UCF Defense Given A Dose of Reality By Coaching Staff

Both UCF coach Scott Frost and defneive coordinator Alex Grinch were on the same page when it came to the Knights' defensive performance during Thursday's scrimmage.

Frost said on Thursday the defense had " a ways to go," and while Grinch added after Monday's practice that the "needle's pointed up," he echoed similar sentiments.

Grinch said the defense has made strides from a consistency standpoint. However, he pointed out that there is a double-edged sword as the unit improves on it from a coaching standpoint.

"Once you've done that and the effort and the execution starts giving you those bright spots, the bad ones look really, really bad, you know?" Grinch said. " Sometimes it's hard as a coach not to focus on some of those, but now we're making progress in both those categories."

Now two weeks into fall camp, Grinch said "progress has been good." However, he said he does not think the defense's effort is "elite." Effort is one of two things, alongside execution, that Grinch said the coaching staff is "constantly evaluating."

"One of the things mentioned to the guys is you can't judge your days by the camp schedule," Grinch said. "You got to look at it by the game schedule."

That game schedule is soon to get underway for the Knights, with their season-opener against Jacksonville State looming on Aug. 28. As the game gets closer, Grinch said he and the staff are looking at practice through the lens of who the starting defensive 11, and their backups, are going to be.

"Once you get two weeks out from game day, it's all about the game," Grinch said. "It's not camp anymore. It's not spring ball."

Scott Frost Felt 'Good' About UCF Knights Defense After Scrimmage

The UCF Knights held their first scrimmage of camp on Thursday, which means the players are getting into action on their actual playing field. As the college football season is within reach, Scott Frost is running out of time to decide which players he'll run with. The main headline has been the quarterback battle, but the defense should have the fans' attention.

Last season, the Knights' defense struggled, allowing an average of 32.5 points to the opposing team in their eight losses. Frost and his staff are looking to see improvement on that side of the field, especially with the return of edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and defensive tackle John Walker from their injuries.

"I think we're going to have good pass rushers," Frost said. "There's a couple of guys, like Malachi and John Walker, that I haven't seen do much yet because they were out for spring. Those guys are starting to show up."

Lawrence and Walker are among the few returning talents to the Knights and are expected to bring a tremendous impact to the team's success.

Frost added that he saw "a lot of hands on the ball" from the defense, which led to turnovers. He praised their efforts to get the quarterbacks out of rhythm.

For any team on any level, camp is where players find their identity as a unit. Frost brought up the defense hasn't discovered it yet.

"We still got ways to go," he said. "One of my takes is we're not game ready."

Another defensive player that's been a bright spot throughout camp is cornerback Antione Jackson, another returning talent who also missed spring training due to a hip injury. He's been impressive with a couple of highlighted interceptions.

"He stepped in and showed us the type of player that he could be," Frost said. "I don't think we're going to play anybody two ways, but he's got receiver-type hands."

The Knights have a ton of new players on the roster, so it's going to take longer for them to establish their identity on both sides of the ball. The search may also extend into the season.

"Defense wins championships" is a phrase extremely popular in sports. If the Knights want to surprise the college football world and accomplish great things, it all starts on that side of the field.

Catch Up on more UCF news below:

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UCF's Special Teams Steal The Show In First Fall Scrimmage

UCF's Scott Frost Provides Fall Camp Injury Update After First Scrimmage