Family: Milton’s surgery a success
UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton injured his right leg vs. USF.
UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton’s family announced he is recovering after successful surgery on his right leg after suffering a devastating injury in the first half of the Knights’ win over USF Friday.
The statement from Milton’s family read:
“The Milton family would like to express gratitude for all of your thoughts, prayers, and concerns. McKenzie’s surgery was successful and he is recovering well. We would like to thank the medical staffs at Tampa General Hospital, University of South Florida, and the sports medicine staff at UCF for their superb care.
“McKenzie looks forward to rejoining his teammates in Orlando and supporting them in their quest to bring another conference championship to our program.
“Remember what Ohana means. No one gets left behind. #UCFamily.”
Milton, a Hawaii native, went down around the 12-minute mark in the second quarter after scrambling for a first down, crumpling to the ground after being tackled by several USF defenders. The junior remained down for nearly 10 minutes as the UCF athletic training staff treated him.
He left the field on a cart and was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he went through emergency medical surgery.
After the game, UCF coach Josh Heupel declined to speculate on the severity of the injury, calling it “traumatic” before adding, “All our thoughts and prayers are with him right now.”
The Knights will host Memphis this week for the American Athletic Conference Championship
Game. Backup Darriel Mack Jr., who stepped in when Milton went down, will lead the offense. Mack accounted for 132 yards during the win over USF, helping UCF post back-to-back undefeated seasons and extend the nation's longest win streak to 24 games..
Milton has been one of the more durable players during his time at UCF, starting 31 out of the 32 games during the past three seasons. He missed his first career start against East Carolina back on Oct. 20, snapping a 27-game streak of consecutive starts.
Tributes have poured in for Milton, with college football analysts, opposing players, his UCF teammates, Orlando community leaders and fans all rallying around the quarterback who was touted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate this season.
Some UCF fans are encouraging others to wear leis to the Knights' conference championship game Saturday against Memphis at Spectrum Stadium, a salute to Milton's Hawaiian roots.
Milton's teammates are pushing to honor him on the field.
“I'm just praying for him,” Mack said of Milton after the win over USF. “It's really difficult, just seeing him go down.”
UCF running back Greg McCrae said every game is now dedicated to Milton, with Mack holding up Milton's No. 10 jersey during War on I-4 postgame celebration the veteran quarterback missed because he was getting treatment at a nearby hospital.
“It is heartbreaking because McKenzie Milton is a great person,” McCrae said. “It isn't about McKenzie Milton the football player that you guys see all the time, it's about him as a person. Seeing that happen to him is devastating to the whole team. We rallied around that and used that as motivation and energy to play for him. We played for 10.”