Malzahn confident Central Florida will make strides in second season in Big 12

Published Aug. 22, 2024 8:31 p.m. ET

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Central Florida didn’t expect its transition to the Big 12 to be easy.

The Knights won six games in their inaugural season in the conference, appeared in a bowl game for an eighth consecutive season and were a lot more competitive than a 3-6 record in league play might suggest.

While that may not sound too bad, it wasn’t nearly good enough for coach Gus Malzahn and his players.

UCF’s first losing season (6-7) since 2016 ended with a loss to Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl. A year marked by highs such as a double-digit rout of Oklahoma State when the Cowboys were ranked in the Top 25 was also marred by mistake-filled narrow conference losses to Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech by a combined four points.

“Our team I really feel like has a chip on their shoulder,” Malzahn said. “If that didn’t leave a sour taste in our mouth we’ve got something wrong with us.”

The veteran who reached the national championship during a successful eight-season run as head coach and won a national championship as a coordinator in the Southeastern Conference at Auburn is confident UCF has everything it takes to be better moving forward in the Big 12.

“It starts with the head coach and getting back to me and the team taking on my personality,” Malzahn said.

“I said before, we want a disciplined team. We weren’t really a hard-nosed, physical edge team like I’ve had in the past. Really, we’re developing that. It’s a process. It can’t be one or two, it’s got to be who we are as a group.”

The Quarterback

Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson has settled in as UCF's starting quarterback after throwing for 7,911 yards and 67 touchdowns for the Razorbacks. He's also rushed for 1,876 yards and 21 TDs during his college career.

His new teammates are impressed with him on and off the field.

“You know how some quarterbacks might be Hollywood. He’s just a great person to be around,” receiver Kobe Hudson said. “I’ve only known KJ for six months, and I feel like he has been my quarterback forever.”

The Roster

Thanks to the transfer portal and a solid recruiting class, Malzahn says the overall level of talent on the roster is about as good as he’s had in four seasons at UCF. Among the top holdovers is running back R.J. Harvey, who led UCF in rushing with 1,416 yards and 16 TDs last season.

“Roster-wise, as far as talent and experience, it's probably right up there if not better than what we've had since we've been here. But that's only part of the equation because everybody else has new players, too,” Malzahn said.

“All I know is we’re going earn everything we get,” the coach added. “My job is to make us as mentally and physically tough and as disciplined and together as I possibly can, and we’ll let the chips fall where they fall.”

The Schedule

The Knights open the season at home against New Hampshire on Aug. 29. They begin the conference play at TCU on Sept. 14 and also face Iowa State, West Virginia and Arizona State on the road. The conference home opener is Sept. 28 against Colorado. Other Big 12 home opponents include Arizona and Utah. The Knights also hit the road Oct. 5 for a highly-anticipated nonconference matchup against Florida.

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