Everything UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn Said About West Virginia

See what the Knights' head coach had to say about this weekend's matchup.

Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Although it may not hold much weight in the Big 12 Conference title race, this weekend's matchup between the West Virginia Mountaineers (5-5, 4-3) and the UCF Knights (4-6, 2-5) meansa great deal to both programs.

With the season winding down to the final two weeks, both teams are still searching for that elusive sixth win to reach bowl eligibility. UCF has to win each of its remaining two games against West Virginia and Utah to play in the postseason, while the Mountaineers just have to find a way to win one of its last two.

Last year's matchup between these two was a pretty competitive game for the first three quarters. The Mountaineers' offense hit some big plays late to generate a 17-point fourth quarter, creating a comfortable lead. West Virginia went on to win 41-28 in Orlando to keep the Knights winless in league play at the time.

UCF head coach Gus Malzahn understands that he has a tough challenge ahead against this hungry Mountaineer team and answered a handful of questions about them and the matchup earlier in the week.

Initial thoughts on West Virginia

“They got a lot of guys back that we played last year. It all starts with their quarterback. He is really a good runner, he can create things when things break down. Their defense is an odd front for the most part that does a lot of blitzing and a lot of different things in the back end.”

How to get his team prepared for the projected cold weather for Saturday

“You can’t (practice it). We’ve got to be able to adjust. I think from my standpoint is probably just the ball not carrying as far and all that and just making sure that we protect the football. Our guys will be ready, but it’s not like we can turn on the air conditioner or anything to simulate 30-degree temperature.”

What to expect from the West Virginia defense

“They are primarily odd front with some different kind of pressures. They’ll mix in some even front. They’ve got us a couple times on some even front pressures that I’m sure we’ll see again. Back end, they try to keep a lot of things in front of them to try to eliminate the big play. I think for us, we got to do what we got to do to be able to execute no matter what they do.”

The explosiveness of West Virginia's rushing attack

“They’ve got a lot of the same guys back whether it’s the offensive line, both the running backs are really good, and of course, their quarterback is a definite run threat. I’m sure they’ll try to do some similar things running the football. We’ve got to stop the run against these guys. That’s what they do and they’re pretty good at it."

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