Carter Miller fondly remembers stepping into the offensive line meetings, where the unmistakable sounds of “Zombie” by the Irish rock band The Cranberries would fill the room.
The song had become the unofficial anthem of the unit, a spirited tune that offensive line coach Shawn Clark would intentionally play to energize his players and prepare them for the day ahead.
After Clark’s unexpected and heartbreaking death on Sept. 14, a few days after a medical emergency, the group found itself searching for ways to pay tribute to the man who had shaped them.
“Every day we’ll play a song that he used to play for meetings and we think about him,” Miller said. “We remember when things get hard, we all look at each other, lean on each other and we say we’ve got to remember we’re doing this for Coach Clark. It’s bigger than us right now.”
Clark’s passing deeply affected the Knights, particularly the offensive line, which had formed a strong bond with their first-year coach. Among them is Miller, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman who Clark had brought in as a transfer from James Madison.
“I respect him a lot,” Miller said. “I was in the Sun Belt for three years, so I knew of him being the head coach at Appalachian State. I played against him and he did a phenomenal job there, so I really respected him as an O-line coach.”
As he geared up for last Saturday’s game against Kansas State, his mind drifted back to his late coach.
“I was thinking about things he would have told me pregame, what he would have told me to focus on and go out there with a cool, calm head, and just play the best I can,” Miller said.
UCF Q&A: What’s the status of Knights QBs vs. Kansas? Did anyone opt out?
In Clark’s absence, UCF has turned to his former protege and former boss to help guide the offensive line group.
Alex Farah — or Coach Bear, as players and coaches fondly refer to him — worked closely with Clark as an offensive quality control coach for the Knights and stepped up in his absence. He has been joined by Danny Hope, who spent a decade mentoring Clark while at Eastern Kentucky and Purdue.
Hope, 66, came out of retirement to step in for his friend.
“Coach Hope and Coach Clark were really close and I know it affected him too,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said. “Part of the reason he wants to be here is to honor the work that Shawn was doing. It takes you a while to get up to speed on the scheme and vocabulary and terminology. As the year goes on, he’ll be able to help us more and more.”
Miller praised the job Farah and Hope have done in their short time in charge of the offensive line.
“Bear has stepped in and done an amazing job with the role. He’s really broken everything down,” Miller said. “We’re fixing some techniques and getting on the same page.
“Coach Hope is a lot like Coach Clark. Coach Clark learned from him, so it’s all the same terminology. He’s got the same fire, the same little phrases that Clark used to say. It’s good to have him around.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
