Opinion: Malzahn Giving Hinshaw Play Calling Duties Helps UCF
With the UCF Knights having hired Darin Hinshaw as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, as well as head coach Gus Malzahn awarding play calling to Hinshaw, there are going to be changes.
Overall, these will be good changes for all parties involved because it increases the abilities of an already good offense. Let’s take a look back first, then move into what I believe will be a more diverse attack.
The UCF offense sits at No. 17 in the nation with 469.6 yards per game this season. That is an impressive total. It’s still about to improve, and it’s not really about the yards.
Efficiency. That’s a major aspect of any college offense. UCF struggled with that during the 2022 season, as the Knights were only No. 104 in the FBS with red zone scoring, putting points on the board at a 78.8% clip.
Turnover issues are present as well. That is surprising considering the overall experience of the offensive unit, but they turned it over 21 times, which led to being 95th in the nation.
Even with all the offensive talent, the issues often overwhelmed UCF’s chances to win games. That was the bottom line. So, why do I believe UCF improves with Hinshaw?
It begins with the combination of minds coming together. Malzahn understands offensive football and adjustments during a game well. Take the following into account.
He’s the only coach in modern history to have knocked off Nick Saban three times, and the Alabama head coach is famous for fooling the opposition. Malzahn matched Saban and came up with creative ways to knock off a team with more overall talent. That spoke volumes while Malzahn was at Auburn, and it’s still true today for him at UCF.
Hinshaw already knows the battles in the SEC himself, having coached at Kentucky and Tennessee. His style of offense has been shown a variety of schemes that highlight the players, and he's happy to toss the pigskin around through the air and do so quickly.
The next point could be the one UCF fans like the most. Hinshaw mentioned the following at the press conference on Wednesday:
“You’re going to see an offense, that’s going to be fast. We’re going to be multiple tempo.”
Before going on to the rest of the quote, let’s analyze the first section. UCF’s 2017 undefeated season was an offense that operated at different tempos to score points. When McKenzie Milton wanted to hit the gas, the quarterback and the offense took off.
To be honest, many of UCF’s best offenses, hystorically, used a similar approach. I believe that the future UCF offenses will be better off going in that direction once again, and Hinshaw can deliver that process taking place. He’s not just about passing the ball either.
Hinshaw’s coaching career showed adaptation with running and passing. That’s needed at UCF. The passing game for the Knights needs more creativity and Hinshaw will bring that to the table. There will also be certain games where it’s best to pound the football against a team that’s displayed a lack of ability to stop the run.
“We are going to have a hard nosed physical run game, and we are going to throw the football down the field.”
That quote led into an old staple of the game of college football. Draw a defense up, and then throw the football over its head. What’s great for UCF would be the fact that Hinshaw has come to UCF with an offense already possessing the personnel to make this happen. Then, the opportunities off those deep shots happen as well.
After a deep ball, that’s when a basic screen to Richardson or Townsend more easily becomes a 20-yard gain.
Keep the defense guessing, hit them with a variety of skill players and offensive looks. With that in mind, I’m looking forward to the following formation, and others similar to it, taking place.
Johnny Richardson and/or Xavier Townsend in the slot, Kobe Hudson and Javon Baker at wide receiver, and at least one more of several skill player options joining a mobile quarterback like John Rhys Plumlee, Thomas Castellanos or Timmy McClain in the lineup.
Other examples: There will be an opportunities for a quarterback to take off on a quarterback draw after a couple of passes of 15 or more yards. It could also be a chance for a run-pass option that gets Richardson one-on-one with a middle linebacker in the flat.
Regardless of the play call, defenses will need to pick their poison and UCF will hold advantages with its diverse set of offensive weapons.
Hinshaw will do a good job of calling plays that throws the football down the field with that lineup, as well as using his own versions of running the football, mixed in with Malzahn's wrinkles in the run game, that's a difficult offense to stop.
Do not forget, Malzahn's offenses have seen a lot of big passing plays during his career. There will be some moments when his passing game experience comes into play, too.
I like this combination of Hinshaw and Malzahn. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch the offense for the Knights. Spring practice is right around the corner and we can all watch some of what’s in store for the 2023 seaason as UCF transitions to joining the Big 12 Conference.
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