UCF head coach Scott Frost saw “some good and some bad” from his team in Thursday night’s first preseason scrimmage under the lights, with the biggest storyline — the quarterback competition — still far from settled.
UCF head coach Scott Frost saw “some good and some bad” from his team in Thursday night’s first preseason scrimmage under the lights, with the biggest storyline — the quarterback competition — still far from settled.
The Knights rotated all three contenders evenly between the teams. Each made plays, but Frost said there’s no clear leader at this point.
“All three of them have done really good things and some things we can improve,” Frost said. “I’d love to start having that idea of who that’s gonna be jell in my mind, but we’re not there yet and we’re not gonna force that. Every play counts.”
Quarterback update
Cam Fancher returned to action after being sidelined briefly with a lat strain. He joined Jacurri Brown and Tayven Jackson in getting “good reps” on Thursday night.
“I’d say all three (are stepping up),” Frost said. “Coach (Alex) Grinch’s comment was all three are a lot better than they were in spring, and I agree. It’s probably gonna come down to who can make plays without turning the ball over and who can take care of the football.”
Frost hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing more than one quarterback.
“I’m open to whatever gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “If we’re not sure and more than one guy deserves an opportunity to play, then I guess we’ll go that way.”
Execution and consistency
Frost said the offense produced a few bright moments, including a couple deep completions, but too often found itself “behind the chains.”
“We’ve got to run the ball better than we did today,” Frost said. “Good for the defense, but we’ve got to be better on offense. You never want to be behind the chains, and we got behind the chains a lot.”
Penalties and a lack of urgency at times also hurt the offense’s tempo.
“We were a little lax with that,” Frost said. “It led to a couple sloppy penalties that cost us. We’ve talked to the guys about urgency, getting set and lined up, and didn’t see enough of it tonight.”
Receiver competition ongoing
Frost said he’s still looking for consistency from the wide receivers, though several players made plays Thursday.
“DJ Black had a good night. Marcus (Burke) caught a couple balls. Caleb Rollerson made a really nice play for us. Speedy (Duane Thomas) is really reliable,” Frost said. “We’ve got good depth and talent there. It’s just got to be more consistent, and the quarterback’s got to know where they’re going to be and trust them to be there.”
While Frost sees improvement across the board since spring — especially from the offensive line and running backs — he’s not yet satisfied.
“I know we’re a long way ahead of where we were in my first year, but I’m certainly not satisfied with where we are right now,” he said. “It’s back to work in a couple days.”
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Category: General Sports
