UCF’s Quarterback Competition Hits Home Stretch
UCF had their second preseason scrimmage on Saturday, The Knight’s quarterback competition was predictably under the media microscope. Head coach Gus Malzahn fielded questions from reporters about the scrimmage, the position battle, and the Knights’ focus with just over two weeks left until their season opener.
Malzahn, who’s not one to give too much away, did express a high level of confidence in both his potential starters, Mikey Keene and John Rhys Plumlee.
When asked about Keene, Malzahn said, “Mikey is a guy that understands what we’re doing. He’s a veteran guy that’s been in the offense…He led a couple of touchdown drives and did some good things.” He also added that “John Rhys did the same thing. Just coming off the field, it felt fairly similar.”
Admittedly, the question was framed around Keene, but the Knights’ may be leaning a bit more towards the sophomore Keene. Plumlee is a dynamic dual threat though, which could be something that the Knights find too valuable to keep off the field. Either way, the decision seems to be coming soon.
“Early on, [it was] I’d like it to be after the second scrimmage. I don’t know if we’re there yet or not,” said Malzahn about his timeline for naming a starter. “Usually, you have enough things in practice, where the whole team knows who the starter should be…Hopefully we can arrive to that sooner rather than later.”
Usually, the team knows who the starter should be, but that isn’t always the guy who ends up taking the snaps. That’s why Malzahn and his staff have been scrutinizing every detail of the situation. He knows that this choice will likely make or break their season, but he’s confident that the Knights are on a winning path.
“It’s one of the most important decisions we’ll make all year, making sure we’re right…The good thing is we got two guys. We got two guys we can win with, and I don’t know how many programs around the country that can say that” pondered Malzahn, “We feel really strongly about that.”
On Sept. 1, South Carolina State will travel to Orlando for Week 1, giving the Knights 18 day until it becomes game time. They can’t afford to continue splitting reps for too much longer, so expect the starter to be named in the coming days.
“We’ve done a lot of talking, but now it’s time to play,” Malzahn acknowledged. “It’s getting to a point where we’re gonna start focusing on our first game.”
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