UCF feeling good about its offense
There were plenty of mistakes, but UCF also saw plenty of encouraging signs in its 53-14 win over FIU last week. The Knights will try to keep it going in their AAC opener at East Carolina.
UCF offensive coordinator Troy Walters always sees room to improve, but he said the Knights showed flashes of what their offense is capable of accomplishing during a 53-14 win over FIU.
“We got better Saturday across the board and the focus going in was to eliminate penalties, eliminate turnovers,” he said. “We still had way too many penalties, but we cut down on the turnovers and we executed. And it shows when we executed, we got 11 guys on the same page doing what we ask, we can be pretty explosive.”
Walters discussed the offense’s performance and what the group needs to do keep its positive momentum going during the Knights’ American Athletic Conference opener against East Carolina Saturday.
Q: Are you surprised at how many options you have in the running back position?
A: “We had a feel going into it. With our recruiting class and then the guys we had coming back, we felt like we could be pretty explosive and we got a lot of options and we are excited.
As a play caller, you like to have as many options as you can and move guys around and get them the ball in different ways, and I feel like we are hitting our stride.”
Q: When you see Adrian Killins identify the hole and you see he is gone, what’s that like?
A: “It’s pretty exciting. Whenever the ball is in his hands, he just holds your breath. All he needs is a little crease and he is gonna hit it and score. And in a game, on that long run, when he hit that crease, we said, ‘He’s gone.’ And it’s beautiful and we gotta continue to find ways to get him the ball, because he’s a playmaker.”
Q: How would you grade McKenzie Milton against FIU?
A: “Great job. He limited turnovers and didn’t have any turnovers last game and he’s leading the offense. He’s doing what we asked him to do and he’s making plays with his legs and he’s making the right reads in the run game, so he is just gonna continue to get better as each game he plays and we’re just gonna continue to get better as an offense.”
Q: Describe the tight ends situation.
A: “All of our tight ends are huge. Any time you get the tight ends to stretch the field and make plays in the passing game, it’s gonna
create more space for the running backs and create more space for the wide receivers. Jordan Akins has all the talent in the world, so it’s good to see him making plays when his number is called.”
Q: Off of this big win over FIU, what has to happen for you to be ready for East Carolina?
A: “We have to be more disciplined. We can’t have penalties, can’t have turnovers. We are going on the road, so we gotta be poised. We gotta be loud and we gotta continue to execute, continue to be detailed oriented and then when our number is called, we gotta go make plays.”
Q: Does having such a young team impact the success of this team and the playing style you develop?
A: “Everybody is out there to contribute to the success of the offense. It takes all 11 and then the backups, so we got a lot of young guys and they are doing a great job in their roles and they just got to continue to get better. And as an offense, [we’ve] just got to stick together and trust the process, go day by day, practice hard, have a good practice, and carry over Saturday.”