Heavy defensive line rotation gives UCF edge
Shane Burnham isn’t a hockey fan, but the UCF defensive line coach sees the similarities between the sport and football.
“I was watching the Tampa Bay Lightning game last night and while I don’t like hockey, I love how those guys come out in shifts,” Burnham said. “They just go, go, go, go, go. You watch the guys on the ice come out at full speed and then they go again and the next three [guys] come out [for the next shift].
“That’s what we want to be. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can.”
Through the first two games this season, the Knights have been able to push the tempo during their defensive rotations. More than a dozen players have seen significant time on the defensive front, including starters Randy Charlton, Stephon Zayas, Kenny Turnier and Anthony Montalvo.
“When we talk about rolling people, we roll a lot early and some of the benefits of that are so that in the fourth quarter, your No.1line or No. 2 line is as fresh as they can be to finish that game,” Burnham said.
Added coach Josh Heupel, “I think the ability to rotate guys and not have any dropoff in our front four as we substitute has been critical, too. Our guys are able to go out there and play as hard as they can and when they can’t go anymore, you go to the next guy.”
Eleven defensive linemen have registered at least one tackle through the first two games.
The group has accounted for 2.0 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick during the season opener against Georgia Tech.
“I think they’ve been relentless,” Heupel said. “I think some of that shows up in the second half that you wear down your opponent that has led to some of the turnovers we’ve gotten in the second half.”
Yet, Burnham believes the unit is still a work in progress.
“We made a few plays here and there that were big plays, but I don’t feel like we’re firing on all cylinders,” said Burnham, who pointed to missed opportunities for pressure sacks and tackles for loss during the win over East Carolina Saturday.
UCF ranks No. 65 out of 72 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in rushing defense. The Knights are allowing 235 yards per game on the ground and nearly 5.0 yards per carry through the first two games.
The team ranks No. 50 in sacks (2.0) and No. 26 in tackles for a loss (14.0).
UCF finished last season ranked third in the country in tackles for a loss (118.0) behind Ohio State and Clemson and the year before that, the Knights ranked No. 8.
Burnham said he’s been impressed with the unit’s physicality early in the season.
“When you see some of the caused fumbles, these are guys with big collisions jarring the ball loose. … When you see that, that’s what probably excites us the most,” Burnham said. “We work turnovers every day and when you see our physical nature, … that’s what I like the most out of this unit — the physical nature of which we’re playing right now.”
The defensive line could get a big test Saturday against a Tulsa offensive line that has combined for 53 career starts and features tackle Chris Paul (21 starts), a preseason third team All-American Athletic Conference selection. The group allowed one sack during its opener against Oklahoma State on Sept. 19.
“These guys were one of the most physical bunch that we played last year,” Burnham said of UCF’s 34-31loss to the Golden Hurricane in 2019. During the game, the Knights managed one sack, 5.0 tackles for a loss and zero turnovers.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m. and the contest will air on ESPN2.
Tulsa’s offensive tempo can wear down a defensive line throughout a game, according to Burnham, similar to the way UCF’s tempo tires out opponents.
“They’re big up front and they’re coached to be nasty and physical and I mean that in a complimentary way,” Burnham said. “They’re going to try and turn that 2-yard gain in the first [quarter] into a 3-yard gain in the second and a 4-yard gain in the third and five yards in the fourth. That’s their mindset.”