the same thing.
"Now, this is a different offense. They do a good job. They're a downhill offense. And they do a good job efficiently with their passing game, too. So, we're going to have to continue that."
Tim Harris and Jacurri Brown were at Miami together last year. How much has that been able to speed things up since he came here after the spring?
"Yeah. Of course, he is one of the main reasons he's here with that familiarity and everything that goes with that. And Tim's doing a really good job. So, we're excited to see what he can do."
RJ has been forced to break tackles in the backfield to just get a few yards. What are you going to have to do to help him avoid some of the contact in the backfield?
"Yeah. I mean, people are going to key on him. But still, we have to be creative with the ways we get him in the football. And so, he can have some open areas to create one-on-one situations. And obviously, in the backfield, having to make people miss, we've got to do a better job in that area."
Coach, two weeks ago versus Florida, it seemed like you traveled a bit more of the younger players. Is that still the plan going into Iowa State this week or has the roster maybe changed a little bit?
"Yeah. If you've seen, we played our younger guys, a whole lot more in special teams. I mean, the guys are really coming on and really giving our team some life, too. So, we've got some talented guys that you'll see on the field more and more, you know, the second half of the season."
Iowa State is one of the surprise teams in the Big 12 this year. They're coming off a big win in West Virginia. What players or personnel stands out about the Cyclones?
"Yeah. On defense, they've got some real players that have played in that system a long time. And, you know, Matt's coordinators have been with him the whole time. You can tell that they're all on the same page. And they've been playing that defense a long time.
"And offensively, they do a great job, you know, with their run game. They're very physical up front. Their quarterback, he's very, very efficient. He's a playmaker. And like I said, they've got two receivers that when you turn the film on, they jump off the film. So, they don't beat their self.
"You know, they don't have a lot of penalties. They don't turn the ball over. And you've got to play good football. And so, it'll be a good challenge for our team."
Cincinnati's defensive coordinator, Tyson Veidt, came from Iowa State, so have you seen similar tendencies as you did a week ago in game planning considering that he came from Iowa State?
"There's some similarities. But you can tell a difference that, you know, this is the original and they have all the bells and whistles that go with it. It was a little bit, you can tell it was the first year of a program which, you know, hats off to them. They did a good job. But they have all the bells and whistles that go with it."
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