UCF Head Coach Scott Frost
Opening Statement:
"It was a good start. I've seen our team improve in camp and in the offseason. It carried over to the field, which is great to see, you never know exactly what you are going to get in the first game. I think our guys were ready to play. We made some mistakes and obviously some first game things that we have to clean up. But, I saw a lot of good performances from a lot of people, so it is a good start. I told the team that is all it is; it's a start. Our next game is going to be a big challenge with one of the best teams in the league coming in here. So the next week of practice has to be one of our best."
On sophomore QB McKenzie Milton:
"Mckenzie had a really good day, but a lot of guys on the team had a good day. I give a lot of credit to the O-line for protecting for him. He wasn't under much duress back there and when he was he had easy lanes to escape. But really from Mckenzie, there is a lot of people questioning things with him and people are always critical of coaches and quarterbacks. I admire the kid for getting through what he got through last year. What you saw on the field today is what we have been seeing at practice for almost two years, and it carried over on to the field tonight."
On the defense:
"I thought the defense played well. Really, if we hadn't turned it over in the first half, then I think we would have gone into halftime sitting in a really good place defensively. We gave up one long play in the first half. We have to fix those things, but I think we played really hard on defense, stopped the majority of what they presented to us. Coach Chins [Chinander] and his staff do a great job and when you get guys playing as hard as they have gotten those guys to play, good things are going to happen."
On the students:
"I thought the students showed up in force. I was glad to see it. I could hear them. You know we went out and tried to encourage people to come this week and I love having the students show up. It's great to have every fan and we want alumni and boosters and students alike, but getting the students in the stands means a lot, because those are the player's peers and to see them cheering our guys on is special to me."
UCF senior DL Jamiyus Pittman
On the "Tank" formation and how it was named:
"At the media days in Rhode Island last year, he [Coach Frost] talked about it a little. He was just drawing plays and I was like 'hey put me in one of those offensive plays and he said all right.' I went to [Coach] Held and Held was really all about it, so that's how that's how it happened. Tank. When you go to war, you have got to have a tank."
UCF redshirt junior WR Tre'Quan Smith
On how the important he is to the offense:
"Yes. Nothing less, and my coaches told me, basically, the offense runs off me. They [my teammates] feed off me. They are looking for me to make plays, so I am just doing it to the best of my ability to make plays."
UCF sophomore QB McKenzie Milton
On the offensive line:
"I did have a lot of time. Our O-line did awesome job today and they have been doing a great job since spring ball. The strides they have made from last year to this year is day and night and I can't appreciate them enough. I love those guys death."
FIU Head Coach Butch Davis
Opening Statement:
"Obviously, the outcome clearly is not what we would've liked to have had. A lot of things we've talked about over the last six or seven months is how do you build a football team. One of the things we've talked about, and we did not get it accomplished tonight, and it starts with me, is the fact that you can't beat yourself. You just can't go out there and-- we talked about how we want to be the least penalized team every single game, we wanted to win the turnover battle every game because turnovers are about 78 percent. You win the turnover battle, you've got a great chance of winning games. In the first quarter, we were creating some good turnovers and two interceptions but after that, we didn't continue to do that. We have to do a better job on offense, of being able to keep the defense off the field. The defense got taxed. They were out there a lot because of the three and out positions and some of the turnovers that we had. I still think that these kids can have an excellent football season and I think that we can win games. I think they're hurt and are disappointed. Disappointed in themselves and disappointed in the outcome of the game. And sometimes really bad, tough things need to happen to you for a great learning experience."
On the game:
"You're never as bad as you think you are and you're clearly never as good as you think."
On coaching his team:
"Yeah. You know, I enjoyed it. I mean, I hate losing I can't tell you how much I hate losing. But I really do love these kids. I mean I watch these kids spill their guts to try to become better players than they were a year ago, better players than they were last spring. If they'll do that as a coach, that's all you can ask them to do. You can't ask them to go out there be something that they're not, but be the best that they can be. And they were apologizing on the sidelines saying that they were making mistakes and stuff and I don't think the stage was too big for them, I don't think it was a, 'Oh my gosh, we're under the lights.' I just think so many of them have not played."
