UCF HC Scott Frost Addresses QB Position Following Georgia State Win
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Going into the win over the Georgia State Panthers, there were some questions about who the UCF Knights would play at quarterback with Alonza Barnett injured. In the end, head coach Scott Frost turned to FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins.
The UCF offense put up 44 points, but that wasn’t necessarily because of Jenkins. It was because of the running game, which Jenkins did find some success in as well. Still, of UCF’s 390 total yards, 304 were rushing.
Jenkins finished completing just 7 of 17 passes for 86 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He also rushed for 25 yards and 2 touchdowns, with sack yardage coming off his total. It was the 12.6 yards per carry that running back Duke Watson had, but it helped the effort.
UCF Knights HC Scott Frost Addressed the Quarterback Position
Prior to his time at UCF, Keyone Jenkins was a very successful quarterback at the Group of Six level. At FIU, he started for three seasons and left tied for second all-time in touchdown passes in FIU history.
After the Georgia State game, Scott Frost shared a little insight into what he saw from his backup quarterback.
“I thought he did pretty well,” Scott Frost said. “He has played a lot of football, and that shows. We missed a couple of formations and got lined up wrong, so I have to repeat myself a little and do a better job. He didn’t get to throw it a whole lot tonight because of the nature of the game. We certainly had a lot of plays that we trusted him to throw in the game plan. It just turned into that kind of game.”
UCF was able to beat Georgia State while also largely keeping the ball on the ground. However, long-term, the Knights will need more production from the quarterback position.
“We’re probably going to have to let him loose a little more if we’re going to win some more games down the stretch. But I was really happy with how the team stayed calm and kept playing. It was a tougher win than you want, but any win is a good win,” Frost said.
Frost would go on to add that this lack of downfield attacking wasn’t necessarily about easing Jenkins into the offense. Instead, it was more about the flow of the game and the UCF game plan on offense.
“It really wasn’t our plan. We trusted him to go run the game plan. We had a bunch of shots ready. In the first quarter, we got the ball deep in their territory a few times. He threw a couple of balls really well. In the second half, particularly for a large part of the fourth quarter, we were playing with a lead, and I wasn’t going to take a chance of turning the ball over,” Frost said.
“That really eliminated the first quarter and the fourth quarter. That’s why I say, if we’re going to win games in the Big 12, we have to let him be him and trust him to make some of those plays. He can do it.”
UCF QB Keyone Jenkins Was Rated by PFF
Following the game, PFF shared its breakdown of rankings from the UCF offense. That included Keyone Jenkins.
Jenkins got a 65.1 grade for the game. That includes a passing grade of just 53.1, and he struggled the most when not blitzed and trying to throw more than 20 yards downfield. On the other hand, Jenkins did earn a 72.4 rushing grade.
For reference, PFF grades on a 0-100 scale. That comes from a play-by-play breakdown, where players are graded on a -2 to +2 scale. A 0 grade for a player is a neutral or expected outcome. 60 ends up being an average grade by PFF standards.
Scott Frost admitted that he doesn’t know when Alonza Barnett is going to return for UCF. So, for now, it looks like they’re going to have to continue to evaluate the quarterback position in Big 12 play. For now, though, it’s still Jenkins’ job.
“It’s a week-to-week thing, but he earned the No. 2 spot for a reason, and I don’t see any reason that’s going to change, Frost said. “He threw some really nice balls. We didn’t give him that many chances, and we’re going to have to give him more chances going forward.”
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post UCF HC Scott Frost Addresses QB Position Following Georgia State Win appeared first on HEAVY.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos