What Scott Frost said about UCF, West Virginia
UCF head coach Scott Frost met with the media ahead of Saturday’s homecoming matchup against West Virginia and praised Rich Rodriguez’s program for its creativity and aggressiveness on both sides of the ball.
High praise for Rodriguez
Frost opened by sharing his respect for the West Virginia head coach, noting a personal gesture from Rodriguez and the WVU athletic department earlier this season after the passing of UCF assistant coach Shawn Clark.
“That speaks to the class of who Coach Rodriguez is and the people in that department,” Frost said. “It was a really high-character thing to do.”
Beyond that, Frost said Rodriguez remains one of the most influential offensive minds in modern college football.
“Coach Rodriguez is one of the guys who changed what college football looks like,” Frost said. “They’re blitzing about 61 percent of the time, so we’ll have to be ready for that. They mix up looks a lot, and it’ll be an interesting chess match.”
Expecting a challenge
Frost said his team is preparing for a creative, fast-moving offense and a defense that thrives on pressure. He expects the Mountaineers to bring an aggressive approach in all phases.
“They’re really mixing up looks and not staying in anything so you can’t dial them in,” he said. “That presents challenges, but we’ll have to execute well.”
Mutual rebuilds
When asked about the matchup, Frost acknowledged that both teams are in similar positions — each having retooled rosters and faced injuries while showing flashes of progress.
“They’ve overturned a lot of their roster, just like we have,” Frost said. “Both of us have been close in a lot of games. It’s about finding that consistency to finish drives and play clean football.”
Respect for WVU’s fight
UCF defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly said he’s aware of the Mountaineers’ physical style, particularly in the run game.
“West Virginia likes to run the ball,” Kelly said. “But every team that’s come in here averaging a lot of rushing yards hasn’t done that against us. Coach Grinch will have a good plan.”
Kelly added that he expects an electric atmosphere for homecoming, noting the importance of the challenge.
“There’ll be a lot of energy in the stadium,” he said. “It’s another Big 12 matchup for us to hopefully win.”
Frost on opportunity
Frost said his focus is on improvement and execution rather than extra motivation.
“We just have to play our best and play four quarters,” he said. “We’ve been close the last few weeks, and now we have another chance at home. There’s no reason we can’t do some special things down the road.”
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