Heading into Saturday's game at Sun Devil Stadium, Central Florida is not necessarily worried about establishing a balanced rushing attack or finding ways to give junior quarterback Ryan Schneider more time in the pocket.
Instead, head coach Mike Kruczek is more concerned with Mother Nature.
The Golden Knights have taken extreme precautions to ensure they are fully prepared to play in Tempe, where temperatures are expected to be around 100 degrees at kickoff. Even with the humidity, temperatures barely crept higher than 90 degrees this week in Orlando, which made Kruczek uneasy about his team's second of three road games to start the season.
"One of the most critical factors in success of this game is that these kids understand the hydration process," he said. "You don't just do it two days before, you have to do it a week before and your body needs to be filled with fluids on a constant basis. Hopefully they have heeded the words. If not, they stand to cramp and cramp early, simply because of the intensity of the heat."
After returning from last week's game at Penn State, UCF coaches ordered their players to drink plenty of fluids. Players carried water bottles to classes and team meetings, were given pills to keep their electrolyte levels at an optimal level and were required to consume 64 ounces of POWERade after each practice this week.
"The thing I'm most worried about is the heat and dry weather," said UCF junior left guard David Ashkinaz, a former walk-on at ASU. "I know Florida is hot because I've been here during fall camp, but it's hotter over there (in Tempe). It's not as humid, but temperature-wise, it's hot and dry. It will take at least a quarter to get used to."
Temperatures hovered in the mid-70s last week in Happy Valley when UCF suffered a 27-24 loss at then-No. 24 Penn State. UCF head athletics trainer Darryl Conway realizes the magnitude of the change in climate.
"We want to make sure we have POWERade on hand at all times so the players always have access to it," he said. "We will take some on the plane with us. We will take extra coolers and have them positioned in the hallway at the hotel, so the players can walk out of their rooms at any time of the night and get something to drink."
Kruczek is leery about his team playing on the West Coast, where it has not won a game in his five years at the helm. UCF traveled to Logan last October and sustained a 30-27 setback against Utah State.
"We have never traveled well," Kruczek said. "I'm real concerned about it."
Although the Golden Knights don't have the wins to show for it, they have played well away from home. Last season, UCF narrowly lost to highly ranked Clemson, before testing both Syracuse and Arkansas.
"If it was a day game, it would affect us, but it's a night game and it should allow us to adjust," Ashkinaz said. "If we got off the plane and played, it would hurt us. We are going to get three or four meals in us and we're going to get some rest, so even though it's going to be 10 o'clock Eastern time, we'll be all right."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
