UCF head coach Gus Malzahn reviews the Louisville game and looks ahead to this Saturday's matchup against Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton.
Opening statement:
"Obviously coming off a tough loss. We had our meetings yesterday. We had a brief practice. Have turned the page to Florida Atlantic. A team that has gotten off to a good start offensively. Statistically, one of the better offenses in the country led by Brent Dearmon who does a super job. Defensively, got a lot of guys back. They do a lot of different things. Lot of pressures, odd and even, a lot of multiple things. We're going on the road. Our guys are ready to regroup and put that one behind us and move forward."
After looking at the film, you talked how Louisville's Cover Zero bothered your offense, what should you have done differently?
"There's a couple things. We'll move forward a little differently. It was a tough blow from the standpoint we lost Ryan O'Keefe in the first half and we didn't have Kobe Hudson going into the game. That was a little bit of a challenge. They dared us to do some things. We'll be better next time in that situation. Probably the biggest take when I look at the thing is the penalties. Kind of shooting ourselves in the foot. Of course that falls on me as a coach. I've got to get it corrected. Last week I stood up here and said our penalties are going to get corrected and it didn't happen. We're going to continue to work on that. We have to improve."
You just mentioned Ryan O'Keefe and Kobe Hudson. What is their status going into this week?
"We're hoping we have him. We'll see as the week goes on exactly what that looks like. I think everybody knows he's a dynamic playmaker and when you don't have him that's a challenge. We'll see as the week goes on. We're hopeful."
On the penalties and new players:
"I'd say maybe one week. That would be the first week. You're now in the second week and I'd say it's coaching and it falls on me on our staff."
How much of a learning experience was a game like that for John Rhys? I know he's older, but not particularly experienced as a starting quarterback.
"I think it was a learning experience for him. They presented a lot of different looks. A lot of different challenges we faced. A lot of adversity. Like I said before, he hadn't played quarterback in two years. There's going to be a little bit of a learning curve. We're confident he'll learn from it and be better for it next time. At the same time, it all works together. We've got to be better around him too."
Chip Lindsey said John Rhys played better than what you might have first thought. How so?
"I think any time you play good, your quarterback probably gets too much credit. When you play bad, too much blame. I think that's easy to put on one person. There was a lot of good things he did. There were some things around him that broke down and made it look a little different than what the fan saw."
On positives:
"I thought our guys played hard. I think that's the biggest takeaway. I thought we played hard. Defensively, did some really good things. They got loose on us a couple times, but he's a phenomenal player. Special teams, we're going to clean a couple things up that I think will really help. Obviously we've got to get better play out of our punter and kicker. But our return game, I think we're close. Just some big plays."
On the next to last drive on the goal line, you decided to go quickly between second and third down. Were you trying to catch them off guard, and there was miscommunication on the third down?
"That was the one when we were down on the three and a half yard line. We were hoping to catch them off guard a little bit and get a push. It didn't happen. They knifed in and the quarterback gave it. It was a tough one. Like I said, we'll do things differently in that situation. Sometimes, you get a feel for a game and you feel a certain way. Obviously looking back, I'd like to have that one back."
You talked about plays breaking down around John Rhys. What are your concerns after seeing the offensive line after two games?
"First of all, the offensive line did some good things last week. No doubt. That's a new group working together. I keep saying it. That group is going to get better. I think they're a good offensive line."
Looking ahead to the FAU game, what parallels do you see or is it a completely different challenge with their quarterback, N'Kosi Perry?
"I think it's a little bit different. It's a different scheme offensively with what they do. They've been real successful. Ninth in the country in total offense. 12th in the country in third-down conversions. They're doing a lot of different things. They're running the ball extremely well and throwing extremely well. They play fast. It'll be different than it was last week."
FAU head coach Willie Taggart, do you have a relationship with him?
"I've got a lot of respect for him. He's a very well-known coach. He's been very successful at a lot of different big-time programs. He's always going to have his teams ready."
On that note, looking at that staff, offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon coached with you at Auburn as an analyst? What do you remember about him and what's that relationship like?
"Hired him out of high school. I think from Vigor High School in Mobile. I already knew quite a bit about him. He was with me I think for two years. He's one of those real smart intelligent guys. You knew he was going to be successful. He went to be a head coach at a small school (Bethel College), was really good. Went to Kansas. They almost upset Texas and won. He's a real good one. Doesn't surprise me at all he's having success."
During your coaching career, have you had opportunities to pull a quarterback for a series and let another guy go in?
"I've done a little bit of everything. I've been coaching 32 years. I've definitely done a little bit of everything as far as that goes. Every team's situation is different. But I've done a little bit of everything."
Would John Rhys have benefited from that on Friday?
"We were committed to correcting the things we had. Obviously we came up short. We had that opportunity down there close going in. At that point, no. Like I told you after the game, I didn't think about changing quarterbacks during that game."
Was there a message to the team over the last couple days? What was the mood like?
"Obviously disappointing. 24 hour rule. We've got to move forward. We've got a lot of football left. We're capable of being a really good team. I think our coaches and our players understand that. We've got to figure out a way to learn from it. Put it in your rear-view mirror and focus on moving forward. That's really our message."
How did John Rhys take the result? I'm sure he was disappointed and felt he could have done more. They always say you can learn more about guys after a loss than you do after a win.
"He's a competitor. He was disappointed, but he's ready to move forward and put that behind him. Move forward."
Does kicker Daniel Obarski kick better in practice than games?
"Yeah. He had a really good fall camp. Coming off last year against Florida, he helped us win that game. It's a little bit unusual. That short one, I know he'd like to have it back. He probably makes that kick nine out of 10 times."
Are you committed to him going forward?
"We'll see what happens. We'll have some competition this week. We'll see what happens."
I'm not sure how much you paid attention to games on Saturday, but there were some notable upsets with Appalachian State beating Texas A&M, Marshall beating Notre Dame, Georgia Southern beating Nebraska. All those teams had transfer quarterbacks. Do you think the transfer portal is bringing more parity to college football?
"There's no doubt that's what you're seeing, especially at the quarterback position. College football is a quarterback-oriented position. That is a big factor. I think you'll see more and more of that going forward. More parity. Less separation between so-called big boys and the other guys."
What did you like most about the play of your defense and how do you think they did with Malik Cunningham?
"I think they're playing hard. That's the big thing. Travis has the guys playing extremely hard. They're trying to play physical. He got loose on us a couple times. Overall, Travis had a good plan."
The penalties, how do you coach that to prevent it? They always say you could holding on every play. It seemed some of those calls were ticky tack.
"We've had some tough calls the first two games. But as a coach, you've got to look at it like you can't put it on the officials. We've got to be clean. That's our message to our players. We've got to coach them exactly what a penalty is, what it's not. The dead-ball penalties, that's completely coaching. Is it a hold or not a hold? That's a different deal. But still, you've got to coach it. The unsportsmanlike. That's completely on me and our staff."
On this being a road game, is there a different approach?
"We're on the road. We'll see. We've got to work the crowd noise and everything that goes with it. At home, the defense can't hear. On the road, the offense. You've got to prepare for that and that's what we'll do."
Looking at FAU, what stands out about them offensively and defensively?
"Offensively, I think they can run the football effectively. That's what they've shown. They've been very good throwing the football. Any time you can do both, that presents challenges to defenses. They're going to play fast. I'm impressed with their players."
Chip Lindsey mentioned communication is something he'd like to see the offensive line work on. With this being a road game, what do you work on throughout the week to prepare for that?
"Really, it's the crowd noise. The cadence and checks and everything that goes with a normal deal. When you're playing at home you can hear each other. That's the challenge."
On Isaiah Bowser and pass protection:
"Isaiah is a very good pass protector. That's one of his strengths. Like I said, they were playing some zero coverage. Sometimes they were playing man three and bring an extra guy. He was real vital and did a lot of protection."
On that note, Johnny Richardson was averaging a lot of yards per carry. I assume Isaiah being better in protection is why he saw the bulk of those reps especially in the second half?
"The second half specifically, especially if there's a chance you've got to get in a two-minute situation and stuff like that. There's certain things we'll do with different backs and all that. Johnny, he's had two really, really strong weeks. He's doing really well for us right now."
John Rhys has developed chemistry with Javon Baker. What other receivers do you need to see step up?
"Jaylon Griffin is a guy that I feel like is fixing to take that next step. Then Xavier Townsend. That was really his first real rodeo playing college football. He's got a chance to be really special I think. Just the experience of getting those guys out there. Getting better each week. I think those two guys have a chance to really help."
What did you like about Jason Johnson at linebacker? He was around the ball a lot and made a lot of tackles.
"When we recruited him, you could turn the film on and you could tell he's got something to him. I really like his personality. He's kind of a quiet guy. He's really listening. You can tell. He's playing with great physicality right now. He's doing a good job. Not just on defense, he's playing special teams lights out right now too. You'll see him get better and better each week. He's playing at a high level right now."
FAU is only three hours away. Last time UCF played FAU in 2019 it might have been a UCF-majority crowd. What do you want to see from UCF fans in Boca on Saturday night?
"It would be great. I'm disappointed for them. They did such a super job helping us try to win the game and we couldn't get it done for them. We want to see them loud and strong there. Do a better job for them."
