Knights’ tailbacks chasing big numbers
When Scott Frost took over the UCF football program, his vision was to make the Knights fast — especially on offense.
The ground game was the quickest to adapt to his style of play in 2016, with running backs displaying speed and athleticism during Frost’s first year on the sidelines.
During the first quarter of last season against South Carolina State, Michigan, Maryland and FIU, the Knights averaged more than 235 rushing yards per game.
It was a far cry from the previous season, during which the program finished with the second-worst rushing offense in the country by averaging a paltry 81 yards per game.
But injuries and lack of experience on the offensive line eventually caught up with the squad in 2016, and the team dipped to 106 yards per game in the four games in October and 113 yards per game during the final four regular-season games in November. The Knights closed with a season-low 12 rushing yards during a loss to Arkansas State in the Cure Bowl.
“We didn’t run the ball the latter half of the year like we wanted to or needed to, but I think hopefully we fixed some stuff up front,” UCF running backs coach Ryan Held said. “Everybody is getting better in the system. I’m a better coach today than I was last year because I have more knowledge.”
Much like many of their teammates, Jawon Hamilton and Taj McGowan spent their offseason in the weight room working on their physiques. Hamilton, a sophomore, added close to 20 pounds of muscle to his 5-foot-9 frame while McGowan, a junior, trimmed down from his listed weight of 203 pounds.
“Both of those guys are noticeably improved from last season,” Frost said of the duo’s performance during the offseason.
Held added, “They’ve played to a very high level so far in this camp and I like where they’re at.”
Hamilton finished as the team’s leading rusher with 495 yards and four touchdowns last season, but he believes he can do so much more in 2017.
“I played well, but not to my expectations. I know what I’m capable of and there’s a lot more to come,” he said.
Hamilton hopes his new build will allow him to be more explosive.
“We’re so much faster and stronger. We can break through so many more tackles now. It’s incredible,” McGowan said of the work his teammates have put in during the summer.
But the pair aren’t Knights’ only rushing the options.
Quick and agile, Adrian Killins finished third on the team in rushing with 325 yards, including a team-best 6.5 yards per carry average. His electrifying 87-yard touchdown run against Michigan in the second game of the season tied for the longest run from scrimmage in UCF history.
“I tell you, when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s very fast,” Held said. “He wants to be a guy that doesn’t come off the field. He wants to be a three-tofour down guy.
“We have to monitor him so we don’t overuse him because he’s a track guy, so he had some stuff last year. So we have to make sure we’re smart in his reps this camp.”
Beyond their work in the weight room, Killins said the running backs have improved in other areas.
“The biggest difference is everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing in practice. No one is out there lost and no one is second guessing. We know the system now,’’ he said.
True freshmen Bentavious Thompson (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) and Cordarrian Richardson (6-foot, 240 pounds) also have been drawing praise from the coaching staff.
“I think they [Thompson and Richardson] bring a lot to the table and to create competition,” Held said. “They understand that we’re going to play the guys that come out every day know what they’re doing make plays. I don’t care if they’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.”