Gus Malzahn set to coach UCF from platform on sideline

UCF head coach Gus Malzahn will be running the show from an unfamiliar spot for Saturday’s game against SMU. 

Malzahn will coach from a raised platform approximately 6 to 7 feet off the ground after suffering a fractured tibia in last weekend’s game against Tulane. 

“I just don’t want to go in the box,” Malzahn said on 96.6 The Game, via Jason Beede. “I want to be down there with players [and] my coaches.”

Malzahn was accidentally tackled on the sideline following a play against the Green Wave. He is expected to be on crutches for six weeks.

The 6-3 Knights head to Dallas to face the 7-2 Mustangs as a touchdown underdog. After starting 7-0, SMU has dropped two consecutive games.

Saturday’s contest kicks off at noon ET on ESPNU.

UCF by the numbers under Malzahn

When Malzahn arrived in Orlando from Auburn, he inherited what had been one of the nation’s better offensive attacks in recent years. How does this year compare to the previous seasons under former head coaches Scott Frost (now at Nebraska) and Josh Heupel (now at Tennessee)?

Since 2017 — the year Frost’s team went 13-0 — UCF averaged over 500 yards of total offense every year. They are currently falling short of that mark with 404.6.

Granted, those numbers were posted with McKenzie Milton and Dillon Gabriel under center. Milton left for Florida State after suffering a gruesome leg injury, and Gabriel has been sidelined with an injury since Sept. 17.

Mikey Keene took over for Gabriel and has posted underwhelming numbers: 104-for-160 with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

In the absence of a prolific passer, the UCF run game is stepping up. Isaiah Bowser and Johnny Richardson lead the Knights with nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns between them.

In total, scoring is down at 32.4 points per game. From 2017-2020, the Knights averaged more than 42 points each weekend every season.

UCF is averaging 187.4 yards per game on the ground, far closer to the numbers posted in the Frost and Heupel days than the current passing numbers.

Malzahn’s defense is much improved from last season, allowing over 100 yards fewer through the air and nearly 10 points fewer than last year’s team that went 6-4. At 24.7 points per game, UCF’s defense is currently holding opponents to fewer points than the 2017 13-0 team.

UCF should be favored in their final two games against Connecticut and USF, and they could finish Malzahn’s first season with a 9-3 record.