Coach’s love for the option still runs deep

When Central Florida began practicing in the spring how to defend teams that run the option, defensive coaches told their players to expect a special guest to play the scout team quarterback.

They all looked at each other and immediately knew.

Coach Scott Frost walked over, wearing cleats, a shirt, shorts and helmet. He stepped under center, barked instructions and snapped the ball. Then he did it again. And again.

“He’s running, dropping dimes,” linebacker Chequan Burkett told ESPN staff writer Andrea Adelson. “You just think in your head, ‘Hey man, this guy won a national championship doing this, so it’s a wonderful experience to be able to face a quarterback who really did this and happens to be our head coach.’ He’s giving us a great look. If he puts on shoulder pads and full gear, you’d really think he’d want to play us.”

For Frost, who won a share of the national championship in 1997 with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the decision to run the scout team was an easy one. With both Georgia Tech and Navy on the schedule — the No. 20 Knights visit the Midshipmen on Saturday — Frost and his staff knew they had to start practice against the option months in advance.

Given his background, Frost, 42, figured it would be easier to play quarterback himself than begin to teach it to one of his players. He still runs and works out regularly, so his conditioning wasn’t a problem.

“There is an art to playing option quarterback,” Frost said. “I can’t tell you how many reps I have at doing that kind of stuff. Even though I’m slow and old, it’s probably still better than somebody that’s doing it for the first time.”

What Georgia Tech and the service academies do is so rare, Frost said, “I feel like most option quarterbacks now are kinda like giant pandas. They only exist in zoos and military academies.”

Players said they’ve noticed more intensity from Frost in practice this week.

“He’s a lot more focused,” nose guard Jamiyus Pittman said. “His face is a lot more serious, there’s no more smiles and giggles. He’s running it like he’s back at Nebraska. I’m not even mad at him because that’s the best look we can get.

“I tried to run him down from the back side and I didn’t catch him, so I don’t know if the looks can get any better than that.” Frost was coy in his response. “I don’t know about that,” he said. “I’ve just done it so much that I want to give them the best look that I can and our offensive coaches are doing such a good job they don’t need me over there. … I’ll take a pulled hammy for the team.”

Wave hater

New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard may have found a new hero to look up to other than Thor.

On Tuesday, Syndergaard shared a video on Twitter of a fan giving the middle finger as his section participated in “The Wave.”

“Not all heroes wear capes,” Syndergaard tweeted.

Syndergaard has voiced his displeasure with the fan tradition on Twitter before. In 2016, Syndergaard tweeted after a Mets victory that he was happy with the victory but wasn’t happy when he looked and saw The Wave making its way through the stadium.

Earlier this season, he also went after Philadelphia Phillies fans for starting The Wave during a game the Mets went on to win 14-4. The Mets hit three home runs in the game and Syndergaard told fans exactly what he thought was to blame.

“Home team stadium started the WAVE tonight. Lost 14-4. Coincidence?” he tweeted.

Courtesy UCF Athletics Central Florida Coach Scott Frost (left) ran the option as a quarterback at Nebraska, so running it himself in practice is second nature to him.