Milton leads UCF to 16th straight win
ORLANDO, Fla. — With McKenzie Milton on top of his game, No. 16 UCF keeps rolling along.
The junior from Kapolei, Oahu, ran for a career-best three touchdowns while throwing for three more, helping the Knights rally from a second-quarter deficit to remain unbeaten and extend the nation’s longest winning streak with a 56-36 rout of Florida Atlantic on Friday.
“When things got a little shaky,” Milton said, “we didn’t flinch.”
The 2017 American Athletic Conference player of the year completed 21 of 32 passes for 306 yards without an interception. And the Knights (3-0), who trailed 1714 late in the second quarter, won for the 16th straight time to set a record for consecutive victories by an AAC team.
“They’re a good football team,” Milton said. “You’re not always going to be able to break (the game) open right away.”
Milton scored on runs of 12, 9 and 13 yards, using a nifty jump cut to avoid a defender and get into the end zone on the last one.
Touchdown passes of 12 yards to Dredrick Snelson, 21 yards to Marlon Williams and 19 yards to Gabriel Davis hiked Milton’s career total to 56 — tied with Blake Bortles for fourth-most in school history.
“Playing good teams, you’re going to have to use the QB run as well,” said Milton. The Mililani High School graduate finished with a team-high 81 yards rushing on 13 attempts.
FAU (2-2) stayed close for a half, but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with the prolific UCF offense. Devin Singletary rushed for 131 yards and three TDs for the Owls, who finished with 320 yards on the ground.
UCF led 21-17 at the half, letting a two-touchdown lead slip away and falling behind on a second-quarter field goal.
That’s when Milton took over, moving the Knights 78 yards in just over a minute and connecting with Williams to put UCF ahead for good.