UCF boasts rushing attack eager to build on success
One of the first things Anthony Tucker noticed about UCF’s running game was its speed.
That was made painfully obvious to him during his time as running backs coach at Maryland, where he quickly learned what UCFast truly meant after watching the Knights rush for 250 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-10 rout of the Terrapins during the third week of the 2017 season.
“Speed, that’s what this deal is all about and to me. Seeing this team firsthand for the last two years from a school that we had to compete against them, that was the one thing that was very apparent, there is a lot of speed on this team,” said Tucker, who joined Josh Heupel’s staff at UCF in December. “And it showed up last year and we still have a ton of speed coming back.”
Tucker comes to Orlando after spending the past two seasons in Maryland, helping the Terrapins put together one of their best seasons on the ground.
“I’ve probably coached a few fast guys in the past, but this is probably the fastest as a whole the most speed I’ve ever had in one room,” Tucker said.
UCF put together a perfect 2017 season thanks, in part, to a rushing attack that ranked fifth in the American Athletic Conference and No. 33 nationally. The Knights averaged nearly 200 yards per game on the ground with more than 5.1 yards per carry.
Even more impressive was the 39 rushing touchdowns the team accumulated, which ranked ninth in the country. UCF scored multiple rushing touchdowns in every game except the team’s win over Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
And with the top six rushers on the team from last season back, including dynamic tailback Adrian Killins Jr., who led the team with 790 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, there’s plenty of room for optimism heading into 2018.
“We’ve got five deep running backs that can play anywhere so it’s going to be something special,” said quarterback McKenzie Milton, who finished second on the team in rushing with 613 yards. “You’ve got Bentavious Thompson, Taj McGowan, Adrian Killins, Otis Anderson, C.J. Richardson … those are five guys that can take it to the house at any time.
“Those guys are going to be something special this year.”
Tucker agrees adding, “I think we’ve got a good group. I think we’ve got a lot of talent.”
For the players, having everyone back has provided a level of familiarity.
“It’s amazing. If you sat in one of our meetings we’re like a family in there,” senior tailback Taj McGowan said. “We’re so tight and we feed off each other on the field so when one of us is doing well, the next guy in, he’s going to be ready to go.”
Sophomore Otis Anderson added, “Everything is like a family. If somebody is having a bad day or don’t really understand the scheme, you can look to anybody in the running backs group to help lift you up.”
While most of the players are back, the group is learning to adjust to a new offensive system being put into place by the first-year coaching staff. That includes a new scheme for the run game.
“It’s a different scheme, but it’s a scheme that is a perfect fit for what we have here personnel-wise,” Tucker explains.
“We just switched from a zone scheme to a power scheme, but you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It’s amazing,” adds McGowan, who finished with 235 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season.
And with everyone more than aware of what Killins — also known as AK — can do with the football, Tucker wants to see more out of his younger players heading into this season.
“I would like for those younger guys to not be younger guys,” said Tucker. “When AK has to tie his shoes, I don’t want there to be any dropoff. I want this group to be feared no matter who’s in there. I don’t want the opposing sideline to take a deep breath if Otis or AK is not in there.”
McGowan believes unit is special.
“I would love to be a freshman coming into this kind of environment because you’re going to feel like you’re at home,” McGowan said. “Man, if I was still in high school and this was my coming out year, I would love to be around these types of people.
“We look out for each other and we take care of each other. I’ve never been a part of an atmosphere like this and it’s even stronger than it was last year and that’s because we are all back. This is amazing.” this