After a tough game at Cincinnati, UCF now has a short week to prepare for Memphis who will visit the Bounce House this Friday night. Here's everything head coach Gus Malzahn had to say at his weekly press conference on Monday.
Opening statement:
"Obviously, a very tough loss. Got beat handily on the road. That was disappointing. That is one of the better teams in college football. We didn't play our best. In really all three phases. That's what was disappointing to me. We're at the halfway point of our season. First half we went 3-3. There were some good things that happened. Some bad things that happened. We've got the second half ahead of us. That's the way we're doing it. We're departmentalizing. The first half is behind us. Now we've got an opportunity to improve. Very few college football teams improve this time of year. We need to one of those that do that.
"We're playing a Memphis team that's extremely talented on offense. One of the best offenses in college football. Their receiver, Calvin Austin, is dynamic. Their running back is very good. Defensively, I think they're a very solid group. They present some challenges with some different looks. I think their special teams is good too. I think most of their special teams is ranked in the top 20. Overall, a very solid team. Be a good challenge for us. We're tickled to death that we're back home. Our crowd last time we were here really willed us and helped us to win. I know our players are excited to be back home."
Facing one of the top defenses in Cincinnati, Mikey Keene had a lot of teachable moments in that game. What do you hope he learns?
"We've got to protect the football. We can't throw it up for grabs. It's third down and long, sometimes you have to hit the check down. He got a little pressure on that play that made it tougher. We've got to be better around him. Then the pick six. We've got to solve that. We've had a few of those. That's not it. But he did do some good things. We've got to be better around him. I thought Joey (Gatewood) did some good things when he came in. He presented a few different challenges as far as that goes. We're building this thing. Like I said, our goal is to improve each week from here on out. We're starting to get a little more healthier, which is a good thing to finish this thing right."
You talked about getting healthier. Isaiah Bowser was able to go. How does he change things for you?
"That security. Really from a true freshman quarterback standpoint really helps. He's probably 80 percent. He was a little healthier today. It looked like he made it through the game okay. That was really good. The other running backs too. Like we've talked about, the good thing is we're developing depth at that position which you can't have enough. To have Isaiah back and getting healthier each week is a real shot in the arm."
Is making a bowl game part of the message to the team?
"We've got six games left. We need to finish strong. We're taking it game by game right now. The challenge I put to our team is to get better. We've got to improve. We've got to stop making some of these same silly mistakes right there. We have an opportunity to do that. We're taking it week by week. We've got six games. We need to finish. That's really our message."
How do you explain the struggles running the ball and why didn't we see more of Mark-Antony Richards?
"First thing, we didn't do a great job executing the run. That's the first thing. Second thing, they're extremely talented. They came off some blocks. They made a couple plays that the previous teams we've played haven't made. Combination of that. Mark-Antony got a chance to get in there late. Bowser, we started out with him and Johnny (Richardson). You'll see Mark grow. He did a really good job once Joey got in there. We got a good touchdown run."
What do you know about the Memphis quarterback? He's a true freshman and averaging more than 300 yards per game.
"He's very impressive when you watch him on film. He doesn't look like a true freshman. He stands in there and delivers the ball. He'll wait and take a shot. Looks like a very solid quarterback to me."
How does a short week, playing on Friday, impact things?
"It's a short week. You were on the road and you get back. We had our Tuesday practice today. Watched film yesterday. Everything is rushed. Those guys played on Thursday. They had extra days. This scheduling has been a real challenge as far as everything goes. It is what it is. We've got to accelerate. We had a similar pattern for Louisville. We've got to keep our guys fresh. You've got to prepare and get timing down. Especially with our quarterbacks, our receivers. Everything you have to do. That's the challenge of a short week. The positive is we're playing at home. I'd be lying to say it wasn't a challenge."
How tough was Saturday personally for you, a 35-point loss and a family emergency?
"What happened is my daughter had my grandson on Thursday. Everything went well. She had a little scare. A couple hours later they had to rush her to the hospital. She got to come back home. Had another issue and had to go back to the hospital. It was a really stressful 48 hours trying to figure out what I need to do with that. The game, it is what it is. We got beat handily. Like I've told you before, I'm disappointed. As soon as that was over, got to spend time with her. She's doing a lot better. She's back home, doing well, resting. The baby is doing well. We feel very blessed as a family."
You said you want to see more help for Mikey. What do you want to see your wide receivers do that can make things easier for Mikey?
"We've got to do a better job at wide receiver. When you get a chance to make a play, you've got to do a better job up front. It's really all of the above. We didn't execute very well. We got whipped at some positions, to be honest with you. We've got to figure out a way to have explosive plays. If you look back and look at the first six games, we had explosive plays and drives, we score touchdowns. We hadn't had to kick many field goals. That's the positive. We've got find a way to generate more explosive plays. That's who we are right now. Reality is we're playing a true freshman quarterback that's learning on the go. We're banged up at wide receiver. Banged up at running back. We've got to figure out a way to generate those explosive plays. If we do that, we're going to score points."
Ricky Barber returned for the first time since Louisville, but only played a handful of plays. Was he not comfortable?
"He thought he would have a chance. He just wasn't quite ready. We'll see week to week how that looks. The fact he was out there dressed out gives you a shot in the arm. He's a dynamic player. Especially with the loss of KD. I will say this, the guys inside have done a solid job in KD's absence. And Ricky's absence. Just like the running backs. We're starting to develop some internal depth inside."
How's Jaylon Robinson doing?
"He's week to week. He's done a few things in practice the last couple weeks. He's week to week. Like I said, obviously he's a dynamic player. He's one of the impact player we need to get back soon."
Matt Lee left the game late, maybe tweaked something again. What's his status?
"He's a tough kid. He's battling. He's not 100 percent. He's doing everything he can. He had his hands full with that nose guard. That nose guard is a dynamic player. It was more of the game being out of hand at that point. Kind of using common sense. I'm not saying he couldn't finish. Man, we've got six games left. It was more of that than anything."
The team showed progress against ECU against the run, but had struggles against Cincinnati. How do you explain that?
"We didn't do a great job with the run fits. We didn't tackle well at times. And they're really good. That doesn't matter. We've got to stop the run. That's one thing that we're going to focus on. These last six weeks. You've talking about a great throwing team we're fixing to play. We can't have it where teams run the football on us. That will be a real focus moving forward. That's really the foundation of a defense."
Obviously Cincinnati has been the standard in the American for the past couple years. They're going with you to the Big 12. What did you maybe learn about where this program needs to be to compete with a team like Cincinnati? I know you haven't had a full recruiting class and there's a lot of injuries this year. What did you learn when you see that talent gap?
"We're not there right now. That's what I learned. They're not just the best team in the AAC. That team can play with anybody. As a matter of fact, that team can beat anybody. I know what it looks like. They can do that. What it means for us, we're not there, but we're going to get there. After the game, that'll be a game, if we can fast forward a year or so and look back, how far we came, that will be something to do measuring stick wise. As a head coach, when you're developing your program, and right now we're in the process of developing our program. It is what it is right now. We're developing our program. We're developing the foundation with all the little things that go with it. We're going to get there. We're going to recruit. Recruiting is going great. We're not there right now. We're going to get there. It was really good to see what it looks like. It was good for our players to see what it looks like. That's an impressive group and they'll have a chance to win the whole thing if they stay healthy."
Looking at your last six games of the season, four of them are at home.
"That's a blessing. We've haven't done worth a crap on the road this year. It is what it is with that. This is a great home field advantage. Our fans are everything they said it would be and then some. Last game, we didn't play well at home and they willed us to a win. They wouldn't let us lose. We're really looking forward to that. Hopefully we have a huge crowd come out and bring their A game to help us. I know our players really appreciate that."
What do you think the Space Game? Every year UCF has different uniforms to honor the space ties.
"I think it's cool. I think it's really good. I think recruits love it. I know our players love it. When the players love it and recruits love it, I love it. I haven't gotten a chance to take everything in, but it's one of those advantages I think we have that makes us unique. Recruits love that kind of stuff. Our department, marketing department, designs to come up with that. I'll say this. Our social media, our video department, I'd put them up against anybody in the country. Everywhere I go, people come up to me out of the blue, say golly, whoever is running y'all's video and social media, they're the best. I believe they are the best. That helps for the future with recruiting. That's where recruiting is going. All these guys love the videos and the uniforms and all that. As long as our players like it and recruits like it, I like it."
What's your biggest frustration with the special teams unit?
"We've got to solve the punt situation. We've had two blocked. I don't think I had a punt blocked I don't think since I've been a head coach until this year, so we've got to solve that. It needs to turn into an advantage. It hasn't been an advantage for us yet. I will say this. Our field goal kicker. I do feel good about our field goal kicker. We haven't kicked it a lot. Our last game he helped us win. He's really been confident. I really believe this last part of the season he's going to help us win some games."
Talk more about Memphis. What challenges do they present?
"They can throw the football. They're in the top 10 offensively I think. They're really good. Their running back is really good. Asa Martin is another running back that I actually recruited. He was with me at Auburn. I know what he can do. He's a talented guy. Got a great mom. They're a talented group. That coach has been there a while. He has his foundation laid and all that. It will be a good challenge."
I know you talked about the stresses of taking a flight after the game with the family. Your wife shared some pictures on social media. The baby is named after you, Baby Gus. What does that mean to you, having a little bit of family time in a busy scheduling, and having a grandson.
"It's a special deal. Having a grandson, I'm fortunate to have two right now. That's a game changer. Then you have one named after you. It doesn't get any better than that. It was one of those emotional deals. When I got there and found out my daughter was doing okay and getting better, I was able to take it in. Just a special, special moment. I feel very blessed."
