Heading into the weekly press conference with UCF head football coach Scott Frost after narrowly escaping catastrophe in the season opener hosting Jacksonville State, the tone here and throughout the week is that it’s clear there’s work for this team to do to get better — fast.
There’s Still Time
In his opening statement, Frost mentioned the benefits of the schedule and this team’s learning curve not potentially not impacted the team’s win-loss record. “Excited to get back to work with the guys, ” he said. “The schedule sets
up, I think, good for a young team [it enables us to] get our work in at camp and have a game and then have a little extra time to improve before game two, and then a bye week. And we need to keep improving as a team and we’re going to have some extra time to do that. . . ”
So in a week where the starting quarterback is still “TBD” according to coach (more on that later), both sides of the ball need to reduce costly penalties, and the offensive line and defense need to build confidence to get off the ball quicker the Knights have more time to address those things.
For one, a long week for coaches to watch tape and make observations on not only what needs fixing, but also how to fix those issues. Also it allows more time for rest and recovery that comes with a hard-fought contest. There are those that would call facing the Aggies of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University a potential “trap game” after a tough win and leading up the North Carolina Tarheels that could have the Knights over looking them. The extra time in Week 2 and the bye week take both those factors off the table.
Who’s the QB?
It’s no surprise that Frost was asked about who would start against the Aggies, but as mentioned earlier he didn’t name a starter.
When asked on the status of Week 1 starting quarterback Cam Fancher and if he or Tayven Jackson would start in Week 2, coach Frost said “Not 100% sure yet it’s kinda TBD. Cam didn’t have a concussion, [he] had an issue with his back and pain down his leg. . . I’ll get a better idea [Monday night] when I see him and from the trainer where he’s at so everything with that position is to be determined right now.”
On the surface, that sounds like Jackson and Jacurri Brown are still the backups. But there’s precedent for a Knights football coach being coy about who is starting. Not that UCF is trying to get a leg up on NCA&T to keep their coaching staff guessing, but there was a game where everyone was sure that current UCF quarterback coach and 2018 field general McKenzie Milton was going to play until then-head coach Josh Heupel started DJ Mack instead.
The moral of the story — we may not know until the last minute who the starting quarterback is. Fancher’s health, Jackson’s performance and an opponent that plays in a conference called the Coastal Athletic Association all muddy the waters. It’s possible that none of it matters and that Fancher, Jackson, and Brown all see time regardless of who starts as UCF executes improved football in a tune-up game where who starts is still a question for two weeks leading up to hosting North Carolina.
