20-game win streak at risk
For nearly two weeks now, UCF fans have been left wondering whether quarterback McKenzie Milton is healthy enough to lead the Knights’ offense.
The Heisman hopeful didn’t start during UCF’s most recent game against East Carolina on Oct. 20 due to what the coaching staff has called “health reasons,” offering little insight into what’s wrong with Milton and how long it might sideline him.
Backup Darriel Mack Jr. led the Knights to a 37-10 win over the Pirates, extending the nation’s longest win streak to 20 games.
Milton’s status for No. 12 UCF’s (7-0, 4-0 AAC) contest against Temple (5-3, 4-0 AAC) Thursday has been described as a “gametime decision” by coach Josh Heupel, leaving an air of uncertainty going into the key American Athletic Conference showdown.
What little we know about Milton’s status has been revealed slowly by Heupel: the junior didn’t take any snaps with the first-team offense during either of the team’s two practices during the bye week after the East Carolina win and he was considered “day-to-day” throughout this week.
It puts Temple coach Geoff Collins in an unusual predicament, preparing for the possibility of his Owls facing Milton, Mack or a combination of both Thursday night. Collins knows what he’s getting from both.
“You can tell he’s a tough guy and that he’s a competitor,” Collins said of Milton. “We got to see the other young man [Mack] play against ECU. I mean, he’s played at other times during other games, so obviously we’ve studied him as well. But you’ve got to be prepared for both avenues with the direction with how the offense goes.”
The Knights have been a high-flying bunch on offense, averaging nearly 45 points and 537 yards per game this season. That’s about on par with what the team accomplished last season under Scott Frost.
“It’s a similar scheme. Both Coach Frost and Coach Heupel run a highpowered, tempo attack,” Collins said while describing UCF’s offense. “They spread the field horizontally. A very sound running game with exciting athletes and the quarterback makes a lot of plays with his and obviously with arm.”
“They’re a football team.”
Temple has seen vast improvement on the defensive side of the football, going from allowing 26 points per game in the first five games to allowing just 13 points per game in the three games this month, including a win over previously undefeated Cincinnati on Oct. 20.
“They haven’t given up a pass play of over 15 yards in the last four or five weeks,” Heupel said of the Owls’ stingy pass defense. “They contest everything on the outside. They obviously feel really strong about their corners and for good reason. They go a great job in press coverage.”
Temple presents a challenge, especially for a UCF offense that ranks second in the AAC in passing plays of at least 20 yards this season with 33. In fact, the Owls haven’t allowed a play from scrimmage of more than 50 yards this season. The Knights, meanwhile, have six plays of at least 50 yards from the line of scrimmage, including a 74-yard touchdown run by Greg McRae during the win over East Carolina. very feet his
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