Scott Frost Press Conference - Navy Week

As a former option quarterback at Nebraska, Scott Frost has an appreciation for Navy's signature offense.

Always a staple of the academies (Navy, Army and Air Force), option offenses can only be found at three other FBS schools: Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech and Tulane.

"I love option football," Frost said. "I lived it. I feel like option quarterbacks now are kind of like giant pandas. They only exist in zoos and military academies now."

Though Frost didn't want to bring extra attention to himself, players indicated that he's been suiting up as scout team quarterback to help the defense prepare for the nation's No. 1 rushing offense. Navy is averaging 397.5 yards on the ground.

This Saturday's meeting in Annapolis could have been a top-25 battle, but the Midshipmen (5-1) dropped out of the polls after last week's 30-27 loss at Memphis. UCF, 5-0 after the 63-21 win against East Carolina, finds themselves ranked No. 20 in both major polls.

Here's what Frost had to say at his weekly Monday press conference.

On Monday's practice:

"It was good. I think our guys are excited for this challenge and we came out and had a really good Monday."

On whether he's playing scout team QB as some players indicated:

"We're going to use quite a few different guys to try to get our guys ready. Anything we can do. It's hard to simulate their looks and especially at the tempo and execution they run. We'll do whatever we have to do to get the guys ready."

On the difference between Navy and Georgia Tech option:

"They're similar, but different. A lot of the schemes are the same. But they definitely both have their own personality and style. I think these guys are really well coached. They know what they're doing. If they find a hole in your defense, they're going to keep exploiting it. It's a big week for our defense to prepare. We had some work put in already for it and we're going to build on that as the week goes on."

On how much they prepared previously:

"We spent a little time in the spring and during fall camp on it. The guys have the basics of what their assignments are going to be. We'll use this week to try to get them all the way ready."

On Navy losing their first game:

"It's their homecoming. It's at their place. I'm kind of excited to see it. I have a lot of respect for what the Naval Academy is, what they stand for and how their kids play. They beat people because they play harder and they're smarter. I want our guys to play harder than them and be smarter. That's a challenge for us. We're going to have to prepare for it this week."

On Frost's past experiences vs. military academies:

"I can't remember playing a military academy. I think Kenny is one of the good guys in this business. I think everything those kids who play there stand for are the right things about being a college athlete and living in this country. I have a ton of respect for them. But we're going to go up there and try to beat them."

On Frost's appreciation for the option offense:

"I love option football. I lived it. I feel like option quarterbacks now are kind of like giant pandas. They only exist in zoos and military academies now. They've got a good (option quarterback). He makes their offense go. He's a tough runner. He's smart, makes good decisions. I always root for option teams and option quarterbacks because of my background."

On the challenge of being an option quarterback:

"I think it's just a skill. I can't tell you how many repetitions I took and how many repetitions their kids get, the reads and the plays, running with the ball and pitching last second. The timing of it. It's just kind of different than anything else than most people ask the quarterback to do. You've got to have a tough kid that's smart under center. I think Navy has that. You can tell by his statistics that he's the one who makes it go."

On whether he played option QB at Wood River:

"Dad was the coach. We were a Veer team, so we were running inside/outside veer or emptying it out and throwing it. So I've been doing it for a long time."

On whether he went to Stanford initially so he wouldn't play in an option offense at Nebraska:

"I'm glad I came back to Nebraska. It worked out."

On whether playing Georgia Tech would have helped them prepare for this game:

"I think in some ways, if we would have played Georgia Tech, it would have been an advantage but in some ways probably not. It would have given us a chance to get a good look at it and play against a team that's really good at doing it. On the flip side of that, Navy would have seen our approach of trying to stop it and been game planning for it. Sometimes with our offense we get into games and teams are playing us a lot different than what we've seen on tape before. I think Navy goes through that every game because there's not a lot of tape they can dial up to say this is how they play these formations in triple option. They're going to have to make adjustments during the game. They're really good at it. I think there are some positives and negatives in regards to this game, since we missed that last one."

On Frost playing on the field with the guys:

"If I was out there, I wouldn't need them to take it easy on me."

On preparing for the Navy atmosphere:

"I'm anxious to see it. I'm excited to go up there and see the pageantry of the academy. I know it's their homecoming so it's going to be more special. We're not going to treat it any different than any other game. We'll have the ability to go with a silent count if we need to. Other than that, most of our communication is non-verbal anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing that place and what it looks like. We're excited to play a football game."

On preparing for a unique offense:

"I think you can make too much of it, to be honest with you. Every time we line up against another team, it's assignment football. I have the A-gap, I have the B-gap, I have the quarterback on the zone read, I have the running back. This is no different. Just a different way of presenting it. This is a really good team. I don't mean to say it as we're taking them lightly or not excited for the challenge, but we're also not going to make too much of the fact they run a different offense. Our defensive players have to play hard and fast and play assignment football, just like they do any other week."

On Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo:

"Ken is one of the guys that I really appreciate in this league. I think he's a gentleman and class act. I got along with him right away at the conference meetings when I would see him. They might not have the best talent in the league, but they're close to the top of the league every year. That has to do with the type of kids they have and the type of coaching they get. I think he's a really good man and good coach. I think it's smart the way they play. They try to limit the other team's possessions, so that's going to be a big deal in our game. I feel good about our offense being able to move it and score if we have the ball. We've got to take advantage of whatever drives we get on the offensive side."

On the the strength of the AAC:

"I think time will tell. I know every year there's going to be really good teams in this league that can play with a lot of people around the country. It's been amazing for me to watch. Most years it's a different team than it was the year before, or a couple different teams than the year before. I think this is a quality team with good coaching and good talent. We're excited we're in the hunt right now."

On whether Navy changes UCF's offensive game plan:

"I think the only thing it's going to change is the flow of the game can change. I think it's important to try to get ahead of these guys. If you're ahead, they play a different type of game, and we would play a different type of game if we were behind. They're going to try to hold the ball and keep it away from us. That's what they do to everyone. Try to run the time off the clock offensively. We're going to have to get a feel for where we are in relation to score. Obviously if we're ahead, I'm not excited about going fast and giving them the ball right back so they can do it right over again. But if we're behind, we need to get moving and try to get some points on the board. It's going to be a chess match depending how the game unfolds."

On the importance of third-down stops:

"Their third downs are different than most people's third downs. They get a lot of third-and-shorts because you don't see a lot of negative plays from them. First and second downs are vital to make sure you're in the type of third down to where you can get a stop. They go for it on fourth down more than anybody, including us. A lot of times you have to play four downs against them. Our defense is excited. This is a different brand a football, a challenge they haven't seen in a while. They worked hard today."

On the Navy defense:

"They play hard. They've got some good players. They know where they're supposed to be and what they're supposed to do. Again, I'm just really blown away by the level of effort they put forward. Again, I think that speaks to the type of kid they have and the type of leadership they have. The one thing you can't do is turn it over against them. We need to take care of the football like we have been. If we do that, I feel pretty good about how our offense is playing. But we can't make mistakes."

On preparing for a team that cut blocks:

"We've taken the course this year is we're going to get our guys ready to play. We're having live periods during the week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to try and keep our guys sharp. We're going to do what we need to do to get these guys ready to play Navy."

On how much pride he has for being the first UCF team to start 5-0:

"I'll tell you how much pride I take: I didn't know that. We're going to take this one game at a time. I'm happy for the guys that they've achieved what they've achieved. They've worked hard to earn that. But that's water under the bridge now. We've got one big game ahead of us and that's what we're focused on."

On the growing fan support:

"I can feel the support building. I can feel the buzz building around this program. I think our team has earned that and they deserve that. We're going to keep doing the best we can to keep pushing this thing forward. Hopefully more and more support will follow."

On the improvement of the offensive line this season:

"Every position is a work in progress. I'm thrilled with how far the offensive line has come. We've got to keep getting better. There's several individuals that changed their body. Got a lot better in the offseason in the weight room and on the field. Chavis Dickey is an example. Jake Brown is an example. Jordan Johnson. Even Aaron Evans looks a lot different than he did a year ago. I think individually all those guys worked hard to make a lot of improvement. Collectively, they're playing a lot better."

On the team staying focused:

"You see teams around the country have letdowns once in a while. You saw a few last week I think. Our guys came out ready to play Saturday and I think that's a good sign. We know the challenge we have ahead of us right now. This is one of the best teams in the league and we're playing them on the road. I'm not worried about that with this team this week. Our guys will be locked in ready to play. We'll see if that's good enough to win. Really, the games you're supposed to win are the ones you worry about it a little bit. This is just another opportunity for us to attack and try to beat a good team in the league."

On the growth of Shaquem Griffin:

"Before I got here, I don't think Shaquem had played much. I think he shocked a lot of people with how good a football player he was last year. This year he's really impressed all of us with how good a leader he's been. He's one of the driving forces on our team right now. Not just on the field, but off it. Watching him develop, not just as a football player but as a leader and a person has been exciting."

On Shaquem getting more attention from opposing teams:

"He's still playing his butt off. I don't think he cares how many people come at him. He's going to try to get to the football. That play he made at the end of the half really impressed me. Running down the quarterback on the sack. His effort is going to take him a long way. He never plays without it."

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