UCF head coach Gus Malzahn looks back on the win vs. No. 15 Oklahoma State and the challenge of continuing the now two-game winning steak at Texas Tech.

Opening statement:

"Obviously coming off a big win. Real proud of our team, the way they played. We played our most complete game probably since I've been here. So real proud of our guys. We got to flip the switch. We're going to Texas Tech, a team very similar to us as far as record wise. They won their last two. They have momentum. They're fighting for a bowl just like we are. Their head coach Joey McGuire is a guy that I know well. Got a lot of respect for him. Legendary Texas high school coach. Does a great job coaching.

"You can watch on film, their guys play extremely hard. They're a physical football team. They're very good on special teams and then defensively they don't give up a lot of big plays. They make you earn it Offensively, they'll spread you out. They'll play fast. You've got to be good in space. Their running back, we're playing the I guess the second running back as far as yards in our conference in back-to-back weeks. We got to stop the run again, but they do a good job of trying to get you in space also. So it'll be a good test for us."

You now have a winning streak. Has that changed things around the building, the players seeing their hard work is paying off?

"You see a lot more smiles, which is always great to see. I'll say this, we practiced last night and our guys had good positive energy, but even in those tough weeks we'd go out there and our guys would find a way to flip the script and practice hard, and that was rare. So, that's really not unusual. But you do see the smiles around the complex and it's always good to see those players with that."

RJ Harvey obviously has put together a pretty solid performance the last five weeks. What stands out to you about how he's he's grown into that role?

"Keep in mind, he was a quarterback in high school. He was a quarterback at Virginia. And the last two years has been learning to play the running back position. I think things are starting to slow down for him.

"He's very patient. He has lateral quickness. There's a couple plays where they did some stunts and they had some defensive linemen in the backfield. And he just went lateral, ended up turning a possible negative play for just a regular running back into a 12, 13 yard gain.

"He's got that ability and then of course when he breaks, he's got real speed too. Playing good without the ball too. So he's starting to establish himself as one of the better running backs in our league and probably in the country."

You mentioned throughout the year that you want to be a team that gets better as you go on, playing your best football toward the end of the season. Obviously there was the lull in the middle. What are you seeing that has helped this?

"Yeah, it took us a little bit. I think too, real unfortunate about JRP getting hurt the second game of the year and everything that happened. You can see as he's getting healthier it really changes the dynamics really not just of our offense but our whole team. Our whole team, they kept practicing through the tough times and got better in practice and each week. Last two weeks we found a way to do that."

We're talking about the offensive line, particularly center each week, doing different combinations. Can you take us behind the scenes a little bit about what went into the decision to go with Lokahi at center?

"Yeah, Bula battled. He was on one foot against Cincinnati's d-line, which is really good. This d-line is really good too. We really just wanted to put five veteran guys out there.

"Lokahi, there's a couple snaps that were a little bit low, a little high. JRP really handled it well. But you know he's a veteran guy. He did a really good job. Caden Kitler still will be in the mix this week. He's starting to get closer to 100 percent. Remember, he got banged up. That's the fourth center that we've had this year. I don't know what time we've ever got to the third center with the first group, so this is a very unique year.

"I think it does say a lot about the depth that we have. I mean there hadn't been a whole lot of continuity about starts with all five guys in the same position and that's really hard and then we were able to run the football as effectively as we have.

"I think that says a lot about our depth, but there was some stress going in last week with Lokahi playing this first center against a real team. But he handled it like a champ and our quarterback handled it like a champ on the snaps that you know weren't perfect."

When the rain came in, you must have been a little nervous about having a new center.

"Yeah, getting a dry ball in there too. We threw a couple balls up, one in the red zone, man. We had it right there and we didn't keep the balls dry. We gotta do a better job of that next time. But yeah, that did go through my mind, not just that, but the punter and the snapper and all the things that went with that. Because it was raining sideways there for a while."

Would you say that this past weekend's game was the best game you ever saw at JRP playing?

"It's right up there, if not, his deep balls. I mean, the thing about it, when you throw the football, it's more from the waist down than the arm. And his knee has still been recovering. And last week in practice, he threw the best deep balls that he's had since he'd been here and it carried over in the game. He was throwing dimes out there, the deep balls, and before guys would even make their cut and throw it up.

"So it's really carried over, he's getting more healthier. And the one, the protection, was really poor on the one that came out. I'd like him to take a sack, but he's trying to make a play. The protection was so poor, it was really tough for him to even comprehend exactly what was happening, things happening quick. But when he's making plays with his feet, it opens up everything else for our offense."

Darin Hinshaw mentioned cross training with the offensive line, playing different positions on the line.

"Ideally, you want to keep guys in the same position, and they get used to working together and communicating together. This year because of injuries, we've not been able to do that. More than any other time really since I've been a college coach.

"But it kind of goes back to, we have seven to eight guys we felt really good about going into the year. That's probably the most quality that we've had and thank goodness we do have that, but I'm not gonna lie to you. The stress of having multiple guys, multiple moving parts right there, that's a stressful deal, but our guys have handled it pretty well."

What do you know about Texas Tech's environment there in Lubbock and what has your team learned from prior road tests?

"Yeah, it's hard to win on the road. I think you can look at our league. I've never been there other than driving through there. I'm familiar with the old Southwest Conference back in the day when I was growing up. They had a lot of tradition and all that. I know it's windy, it's flat out there, probably a little cold in November too, but it's a great environment and you have to play really well to win."

What can you say about this run defense? I mean, everyone knows that's been a struggle for most of the Big 12 season. We knew who was coming in with Ollie Gordon and Oklahoma State. To completely shut them down for the most part, talk about the effort you saw from your guys.

"Yeah, I'm real proud of our guys and our run fits right there. We talked about our defensive line playing in the other team's backfield, being a little more aggressive and not doing as much reading, but being a little more aggressive. And that's really what started out in the first quarter. That helped our fits, helped our linebackers. Our defensive line did a better job of keeping off the linebackers. And then when they did single block, they came off and made plays. And then our safeties, you know, they fit. You know, one of our safeties caused a fumble. Another one made a really good tackle right there in the hole.

"So, you know, it's just kind of growing as a defense and played our best game against the hottest, probably the hottest offense in college football last week. We got to continue that and carry that over this week because we got another real running back there that we got our hands full with."

I imagine during a losing streak, people can start to hang their heads. But what does it do for morale to beat a top 15 team at home and how can you carry that momentum so you move forward?

"Yeah, it's a big shot in the arm. There's no doubt. Tt was a good quality win for us the week before on the road. That got us that good feeling back. And then obviously to be in front of your home fans, the Space Game and everything that goes with that, a top 15 team in the country, the hottest team in the country coming in.

"And for us not only to win, but to win convincingly. That really helps everything. Our guys,they played their best game. And this is the time of year that you need to keep continuing to improve and play your best football. A lot of programs can lose momentum this time of year. But our guys, it's a credit to them. It's credit to our coaches that they kept battling. Played their best game at home in front of the home crowd."

What was your reaction to seeing the fans storm the field after the game?

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool. It was really cool. I know for our players, they really thought it was really neat. That means you're winning a really big game when that happens. Our fans, we've had some tough goes. We hadn't given them a lot to cheer about at home. And so that was really good just from a personal experience to see them be able to experience some positive things too."

Just on the injury front, you mentioned Bula obviously using the boot before the game. Is he available this week? And do you have any plans maybe to continue to maybe play Lokahi at the center position?

"Yeah, we'll see how this week goes. Bula, I'm not for sure if he's gonna be back or not. He didn't practice last night. So we'll see how the week goes. I can give you an update later on."

Ricky Barber's injury status?

"Yeah, Ricky Barber, hopeful. He wasn't able to play last week. We're hopeful, but I was so proud of our guys that did play last week. And we'll see his status later in the week too."

What has Lee Hunter meant to the defensive line this year? You talked about his improvement during the offseason and he's coming off a really big game.

"Yeah, the thing about Lee is he's played a lot of snaps this year. And he hadn't been 100 percent at times, but he has battled through. He really controlled the line of scrimmage last week. And anytime he's single block, that's really hard. He comes off and makes plays. He's really turned himself into one of our leaders, not just a leader. He's starting to turn into a team leader, and he's the type of guy, when he talks, everyone listens. And he's earned that. I really think the sky's the limit for Big Lee."

You talked about the momentum that comes with this win Saturday, two game winning streak, but how do you and coaches make sure there's not a let down that comes after a big win?

"We're fighting for a chance for a bowl. We're playing a team that's just like us. I mean, (Oklahoma State win), that's great. It's in the past. We'll think about it in the offseason. But we've got our hands full. This is a really big game coming up. There won't be any kind of let down, as far as mental especially with everything we went through this season."

What's your connection with Joey McGuire? I know he came up through high schools in Texas. How do you know him?

"Joey, when I first got in college, I guess it was at Tulsa. I started recruiting his school. We got some of his players. And Todd Graham, my old head coach, was a Texas high school coach at Allen and was really close to him. My stepmom was a science teacher at Joey's School, too, eighth grade. I recruited his quarterback when I was at Arkansas State before I went to Auburn. So I know him well. I've always been a big fan of his.

"You know, those high school coaches that are in college, we kind of stick together, you know? And he's a real football coach. I mean, he won. He's in the Hall of Fame in Texas. My goal when I was in Arkansas was to be a head coach in Texas. If I'd ever been able to do that, I thought I'd made it back in the day. And so I always had a lot of respect for him. I think he won three state championships in Texas. They got to win like 16 games to win a state championship in high school, which is really, really hard to do. I've always been a fan of Joey's."

You mentioned that the defense was up for the challenge of playing the No. 1 running back in the country. Does it help in a sense to then immediately get the No. 5 running back in the country? (Tahj Brooks)

"I don't know. He's a real back. I mean, how many times did they give it to him? 30-something times? He's a really good back. It's another big challenge for our defense. You know, it's a week to week in college football. You go to the next week and you have a new challenge. That'll be a big key, trying to control him."

Texas Tech's defense did a a good job against Kansas, holding them to 13 points. I know Kansas was down to their third string QB, but what does Texas Tech do defensively?

"Tell you what, they attacked them. That's what they did. We had a tough go at Kansas. They boat raced us. We know how hard that is. And it doesn't matter if they're on their fourth-string quarterback. Kansas has a great offensive scheme. They got a great running back, too. They got a good offensive line. For them to hold them to that many points, that gets your attention. And then for them to get that win at that place, Kansas also is one of the hottest teams in our league and probably in the country. And they went there and won. So that'll definitely get your attention."

Going back to RJ Harvey. Personality wise, he's kind of a soft-spoken guy. How have you seen him grow?

"Yeah. He'll actually have a conversation. It used be he'd smile back. He's starting also to kind of come out of his shell. He's also one of those guys that when he speaks, everybody listens. A lot of respect for him, but he is a super young man with a super heart. He's starting to gain confidence and been real proud of him."

There's been a controversy the last few weeks about sign stealing in college football. There's talk this will spur changes, maybe with helmet communication to quarterbacks or electronic wristbands. What's your stance on that? Would that make your job a lot easier and not have to worry about changing things up week to week?

"I'd be okay with headsets. You know, the sign stealing, I mean, that's been going on forever as far as looking over and trying to figure out what their signals are. And you look on TV and everybody does it and they try to gain advantage, you know. That's been since 2006. But when you're videoing, that's a different story now. I mean, that's a completely different deal. So I think that's where it's gotta be separated.

"I'm a no-huddle guy. And when I first got into college football, I'm gonna look over the sidelines. If I can tell that's cover three, guess what, I'm gonna call a cover three play. That's coaching. That's football. And really, that's back in the day when we were one of the only no-huddle (teams), if not the first or whatever, man, that was stealing. Like, it was easy.

"Then everybody started going no-huddle. Then we played Chip Kelly in the National Championship game. We had our numbers and board. He had all those fancy signs and all that. That's when everything kind of accelerated after that. But that still goes on in college football. That's part of the game now, whether coaches like it or not. Videoing, that's a different story."

As much talk as there's been about the defense stopping the run, it was also the turnovers. You won the turnover battle.

"Four turnovers. They were all down there on our side of the field. That was huge. Our guys, man, we had had a couple of tipped balls. Our corners broke on balls. The ball went up in the air. We caused the one fumble. I thought that was really good. We'd like that one back that we turned the ball over.

"Here's a great thing. I think we were on our 25 or 30 when we fumbled. The defense got it right back. We've been talking about our team about, man, let's pick each other up. If one side needs some help, pick each other up, make sure that we're more of a team. And our guys have done that the last couple of weeks."