Milton, UCF finish 13-0
After McKenzie Milton and Central Florida capped a perfect season, he suggested it was time to respect the Knights, even if they weren’t invited to the College Football Playoff.
Milton threw two touchdown passes and ran for 116 yards with another touchdown, leading No. 10 UCF to a 34-27 Peach Bowl win over No. 7 Auburn on Monday.
“I said on the podium you can go ahead and cancel the playoffs,” Milton said. “I’m not changing my mind.”
UCF (13-0) led 34-20 before having to stop a late Auburn comeback. Antwan Collier’s interception in the end zone with 24 seconds remaining clinched the win.
The UCF players launched a joyous postgame celebration, rolling around in confetti on the field while wearing T-shirts that read “Champions.”
The Knights won in their final game with coach Scott Frost, who stayed with the team through the bowl game after accepting an offer to become the new coach at Nebraska, his alma mater.
Frost said after the game that he believes the CFP committee made “a conscious effort” to rank UCF low enough on a weekly basis that it would keep them out of the Playoff, regardless of what happened to the teams ranked higher than the Knights.
The Knights thought they deserved a higher ranking after winning the American Athletic Conference and leading the nation in scoring. They made a strong statement by beating Auburn (10-4).
“It wasn’t right,” said Frost. “But we just beat a team that beat two Playoff teams and lost to another one by six points and we beat them by seven.”
Auburn was held to 90 yards rushing on 44 carries. OUTBACK BOWL >> Jake Bentley threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns to help South Carolina overcome a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Michigan 2619 in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
“We don’t have all the trophies and the tradition and history but we have some grit,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said.
The Gamecocks finished 9-4.
Michigan (8-5) finished with its first three-game losing streak under coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines turned the ball over five times after halftime, including an end zone interception that denied them an opportunity to regain the lead with just under eight minutes to go.
The loss also cost the Big Ten a clean sweep of bowl games involving conference members. The league entered 7-0, looking to go unbeaten in postseason play for the first time since 1998 when it went 5-0.
CITRUS BOWL >> Myles Boykin scored on a 55-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 remaining and No. 14 Notre Dame (10-3) got its first win in a New Year’s Day bowl since 1994 with a 21-17 win over No. 16 LSU in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Three plays after Jack Gonsoulin’s 17-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 17-14 lead with 2:03 remaining, Boykin caught a pass from Ian Book with his right hand at the LSU 33, managed to elude corner Donte Jackson and then broke a tackle attempt by John Battle up the right sideline for the game-winning score.
The junior, who saw increased playing time because of suspensions to two Notre Dame receivers, had three receptions for 102 yards and was named the game’s MVP. Book, who entered the game in the second quarter, was 14 of 19 for 164 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.