When it comes to UCF and penalties, the devil is in the details

UCF faced significant growing pains last season, navigating the challenges of being a young and inexperienced team. Through numerous trials and tribulations, one of the Knights’ most persistent challenges was managing penalties.

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Whether it was a misjudged tackle or an unnecessary delay of game, these penalties not only affected the play on the field but also tested the team’s resilience.

Last season, FBS teams averaged 76 penalties, but UCF stood out with a total of 91.

Most of these penalties — 65, to be exact — occurred on the offensive side of the ball, including a notable 40 presnap infractions. The primary issue was false starts, as the Knights were flagged 27 times for this particular violation.

In fact, UCF was one of the most penalized teams in the Big 12 during the regular season.

From the start of spring practice through the summer and into preseason camp, UCF has focused on eliminating penalties.

For fifth-year offensive lineman Preston Cushman, the devil is in the details.

“Getting on the same page with our quarterbacks and wide receivers and making sure we’re firing (on all cylinders),” said Cushman. “It feels like every day we’re taking a step in the right direction, and we’re doing the right things to put ourselves in a position to go run down the field.”

Offensive coordinator Steve Cooper believes it comes down to players having an edge.

“We acronymed it out and the second letter in the word edge is discipline,” said Cooper. “Discipline is choosing to do the right thing, even if your body is telling you to do something else. It’s making that decision even if your emotional feelings don’t want you to get the things you’ve committed to getting done.

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“And when you do that right off the field, then it’s going to show up in that critical moment, whether it’s fourth and goal to win the game on the one-yard line.”

Added senior safety, Braeden Marshall: “We just have to be disciplined, especially when we’re tired. We need to be mentally focused because you’ll eliminate those penalties, especially late in the game.”

Cooper said the Knights are making progress in cutting down on these mistakes.

“When you put the twos and the threes out there, it’s the same standard,” he added. They’ll know that it’s not good enough, not right now, but the ones are taking steps in that direction to where we need it to be, to have that success.”

Senior offensive lineman Brady Wayburn signed with the team in the offseason after playing at UConn. He said the Knights have locked in on everything, particularly finding their own voice.

“We always talk about cadence as a weapon,” said Wayburn. “That’s our advantage. We know it and they don’t. So, it’s about locking in those little details. That comes with mental toughness.”

Coach Scott Frost believes having a more experienced roster should help reduce those costly penalties.

“When you’ve got guys that are reliable, you have a lot better chance of having them reliable in those situations, too,” said Frost. “When guys are really confident in what they’re doing, then they’re not thinking about 100 things and forgetting snap counts or to key the football.

“I want guys to get really comfortable in knowing their assignments so they can go play fast, but can also stay calm and wait for the right time to attack.”

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Matt Murschel can be reached at [email protected]