After dropping a 34-13 decision at ECU, UCF may be facing its toughest challenge yet against No. 20 Cincinnati. The Bearcats are in the midst of an 18-game AAC winning streak and 25-1 since 2019.
Here's everything UCF head coach Gus Malzahn had to say in his weekly press conference on Monday.
Opening statement:
"Coming off a tough road loss. To say the least. We've got to put that behind us. We had a good practice last night. We have Cincinnati coming to town. I think everybody knows how good they are. 18 straight conference wins. 10-1 on the road in their last 11 games. I think they got beat by Arkansas, which was probably a game they could have won. Lead the country in sacks. Leading the country in tackles for loss. Very aggressive defense. They really challenge you and play a lot of man. They'll pressure you and play some zone. Offensively, they're very strong up front. They run the ball. They've been balanced. Just overall a complete football team. We play them at home. We're looking forward to the challenge."
Going back to the ECU game, offensively, what surprised you? You weren't expecting that I know. What jumped out?
"We turned the ball over early. If you look offensively and how the game unfolded, we had a good drive early and had a drop that possibly could have been a touchdown. Then we ended up turning the ball over the next play. Defense had trouble getting off the field. Offense had four possessions in the first half. We got down to their side of the field and turned it over three times.
"Second half, we came out offensively and had the touchdown. Had a little momentum. Then they scored and got the momentum back. It was uphill after that. When you had to start getting into the two-minute mode. They dropped eight and made us hit the check down. But really what stood out to me offensively was the three turnovers. We don't turn the ball over, we're a pretty good offense."
When you look at what John Rhys has been able to do, why does he struggles at times?
"The other night, obviously we were down there and ready to score. He's running. They swipe the ball and got it right there. We had the interception. He didn't see the safety right there. I think it's a matter of protecting the football. That would be the answer I have for that. When we protect the football, we've been pretty good. When we haven't, we've not been very good."
What went wrong beyond the turnovers and what do you focus on going into the next game?
"I think they beat us handily in all three phases. You've got to give them credit. They had a very good offensive game plan. They have a very good scheme and made the one-on-one plays. We challenged them man to man. You've got to give them credit for that. We weren't able to get off the field. They punted the ball one time and we turned it over three times. You won't beat any quality team like that. It's self inflicted wounds. To have a chance to beat a team like Cincinnati, it's common sense you can't do that."
Holton Ahlers was 30 of 36. What's most concerning about that statistic?
"He played really well is what I would say. They got the ball out quick when we pressued. He made some great one-on-one throws. Made some throws with guys in his face. Obviously we didn't do a very good job of pressuring him. I think that's the No. 1 thing. He played well."
As it pertains to Cincinnati, you mentioned their sack statistic, what's the biggest factor in trying to slow them down?
"It's a similar scheme (to last year). They do a really good job. They'll man up and have some zone pressures. Their linebacker, Pace, No. 0, he's very active. I think he leads the country in sacks and tackles for loss. He's a handful. He's got a great motor. He's very impressive to watch on film. We're going to have to do a good job. Not just contain him, but the whole defense. Any time you're playing a really good defense, you've got to be balanced. We'll have to be able to run the football if we're going to be successful. Going to have to be able to throw it too."
With John Rhys, knowing when to throw the ball away and not forcing it or taking a sack, was that an area you saw?
"In his defense, he's fighting his guts out to make a play especially late. We had a couple scrambling drills. The thing about John Rhys is he's a great competitor and he's fighting his guts out every single play. There were a couple plays he'd like to have back. I really feel like if we hadn't put the ball in jeopardy and turned it over, we'd have felt differently from an offensive standpoint. He's doing some good things. He's still getting used to the offense. I expect him to play well the rest of the time."
When you look at what ECU was able to do, how did you limit you from the explosive plays?
"They were really playing deep. That's one thing. There wasn't a whole lot of what I would say explosive play opportunities. They did a good job, especially in the first half. We made some adjustments in the second half as far as our run game goes. They were playing deep. We tried to throw it over their head a couple times. Early in the game we had the big drop. I keep saying that, but when you look back on a game there's key plays and that was definitely a key play."
Will Cincinnati be the offensive line's toughest challenge?
"It definitely could be. Their head coach, Luke Fickell, he's one of the best in the business. They're very sound. They don't make mistakes. You've got to earn it. When I watch film. That's what we have to do whether it's the run game or pass game. We'll have to earn it. Our guys understand that."
When you come into this game with one loss, to achieve the goals you want, is this a must win?
"Every game you look at as a must win. It's each game. It's a big game. Our goal is to win the conference championship. We understand the challenge we have playing this team. Our guys are going to fight hard and we're going to give them a good plan. We're looking forward to playing them."
What is Javon Baker's status? I know he played, but it seemed like he was limited.
"He wanted to play. He's a tough young man. He gave it a shot out there. He just couldn't move like he needed to move. Hopefully he'll be better this week. We'll see in practice. It'll be a day-to-day deal. He just wasn't quite ready to play at his level."
Cincinnati has 19 consecutive conference games. How challenging is it to do that?
"They have a real program. That head coach has hung in there. He's probably had other opportunities. He stayed there and built it the right way. That's real impressive. In this league that's hard to do. There's some real teams. It's hard to win on the road in college football, much less this league. They have a winning culture. It's impressive to watch. It's a good challenge. It's one of the best teams in college football. We're playing at home. I know our players are looking forward to a game like this. It's two conference rivals. It ought to be a good win."
Following up on the loss to ECU, what's the biggest challenge going into Cincinnati?
"Our team is going to put last week behind us. We felt like crud and we should've. We'll put that behind us. We have a lot of respect for them. Our guys know. This is one of those games we look forward to. Our players and coaches will be ready to go and I know our fans will be too."
Linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste looked like he didn't play as much. Did he get banged up in that game?
"He's a tough guy. He hasn't been 100 percent in a long time. He's playing and all that. This time of year, a lot of guys aren't 100 percent. That was definitely a factor at times the other night."
The conference goals, last year the game at Cincinnati wasn't the best performance. But this year's goals are still there.
"100 percent. Our goal is to win the conference. You have to win your home games if you want a chance to win the conference. Playing one of the best teams in the country. It's a great opportunity and our guys are really looking forward to it."
How do you feel you handled the first out-of-state road game at ECU, knowing you have back-to-back road games after Cincinnati?
"You saw it for yourself how we played on the field. How we prepared up to begin, it seemed like a normal process. The bottom line is we didn't get it done on the field. We didn't match their energy. That was probably the most disappointing thing for me. They were playing with great energy and we couldn't do that after they got the momentum. We didn't get off to a great start."
You talked about how ECU controlled the tempo. When that starts to happen, what do you do to change that?
"First of all, you've got to get off the field. Offensively, you've got to hold the ball. It was the perfect storm. We couldn't get off the field. They slowed the game down. They were taking the clock. Even when they went down and kicked field goals, they were keeping it away from the offense. The offense got it, got some first downs but then gave it right back to them. It was the perfect storm. You've got to give them credit. They're a quality football team. They've played extremely well. We did the things that you do to lose the football game."
You said you guys didn't match their energy. Why do you think that is and do you think the fact you had such a dominating performance the week, did that lull some guys into complacency?
"Like I told our players, that's on the head coach. I've got to figure out how to get our guys to match people's energy. That's the bottom line with that. We didn't get it done in that area."
What you admire about Luke Fickell and how he's built that program? They made the playoff. I'm sure he's had opportunities to go other places, but he's wanted to build that program.
"I've got a lot of respect for him. He's had other opportunities and he chose to stay there and build it. They take on his personality. It's impressive to watch the way he's built that program. They're one of the best teams in college football. Last year I felt after playing them they'd have a chance to win the whole thing. I think they were really close to doing that. Had nine guys drafted. There's not a whole lot of drop off so that tells you how he's built it. You can tell he's been there long enough with how he's recruited and their culture. It's a real impressive program to look at."
What have you seen from the guys since the loss?
"We came out and practiced yesterday. I wanted the guys to be disappointed. Our coaches and players are disappointed we didn't get it done. Our guys understand that. We've got some mature guys and mature leaders. We came out and practiced last night. Watched the video. Then you put that thing in your rear-view mirror and you turn on the film for Cincinnati. Our guys will be ready."
What has most impressed you about Colton Boomer and his consistency?
"We put him a really tough spot the other night. We were down 17 points. It was 4th down and four. Do you go ahead and try to go for it and try to score a touchdown? Or do you take points and try to get the onside kick? We put the pressure on him and he put it right down the middle. We didn't get the onside kick. He's answered the bell. He's a tough-minded young man that's very talented."
Maybe it's too early in the week to gauge how your team is feeling. After that game and getting back to work, knowing what's ahead of you, you still control your own destiny, how would you describe the team? Determined, focused, frustrated, angry?
"Obviously we didn't have a very good feeling after. And we shouldn't. Our guys went out and practiced. It was like a normal Sunday. That's says a lot about them. I'm confident they'll rebound."
To what degree do you think discipline will play a factor in this game?
"There's no doubt. We had a couple penalties the other night. We've got to keep working to correct that. If you're going to beat a team like this, you can't beat yourself. That's the bottom line."
