For those really dialed in with the program, it was somewhat known that McKenzie Milton was going to sit this game out. He’s been pretty banged up as of late, reportedly missing the entire week of practice leading up to the Memphis game. Facing a 2-4 ECU team with a bye week next on the schedule will give KZ two weeks to get healthy for the final stretch of the season. Luckily, the Knights were able to take care of business while giving him the day off.

Cue Darriel Mack

The redshirt freshman was called on to start his first college game. Only throwing 9 passes before tonight, there definitely were some rookie mistakes. Going 12 of 20 for 69 yards won’t look good on the stat sheet but he really dominated the game on the ground with 22 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown. Quadry Jones, the Orlando local and third-string walk-on quarterback, also saw action when he completed a 42 yard touchdown pass to Adrian Killins.

Turnovers Galore

UCF forced 5 (not a typo) turnovers tonight against the Pirates. They improve their turnover margin to +13 on the season which is among the nation’s best. 4 fumbles and an interception by Nevelle Clarke played a huge part in keeping ECU off the board despite their 496 yards of total offense.

Victory in the Trenches

Yes, East Carolina had nearly 500 yards of offense but the UCF defensive front did a great job shutting down the run game. The Pirates averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on 38 attempts. A big issue for this defense all season has been stopping mobile quarterbacks. Despite 27 carries, UCF was able to shut down ECU’s Holton Ahlers on the ground which is a huge sign of improvement for Randy Shannon and the Knights.

This Backfield is Dangerous

Every week, it seems like there’s a different running back breaking out with a huge game. Tonight, it was Greg McCrae who had a 74 yard touchdown run a week after Taj McGowan’s 71 yard touchdown run against Memphis. Taj, Otis, AK and Greg all saw a share of the action tonight combining for 249 yards of total offense.

Next Up: Temple