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Timmy McClain’s debut at UCF went off without much of a hitch, with the redshirt sophomore quarterback leading the Knights to a 48-14 romp over visiting Villanova last Saturday.
McClain, who stepped into the starting job after John Rhys Plumlee suffered a leg injury at Boise State on Sept. 9, went 20 of 28 (71%) for 321 passing yards with two touchdowns, adding 44 rushing yards.
“We’ve been grinding on this since January, preparing him to play,” said offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw. “It’s been a process of investing in himself to get ready to go perform. He’s been very focused throughout that process, waiting for his moment and then it happened.”
Hinshaw believes there is potential for McClain to do even better things.
“He finished the game 20 of 28 but could have been 25 of 28 very easily,” Hinshaw said. “I got on him about fine-tuning his game. We’ve got to make those easy ones and go make the hard ones.”
McClain’s next start comes this Saturday when UCF (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) travels to Kansas State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) for its Big 12 opener. The Knights expect a raucous atmosphere from the sell-out crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“I believe each time out there, he’s going to get more comfortable,” said coach Gus Malzahn. “But this is one of the better defenses we’ll face all season, so we’ll have to be good around him, too.
McClain understands the importance of not just this weekend’s game.
“Every game is important, not just Kansas State,” said McClain. “We can’t lose those games if we want to reach the College Football Playoff and make it to the Big 12 Championship. We can’t let that happen.”
How has receiver Kobe Hudson turned it on lately?
Hudson is second in the Big 12 Conference in receiving yards (325) and sixth in receptions (15) through three games. His…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/matt-murschel-ucf-expects-growth-230500762.html?src=rss
Author : Orlando Sentinel
Publish date : 2023-09-19 23:05:00
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