UCF offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby knows the offense left some plays out on the field, but he was still incredibly proud of the way Dillon Gabriel handled himself in the 35-34 loss at Pitt.
The true freshman quarterback found himself in an early 21-0 deficit, some of it his own doing with interceptions, yet had the poise to keep his composure against an aggressive defense, leading his team on a furious comeback that saw the Knights take a 31-21 lead in the third quarter.
We caught up with Lebby after Wednesday's practice to talk about Gabriel and the offense as they prepare for Saturday's conference opener against UConn.
I know you've moved on, but what was your evaluation of what happened in the Pitt game?
"At the end of the day, two turnovers. Scoring three points when you get inside the 28-yard line four different times. You get three points. On the road, you're not going to have great chances to be on the right side of it. At the end of the day, that was it."
Does it haunt you as a coach when you see so many near touchdowns? Feet just out of bounds. You make just one of those plays and the game is completely different.
"We were close on a lot of things. Didn't get it executed. Didn't get it done. A matter of inches, but that's what the game is all about. Now it's rebounding and getting ready to roll. We've had a great start to the week and gonna finish it off the right way. Looking forward to a ton of energy Saturday night."
What did you think of Dillon Gabriel's performance?
"We didn't start real fast. Not all of it is on Dillon. It was a group effort from that standpoint. He played aggressive. He played tough. I think you've got an 18 year old that gets down 21-0 on the road in that environment and he finds a way to fight his team back in it and have multiple chances to win. Didn't get it done, but proud of him for the way he fought. I think pretty special to be in that situation and come back the way he did."
You guys usually play with the lead, so going down 21-0, a true freshman that's never been in that experience. We were you wondering how he would handle that?
"I wasn't. We've got a ton of confidence in him. Again, that's why he's ended up being the guy and playing at a high level. We did a lot of great things the other day. Threw the deep ball incredibly well. He was really accurate. Wanted to take care of the ball better, obviously. We talked about that at the beginning of last week. Wasn't surprised at the way he fought for his teammates and for our entire team."
The game will be a huge learning experience for everyone. What do you think is the biggest thing Dillon will take away from going through that?
"I think at the end of the day just situational ball. We've talked a bunch about that when we've gotten together and visited. It's what it's all about. For a guy to put in certain situations for the first time, every single one of them is the first time for a lot of it. Finding ways to take care of the football and give our guys chances to make plays and do those things at the end of the game that gives us a chance to win."
McKenzie Milton in the game last year against Pitt, he ran for a lot of yards. I know that was a big part of his game as a quarterback. I don't know if Dillon is exactly like that, but do you want Dillon to run more or just stay more in the pocket?
"We want to take what the defense gives us. That's forever who we've been. That's forever who we're going to be. We want to take advantage of what they give us. The opportunities in the run game will come and Dillon will be ready for those."
Did you see some opportunities where Dillon could have kept it? Their quarterback was able to scramble out and get some yards. Is that something that comes with more experience?
"A couple times. I thought there were times we could have been earlier with the football and gotten it out of our hand. A couple times we could have been better in our protection and helped him with a couple of things. There were a couple times where we're catching the ball in the end zone, but not in bounds. All those things play into it. It was a group effort. We'll learn from it and get better."
In the offseason and in this college football season, all across the country you see a quarterback not get the starting job and he feels like he needs to transfer. That hasn't happened here. Why do you think that is?
"I think it speaks to the culture inside the room and the culture in our building. I think guys like being around each other. They're awfully competitive. Everybody wants to play, but at the same time they understand we're trying to win every single Saturday. Whatever everybody can do in the room to get us to that spot, that's what they're gonna do. Again, I think it speaks on culture of what's going on inside the walls every day."
What have you seen this week from the guys, trying to move past this one and getting ready for UConn?
"I've seen workman-like mentality. We had a good week last week. That's the reality of it. We've had a good start to the week this week and we expect to go play our butt off Saturday night."
Brandon Wimbush got in again for another play. How do you plan to use him?
"It's week to week. It's totally different every single week depending on what you're seeing. Putting him in situations we want to put him in to help our offense gain first downs and score touchdowns. His role will be different every single week."
What do you know UConn coming in? What kind of challenge do they present defensively?
"They'll be energized and ready to play. I think that's another thing people are going to see is people are ready to play us. We've got to make sure we're at our best Saturday night at 7. It'll be a good challenge and we're excited to go play."
How is Darriel Mack?
"D.J. is doing great. He's had two really good days again this week, so he's doing a good job."
