UCF Defensive Coordinator Explains "Alarming Part" Of Kansas State Loss
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The UCF Knights' defense "maybe" lost its fight in what ended up being critical moments of a loss in its Big 12 opener against Kansas State, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said on Tuesday.
After opening its game with an interception and a turnover on downs, the Knights gave up points on four of the next five drives, which included three consecutive touchdowns. The run started late in the first half, in which the UCF defense spent a lot of game time on the field. By the time the first drive of that touchdown streak began with 7:27 left in the second quarter, it had already logged just under 14 minutes.
Grinch acknowledged that it was the first time the defense was put into such a position this season, but said that if a defensive player gets frustrated to take the field after a three-and-out, then he "probably didn't sign up for the right sport or position."
"It can be frustrating when, you know, you feel like you're taking on water, maybe a little bit, but that's also the decision that you make in that moment, whether or not that that's your mentality or response," Grinch said.
The defense had better fortunes in the second half. Not counting a one-play, 75-yard touchdown drive courtesy of Kansas State's Dylan Edwards, the Knights' defense gave up 53 yards in its final six drives. Grinch identified the end of the third quarter as when UCF's fight "showed back up," though he called that "the alarming part." The context of such a thought becomes apparent in his messaging to the team afterward, in which he said "that fight was available to us sooner," though still praising it for fighting until the end.
The impact of that messaging emerges in interviews with defensive players since the game ended. Defensive back Antoine Jackson said the team was happy with its fight in his postgame interview on Saturday, but also acknowledged there were "a lot of things" to improve on. Linebacker Lewis Carter spoke similarly on Monday, praising the team's ability to play fast, but also acknowledged that it needed to "keep it up throughout the whole game and just play hard faster."
"You know, if you're not careful, you completely dismiss it because you lost, and you just focus on the negative and there's plenty of negative to go around," Grinch said. "But next time around...you fight, and you find yourself in a one-score game, and maybe you get a takeaway there. "
The Knights' next chance to show their fight comes on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as they host Kansas.
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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