When Carter Miller jogging on the field last week at Kansas stateOf course, he thought of Shawn Clark.
“I was just thinking of the things he would have told me before Pame, which he would have told me to concentrate,” said the Junior Redsirt of the UCF center.
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THE The loss of knights against the Wildcats September 27 was their first competition since Clark’s death September 21 after complications of medical emergency earlier in the month.
Miller and his offensive line comrades hear their former head coach. They also maintain one of its traditions by screaming “zombie” by cranberries before each meeting.
Miller smiles by talking about that.
But these are not only the memories of offensive line players – and the speakers – where Clark continues. He goes into the presence of Alex Farah And Danny HopeThe two men responsible for filling the void as co-offensive line trainers.
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Farah was already on the staff as a quality control coach when Clark entered the hospital. He intervened as an interim line coach before the rout of the North Carolina of the UCF.
Head coach Scott Frost called Farah as “assistant by hand” from Clark. The two worked together in the condition of the Appalachians.
After Clark’s death, Frost hoped to help Farah. The 66 -year -old man had not lived in the touchline since he left Kentucky in 2019, but he and Clark had a lot of history together.
Hope hired Clark as her offensive leader during her two stays as a chief coach – in eastern Kentucky from 2003 to 2007 and Purdue from 2009 to 2012. They trained together for a decade.
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Frost compared Hope, Clark and Farah to a grandfather, father and son.
Purdue Boilermakers Danny Hope’s head coach (right) and coach of the offensive line Shawn Clark (left) at the first quarter against the Northwest Wildcats on October 9, 2010, at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois.
“Alex has been around Shawn for quite a long time when they speak exactly the same language and would lead to exactly the same way,” said Frost last week. “… and (hope) was a good adjustment because they were friends so close and approached things in a very similar way.”
Miller sees him.
“They did a phenomenal job,” he said. “Farah intervened and did an incredible job with the role. He really decomposed everything. We rely technical things, all on the same wavelength. But he and coach Hope did an excellent job.
“Coach Hope, he looks a lot like the Clark coach. Coach Clark learned from him, so it’s the same terminology. He has the same fire, the same little sentences. So it’s good to have it.”
One of their first projects? Correct errors in the defeat of the state of K.
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THE Knights Returned three bags and eight plated for the loss, the two summits of the season. Frost mentioned that the unit had trouble collecting twists and turns. Yes, the Wildcats were the best team that the UCF has seen this season, but now in the Big 12 calendar, the opponents will not be much easier.
Kansas (3-2) Visit Acrisure Bounce House on Saturday for a kick -off at 7:30 p.m.
UCF will continue to have a little additional motivation.
“We think of him,” said Miller. “When things become difficult, we all look at each other and we rely on others and we say:” We must remember that we did this for coach Clark. “It’s bigger than us right now.
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This article originally appeared in Daytona Beach’s Journal: How UCF Knights Football O-Line adapts after Shawn Clark Death
