Shannon must have rushed home to transcribe ASAP because by the time I started to review everything at 3 p.m. I noticed she had already posted it (the interview took place around 12:30 p.m.).
So I basically listened to the interview while reading her transcript, editing a comment here and there. I added a couple other responses, including my question about how the South Carolina game in 2005 was his first at UCF.
As for the quote about fan criticism, I think it's unfair to jump on that. The rest of the interview was great, IMO. Some of his past interviews are a little too much "coach-speak" at times and this was a lot more candid, passionate and relatable. You can tell the slow start has affected him. The comment about fans coming to his office at 4 in the morning was quick and off the cuff, he had actually answered a similar question at the beginning.
Towards the end, I thought he was also quite honest about the injury situation. Everybody repeats the "next man up" mantra but the losses really are piling up. I know that's not a complete excuse because the offense struggled just the same against FIU, but it's not an ideal situation.
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With such a young offense, are you putting in more hours than you thought you would?
"No, I don't know if there's a right answer to say for that, you're putting in more hours than what you thought you would when you go into any season. When you go into any season, you go in all in and you put in the hours it takes to get the job done. I've been someone that over my career I've been a long worker, I've worked many hours and I've taken a lot of pride in working late but when you have a young team or you have things not going right I don't think you necessarily putting in more hours and more time is the right thing to do. It's putting in quality time and making the hours that you do put in efficient... I don't think sitting here saying you're gonna try to get 25, 26 hours out of the day is good for anybody. You gotta get rest and it takes a toll on you when you don't get rest at times. You can start to see it. You can start to see it when you're around the players and the rest of your staff. Even just talking, you can tell when that starts to wear on you and wear out. I don't think you necessarily put more hours in the day and be a healthy person."
You guys are ranked last in total offense right now and you've been facing a firestorm of criticism. What's been your response to that criticism?
"I'm the offensive coordinator of UCF and comes with the responsibility of the territory. Take the criticism and take praise when it comes your way. When I signed up for the job, that's what I signed up, to be the head of the offense and take that where it comes. I'm ready to take every bit of it and I have taken every bit of it. Now I'm ready to turn this ship around and start taking some praise for getting some things done right."
You don't expect injuries to happen, but when you see Justin Holman go down and you see Jordan Akins go down the first play ...
"I don't worry...I look at the next personnel group that we've got to put in, you look at the call sheets the way they are. If Jordan's in a personnel group, you put the personnel group in that's next to it without him in it, that's all you can do. He went down on the first play in the kickoff return and I didn't know who was coming back in for the third down or not. I didn't know until after the game the extent of the injury so you just gotta plan for the what ifs. And that's one thing that over my career Coach O'Leary does a great job of is always, what ifs, 'Well what if this happens, what if that happens?' I can remember going all the way back to the Liberty Bowl in 2007 of always playing the what if game. It just so happens this was the year that the what ifs all came to fruition, but there's plans for it. I don't think that you ever expect to have to utilize all your what ifs and back up plans. That's the reason those back up plans are put in place....if you try to sit down and create two different game plans for two different guys at the quarterback position or to, you know, your best wide receiver position, you wouldn't have enough time in the week because you put your time and effort into putting game plans around the players that can make plays. And it just so happened that those plans have been altered a little bit and I think if you put time into two separate plans for two different people, neither one of them would be worth (it) so you gotta put the time in where it's gotta be put in and you gotta roll with the punches when adversity hits you."
How much of a distraction was that Will Stanback situation for the team?
"None. Next man up."
How has Bo Schneider been handling being the starter and adjusting?
"He's done a good job. There's obviously gonna be some ups and downs when you put a quarterback in that situation whether it be the first time on the field in a college game or his first start as a college player, but that's the reason why we recruited him here was to come and play and you recruit the guys with the type of ability with the physically ability and mental ability to withstand the things that come at you and the firestorm that comes at you on the field whether it comes from the other team or the fans when you're on the road. He's the type of kid that does a good job just laughing things off and getting back into work, he takes pride in being the first one through the doors in the morning and the last one to leave at night and he's gonna be a really good football player. It just so happens this year that we're gonna have to make him a good football player a little earlier than the growth chart probably said."
Are you going to roll with a two-deep offensive line depth chart this week and rotate those guys?
"No question, we've got to find the right guys out on the field that can help us get the job done as an offense. And there's, again, like every position there's things that happen and you have to switch people around and move positions whether it be for injuries or people no longer being able to play and you gotta roll with the punches and get the best five out on the field. You guys have heard me say for years, 'it's not always the five, it's the best seven, the best eight, but we gotta get those guys out on the field. When you look at it, the offensive line is judged on two things; the sacks given up in the game at the end of the season and the amount of rushing yards that you're able to get. Obviously, we're not running the football well and the line takes that on their shoulders and me as a coordinator and being a line coach myself I take responsibility for that but those guys understand the demands that are on them too as an offensive line and the sense of urgency that has to continue to be there."
One of those criticisms in the last game was about the usage of the Wild Knight as far as Bo not being able to get into a rhythm because [Nick] Patti would come in for that package. What is your response to that as far as what the philosophy was?
"I'm usually here, I probably have more free time around 4 to 4:30 a.m. if anybody would like to come in and sit down and watch tape with me and give me their response and how they'd like to handle the situation. Feel free to come in here between 4 to 5 a.m."
You come in that early?
"It depends if I've left yet."
What is your routine like?
"Routine's the same. Routine is routine. I get up in the mornings and I try to spend a little time [and] take the dog out and try to get some coffee. Let [the puppy] lick on my face a little bit, say hey to him and I'm out the door. You come in, you get to work and you start ... the one thing is as a coach and I've learned this a long time ago, you never want to leave work on your desk when you leave the office. Then you don't sleep well at night, then you're waking up in the morning anxious, you come in and you want to be able to at least clear your desk at night. Put the work for the day away and get ready to come in the next morning. But as far as my schedule, my schedule is my schedule and it's been that way for years and I'm gonna continue to work the same way I've always worked and there's a saying [that goes] you want to consider working harder or smarter and that's some of the things we've tried to do. [We] continue to work smarter as a staff and smarter in the ways of using people and our players and our abilities on staff."
Will you guys have to use more of those younger receivers since you guys have been hit hard in terms of injuries. Will you guys use [freshmen] D'erren [Wilson] and Cam [Stewart]?
"Yeah, I mean there's only so many guys on the squad. We've got to exhaust all our options at the receiver position, running back position, line and that's everybody on offense. We've got to put the 11 guys on the field that are going to be able to help us go out and get this thing right.
Listening to Coach Spurrier this week, he's talking about his first game at South Carolina in 2005 was against UCF. And that was your first game.
"Kevin Smith's first start. My first game (as graduate assistant). I was up in the box. I remember it. It was loud. We got stopped on 4th and 1 going left to right. Me and Kevin were talking about it yesterday actually. I remember it well."
What stands out to you about South Carolina's defense?
"They're a big, physical group. They're big upfront, physical on the back end, I think they try to keep things fairly simple for those guys where they do have some youth in some areas, trying to keep it simple so those guys can go out and play fast. I've said it for a couple of weeks now, we're extremely concerned about going out and [focusing] on what we're doing out there and putting the best package we can out on the field, barring injuries, I feel like we'll be able to do that this week."
You guys had six offensive players in the game at a time. With those freshmen working together, do you think they're really pushing each other?
"There's the next man up, but damn, there's only so many men you got on a squad. Let's be real about it, there's only so many men you got on a squad and you gotta continue to put those guys in the right positions and if it's putting more running backs on the field or putting more receivers back on the field, when you're hit with an injury situation and that compiled with some youth, and yeah there's six freshmen on the field...if it takes all 11 of those guys being on the field at the same time to get the job done, then all 11 of them will be on the field."
Do you think that's going to affect them going through their collegiate career?
"I think some of the best teams we've had in the past were juniors and seniors that played as freshmen. The twin, Jordan and Justin McCray, played as true freshmen, Josh Sitton played as a true freshman, Latavius [Murray] played as a true freshman, I've got no qualms about guys playing as a freshman. If they're out on the field, you can rest assured that they're out there to help us win because they're the best people we have to put out there."
As far as piping in that crowd noise at practice today, how did Bo and Tyler [Harris] handle that?
"I don't think it's replaced me yelling. [Laughs.] No, it's good for them, it's the first time for those guys to go on the road [against an SEC team,] first time for a young quarterback along with the center. Good thing is Jason [Rae] has played in some games last year and started some games for us and understands what it's like to go on the road and it's gonna be a loud crowd. It's their first time getting in it and there's certain things you gotta be [settled on] the snap count, the play call, being able to get to the line of scrimmage and get your play executed and that's what we put out there on the field today, we put the noise out there for guys to be able to ... simulate game activity."
So I basically listened to the interview while reading her transcript, editing a comment here and there. I added a couple other responses, including my question about how the South Carolina game in 2005 was his first at UCF.
As for the quote about fan criticism, I think it's unfair to jump on that. The rest of the interview was great, IMO. Some of his past interviews are a little too much "coach-speak" at times and this was a lot more candid, passionate and relatable. You can tell the slow start has affected him. The comment about fans coming to his office at 4 in the morning was quick and off the cuff, he had actually answered a similar question at the beginning.
Towards the end, I thought he was also quite honest about the injury situation. Everybody repeats the "next man up" mantra but the losses really are piling up. I know that's not a complete excuse because the offense struggled just the same against FIU, but it's not an ideal situation.
==
With such a young offense, are you putting in more hours than you thought you would?
"No, I don't know if there's a right answer to say for that, you're putting in more hours than what you thought you would when you go into any season. When you go into any season, you go in all in and you put in the hours it takes to get the job done. I've been someone that over my career I've been a long worker, I've worked many hours and I've taken a lot of pride in working late but when you have a young team or you have things not going right I don't think you necessarily putting in more hours and more time is the right thing to do. It's putting in quality time and making the hours that you do put in efficient... I don't think sitting here saying you're gonna try to get 25, 26 hours out of the day is good for anybody. You gotta get rest and it takes a toll on you when you don't get rest at times. You can start to see it. You can start to see it when you're around the players and the rest of your staff. Even just talking, you can tell when that starts to wear on you and wear out. I don't think you necessarily put more hours in the day and be a healthy person."
You guys are ranked last in total offense right now and you've been facing a firestorm of criticism. What's been your response to that criticism?
"I'm the offensive coordinator of UCF and comes with the responsibility of the territory. Take the criticism and take praise when it comes your way. When I signed up for the job, that's what I signed up, to be the head of the offense and take that where it comes. I'm ready to take every bit of it and I have taken every bit of it. Now I'm ready to turn this ship around and start taking some praise for getting some things done right."
You don't expect injuries to happen, but when you see Justin Holman go down and you see Jordan Akins go down the first play ...
"I don't worry...I look at the next personnel group that we've got to put in, you look at the call sheets the way they are. If Jordan's in a personnel group, you put the personnel group in that's next to it without him in it, that's all you can do. He went down on the first play in the kickoff return and I didn't know who was coming back in for the third down or not. I didn't know until after the game the extent of the injury so you just gotta plan for the what ifs. And that's one thing that over my career Coach O'Leary does a great job of is always, what ifs, 'Well what if this happens, what if that happens?' I can remember going all the way back to the Liberty Bowl in 2007 of always playing the what if game. It just so happens this was the year that the what ifs all came to fruition, but there's plans for it. I don't think that you ever expect to have to utilize all your what ifs and back up plans. That's the reason those back up plans are put in place....if you try to sit down and create two different game plans for two different guys at the quarterback position or to, you know, your best wide receiver position, you wouldn't have enough time in the week because you put your time and effort into putting game plans around the players that can make plays. And it just so happened that those plans have been altered a little bit and I think if you put time into two separate plans for two different people, neither one of them would be worth (it) so you gotta put the time in where it's gotta be put in and you gotta roll with the punches when adversity hits you."
How much of a distraction was that Will Stanback situation for the team?
"None. Next man up."
How has Bo Schneider been handling being the starter and adjusting?
"He's done a good job. There's obviously gonna be some ups and downs when you put a quarterback in that situation whether it be the first time on the field in a college game or his first start as a college player, but that's the reason why we recruited him here was to come and play and you recruit the guys with the type of ability with the physically ability and mental ability to withstand the things that come at you and the firestorm that comes at you on the field whether it comes from the other team or the fans when you're on the road. He's the type of kid that does a good job just laughing things off and getting back into work, he takes pride in being the first one through the doors in the morning and the last one to leave at night and he's gonna be a really good football player. It just so happens this year that we're gonna have to make him a good football player a little earlier than the growth chart probably said."
Are you going to roll with a two-deep offensive line depth chart this week and rotate those guys?
"No question, we've got to find the right guys out on the field that can help us get the job done as an offense. And there's, again, like every position there's things that happen and you have to switch people around and move positions whether it be for injuries or people no longer being able to play and you gotta roll with the punches and get the best five out on the field. You guys have heard me say for years, 'it's not always the five, it's the best seven, the best eight, but we gotta get those guys out on the field. When you look at it, the offensive line is judged on two things; the sacks given up in the game at the end of the season and the amount of rushing yards that you're able to get. Obviously, we're not running the football well and the line takes that on their shoulders and me as a coordinator and being a line coach myself I take responsibility for that but those guys understand the demands that are on them too as an offensive line and the sense of urgency that has to continue to be there."
One of those criticisms in the last game was about the usage of the Wild Knight as far as Bo not being able to get into a rhythm because [Nick] Patti would come in for that package. What is your response to that as far as what the philosophy was?
"I'm usually here, I probably have more free time around 4 to 4:30 a.m. if anybody would like to come in and sit down and watch tape with me and give me their response and how they'd like to handle the situation. Feel free to come in here between 4 to 5 a.m."
You come in that early?
"It depends if I've left yet."
What is your routine like?
"Routine's the same. Routine is routine. I get up in the mornings and I try to spend a little time [and] take the dog out and try to get some coffee. Let [the puppy] lick on my face a little bit, say hey to him and I'm out the door. You come in, you get to work and you start ... the one thing is as a coach and I've learned this a long time ago, you never want to leave work on your desk when you leave the office. Then you don't sleep well at night, then you're waking up in the morning anxious, you come in and you want to be able to at least clear your desk at night. Put the work for the day away and get ready to come in the next morning. But as far as my schedule, my schedule is my schedule and it's been that way for years and I'm gonna continue to work the same way I've always worked and there's a saying [that goes] you want to consider working harder or smarter and that's some of the things we've tried to do. [We] continue to work smarter as a staff and smarter in the ways of using people and our players and our abilities on staff."
Will you guys have to use more of those younger receivers since you guys have been hit hard in terms of injuries. Will you guys use [freshmen] D'erren [Wilson] and Cam [Stewart]?
"Yeah, I mean there's only so many guys on the squad. We've got to exhaust all our options at the receiver position, running back position, line and that's everybody on offense. We've got to put the 11 guys on the field that are going to be able to help us go out and get this thing right.
Listening to Coach Spurrier this week, he's talking about his first game at South Carolina in 2005 was against UCF. And that was your first game.
"Kevin Smith's first start. My first game (as graduate assistant). I was up in the box. I remember it. It was loud. We got stopped on 4th and 1 going left to right. Me and Kevin were talking about it yesterday actually. I remember it well."
What stands out to you about South Carolina's defense?
"They're a big, physical group. They're big upfront, physical on the back end, I think they try to keep things fairly simple for those guys where they do have some youth in some areas, trying to keep it simple so those guys can go out and play fast. I've said it for a couple of weeks now, we're extremely concerned about going out and [focusing] on what we're doing out there and putting the best package we can out on the field, barring injuries, I feel like we'll be able to do that this week."
You guys had six offensive players in the game at a time. With those freshmen working together, do you think they're really pushing each other?
"There's the next man up, but damn, there's only so many men you got on a squad. Let's be real about it, there's only so many men you got on a squad and you gotta continue to put those guys in the right positions and if it's putting more running backs on the field or putting more receivers back on the field, when you're hit with an injury situation and that compiled with some youth, and yeah there's six freshmen on the field...if it takes all 11 of those guys being on the field at the same time to get the job done, then all 11 of them will be on the field."
Do you think that's going to affect them going through their collegiate career?
"I think some of the best teams we've had in the past were juniors and seniors that played as freshmen. The twin, Jordan and Justin McCray, played as true freshmen, Josh Sitton played as a true freshman, Latavius [Murray] played as a true freshman, I've got no qualms about guys playing as a freshman. If they're out on the field, you can rest assured that they're out there to help us win because they're the best people we have to put out there."
As far as piping in that crowd noise at practice today, how did Bo and Tyler [Harris] handle that?
"I don't think it's replaced me yelling. [Laughs.] No, it's good for them, it's the first time for those guys to go on the road [against an SEC team,] first time for a young quarterback along with the center. Good thing is Jason [Rae] has played in some games last year and started some games for us and understands what it's like to go on the road and it's gonna be a loud crowd. It's their first time getting in it and there's certain things you gotta be [settled on] the snap count, the play call, being able to get to the line of scrimmage and get your play executed and that's what we put out there on the field today, we put the noise out there for guys to be able to ... simulate game activity."
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