IN THE CROSSHAIRS

UCF Defeats FAU behind Milton’s 6 total TDs

Ken Cross

September 22, 2018 at 8:13 pm.

Sep 21, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton (10) runs the ball as wide receiver Dredrick Snelson (5) blocks Florida Atlantic Owls safety Zyon Gilbert (24) during the first quarter at Spectrum Stadium. Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 21, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton (10) runs the ball as wide receiver Dredrick Snelson (5) blocks Florida Atlantic Owls safety Zyon Gilbert (24) during the first quarter at Spectrum Stadium. Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO – Yes, McKenzie Milton is solidly in the middle of the Heisman Race and none of the archaic minds who still deem the American Athletic Conference as a Group of 5 Conference need apply by lamenting that he does this against inferior competition.

In you know the game, watch him and you see the talent and excellent playmaking rather than someone who puts up numbers at the expense of an inferior defense.

Milton threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three as the UCF Golden Knights ran past the Owls, 56-36, before a sellout crowd at Spectrum Stadium on Friday night.

Milton’s leadership skills and his rhythm inside of Josh Heupel’s offense were on display as he threw for 306 yards, while completing 21 of 32 passes and rushing 13 times for 81 yards. The deft touch and quick release have NFL coaches and GMs looking hard at what the Kapolei, Hawaii, native can bring to their squads.

“He’s a great leader with great energy, very calm; I was really proud of the way he played,” said UCF coach Josh Heupel, who saw Milton operate with extreme poise after the Owls had briefly gained the upper hand in the second quarter.

Milton’s third rushing touchdown of the evening allowed him to show his shifty feet as he sidestepped FAU linebacker Rashad Smith an then cut to the outside where he caused cornerback James Pierre to turn all the way around as Pierre tried to gather his balance tome play.

Milton opened scoring in the second half with a 9-yard run to cap a 10-play drive and give UCF a 28-17 lead and they were never again threatened.  It was Milton’s first multi-rushing touchdown game of his career, as he noted that this was part of the game plan going into the game.

Rapid Response

The Owls trailed UCF, 14-0, right off the bat, but reeled off 17 points in a row before Milton drove the Golden Knights 78 yards in 1:03 when he hit sophomore receiver Marlon Williams with a 21-yard scoring pass as the Knights took a 21-17 lead at halftime.

“We talked to our team about being mature competitors, understanding adversity, and staying the course,” said Heupel.

Milton liked the way his coaches called a really aggressive passing game with 1:34 left before halftime.  That quick scoring drive plus the 10-play drive that Milton capped with his second rushing touchdown of the night gave UCF the upper hand as it destroyed the momentum FAU had found in the second quarter.

“The coaches did a good job getting us in play calls there,” said Milton, “We expected them to play two long in that situation inside of two minutes and we did a good job of making plays over the middle.”

It was still the second quickest scoring drive of the season for UCF as the Golden Knights had a 53 second scoring drive in their opening 56-17 win over UConn.

Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic immediately responded after two quick Knights TDs when running back Devin Singletary capped a pair of scoring drives with touchdown runs of 11 and 9 yards and Vladimir Rivas hit a 32-yard field goal to give the Owls a 17-14 lead with 1:34 left in the half.

Single-handedly

Florida Atlantic running back Devin Singletary was up to the task on Friday night as he rushed for 131 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns.  It was his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and the 17th of his career.

Singletary is off to less of a start than most thought as he had only 210 yards on 53 carries in the Owls’ first three games.  However, he had seven touchdowns with five against Bethune-Cookman in last week’s 49-28 win.

“That’s a good back,” said safety Richie Grant, “When you miss him, he’s going to make you pay.  You just have to wrap him up and bring him down.”

Singletary is coming off a 2017 season where he rushed for 1,920 yards on 321 carries with 32 touchdowns.

 

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