Excited Knights unite
UCF players fired up as first camp under Heupel begins
McKenzie Milton fires another pass into the hands of a receiver on a slant pattern, creating an all-too-familiar sound that momentarily cuts through the din of music blaring throughout UCF’s first practice. Thud … thud … thud …
Players hustle from drill to amid hot and humid conditions as coaches roam the sidelines barking out instructions.
The Knights opened the 2018 college football season Wednesday under the watchful eye of first-year coach Josh Heupel.
For many of the players who took part, the excitement of getting back on the field following the doldrums of the summer months was akin to the first day of school.
“A lot of people were talking about how they couldn’t fall asleep last night and that they were just up and ready to go,” redshirt sophomore corner Brandon Moore said following the two-hour session.
Milton said he didn’t lose any sleep but that didn’t mean he wasn’t excited to get back on the field.
“I told the guys yesterday in the team meeting that I felt like a freshman coming into this camp,” the junior quarterback recalled. “Having some anxiousness, some butterflies, but that’s just because you love the game and you’re just excited to get back out there.”
Players took to the practice field decked out in practice jerdrill
seys and workout shorts. Right from the start, the energy level was upbeat, which pleased Heupel.
“A lot of excitement and a lot of energy,” he said. “A lot of mistakes because it’s Day One. I talked with them about not being discouraged about anything because what defines us is how much better we get from Day One to Day Two.”
Heupel said there was no nerves when he took the field for his first fall practice with the Knights.
“We’ve worked hard to get ourselves into position where we’re organized and we feel like everyone is on the same page,” he added. “We’re a lot further ahead today than we were at the end of spring ball just as a staff — cohesiveness and being on the same page that allows our players to be even more in sync.
“Today there is a bunch of nervous energy from our players just because when you pour a lot of time and energy into something, you want to make those strides and you want to show it off immediately on Day 1. Some of the things don’t come into realization on Day One but you get a chance to go back and correct some of those things.”
Knights’ hurdles
In evaluating the first practice, Heupel was quick to point to the challenges the defensive front faced on its first day back.
“It’s always hard for the front seven, nothing’s real and you don’t have shoulder pads on and the physical contact is limited. You want it to be that way,” Heupel said of the group which returns several starters from last season including junior Trysten Hill and Titus Davis. “We played in a lot of spread-out formations just so you try to minimize the number of collisions that we have on a day like today, which will be really typical for the first two days.”
Fifth-year senior Joey Connors was impressed by what he saw during practice.
“I thought today was better than any spring practice we had,” the defensive lineman said. “The defense took a big step forward today.”
Heupel also credited the outstanding start by his special teams.
“Our guys played with great technique and competed extremely hard and if we do those two things,” he said, “we’ll win that third of phase every single Saturday and that’s a big part of us being successful.”
Battling heat
The Knights practiced outside in what are your typical Florida weather conditions, including humidity hovering around the 75 percent mark.
Heupel was asked how he plans to keep his players healthy during the month leading up to the team’s first game against UConn on Aug. 30.
“It’s critical for us that we stay healthy through training camp,” he said. “… We have a plan and we’re going to try and take care of them. They’re in the ice tubs after practice and we have massage therapists for a bunch of our skill players and we’re going to make sure we get a lot of good work in and they’re getting acclimated to work the outside and we’re not depleting them for the long term.”