Practicing perfection
Players use extra time to focus on football, form and Fiesta Bowl
There’s nothing like a few extra days off when it comes to rejuvenating not only the body, but the soul. It’s been a long season for the UCF football team, during which the Knights managed extend their unbeaten streak to 25 consecutive games and earn another trip to a New Year’s Six Access Bowl.
As a reward, the players were given a few extra days off as they wrapped up the fall semester, including final exams, before returning to the practice field this week in preparation for facing No 11 LSU in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.
The additional practice time leading up to the game is like hitting the reset button on the season.
“It’s kind of like fall camp all over again,” UCF senior tight end Michael Colubiale said. “We don’t have to worry about school, all the finals are over and all the grades are in, so we just go out there and practice.”
Running back Taj McGowan added, “It does kind of have a fall camp feel. We’re out of class and it’s just football, football, football.”
Punter Mac Loudermilk said it’s easier to focus on football.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a new season because we know what we have to do prep-wise. But for us, it’s just a way to kind of relax; de-stress from school with all the finals are over with, all of our grades are posted and now it’s just back to playing football,” he said.
Players said the extra time allows them more time to prepare for the challenge of facing an LSU team whose losses this season came at the hands of ranked teams Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M.
“We never have this much preparation for a team,” UCF senior defensive lineman Titus Davis said. “So just having the knowledge and watching film and studying as much as we can, gives us a better chance.”
Colubiale, who has recorded 258 yards and three touchdowns this season, appreciates the chance to learn more about the Knights’ opponent.
“It’s just nice that we can work on the little things again and we don’t have to worry about cramming it all in a week,” he said. “We can spread it out over 15 practices and really have an idea what we’re going to have to face against when we play LSU.”
UCF linebacker Pat Jasinski said the Knights are enjoying the perk of playing in a game that lands later in bowl season.
“That’s what’s so great about playing in these New Year’s Six bowls is all of this extra prep,” he said. “It’s all you can want because you can more than your normal week which is awesome. It allows you to test some things, try some stuff out, see if this is going to work or not and find out what the best game plan is going to be for us to go out there and get a win.”
UCF enjoyed a similar situation last season after the Knights earned a trip to the Peach Bowl, but the players were coping with a coaching change following the team’s win in the conference championship game.
“Yeah, definitely that was a distraction last year and we didn’t know exactly what was going on and that made it tough,” Jasinski said. “Not having that distraction makes things a little bit easier and you kind of know more of what's going on.”
The Knights have tried to use focus on correcting and improving their play.
“It’s a good thing just so we can tighten up any things that we need to focus in on the details again and not have to worry about the grind of class and football,” McGowan said. “So I feel this is a good opportunity for us to take advantage of these practices.”
The extra practice time also allows coaching staffs to work more closely with underclassmen on the roster.
“It’s good for the younger guys, too, because during the season they don’t really get a lot of reps. They can take some extra time, they can get some extra work in so they can develop them for next season,” Colubiale said.