Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Defense is benefiting from key adjustments
Knights have given up only 56 points in second half of games
After watching UCF’s defense give up an astonishing 445 yards of offense and 34 points to Temple in the first half last Thursday, there surprisingly wasn’t a hint of panic in the faces of the players on the sidelines.
“The guys were really calm on the sidelines, almost calmer than you want them to be,” Knights defensive line coach Shane Burnham recalled. “They were really collected on the sidelines and in the locker room we made a few adjustments.”
Halftime adjustments are something No. 12 UCF has done really well this season.
The Knights have given up 111 points in the first half through their first eight games, but just 56 total points in the second half, including just 16 points in the third quarter of games.
The poise of players and coaches has been the main catalyst for the second-half turnaround.
“It’s great to see them keep their composure. It gives you confidence as a coach,” said Burnham, who also admits, “It’s nerve-wracking actually.”
UCF would go on to allow just six points during the second half against Temple, but statistically, the 670 yards allowed by the defense was a season high. Couple that with the 490 yards the team gave up against Memphis and the 496 yards against East Carolina and the Knights are allowing more than 552 yards per game during the past three games.
But while the majority of those yards — 58 percent — came in the first half of those games, the defense has tightened its belt and allowed just 13 combined points in the second half.
“There’s not one answer but we just come together,” defensive back Richie Grant said. “In the second half, we go out there and we know we need the W.”
Senior defensive lineman Joey Connors added, “We get on the whiteboard in the locker room and we draw up what they’re hurting us on and we fix it. The biggest thing that we’ve done a good job with is we have to stay calm even though they may have gashed us for a couple of plays, we have to remain calm.”
Perhaps some of the group’s ability to remain level-headed in a moment of crisis comes from defensive coordinator Randy Shannon.
“Coach Shannon is probably the most like relaxed, calm coach that I’ve ever been around in college,” Connors said. “He’s very calm the locker room, telling us what we need to do and what we need to fix and what we can improve on.”
Grant added, “[Shannon’s] a true leader. He’s calm. He’s directing us. It’s not a rip session. Here’s what we need to get done and here’s how we’re going to do it so let’s go and attack.”
UCF coach Josh Heupel said much of what Temple was able to do against the Knights’ defense was because of little mistakes made by the group in the first half.
“It’s funny. Just a couple of small details can kill you,” the first-year coach said. “A little bit of communication cost us in the right defense a couple of times. Up front, not staying in our pass rush lanes gave the quarterback the ability to get out and make plays.
“It’s a fine line between success and failure.”
Grant agrees with his coach’s assessment, adding, “Every scoring drive that they had, we made mistakes. They’re a good team but we made mistakes. At halftime, we were able to go over those mistakes and see what we did wrong and fix them.”
Knights earn more accolades:
Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee was named one of 53 nominees for this year’s Broyles Award, which is presented to the top assistant coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
UCF ranks among the best teams in the country in rushing offense (268.25 yards per game) and sacks allowed (9.0) this season. Elarbee joined the Knights’ staff during the offseason after spending last season with Heupel at Missouri. The winner will be announced on Dec. 4.
Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott won the award last season.
Randy Shannon, who is the Knights’ current defensive coordinator, won the Broyles Award in 2001 when he coached defense at Miami.
Quarterback McKenzie Milton was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the top quarterback in the country. He joins West Virginia’s Will Grier as the only previous semifinalist to be nominated again for the award.
Milton also is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the top player in college football.