The Temple Owls and UCF Knights combined for exactly 1,300 yards of offense in what turned out to be a very exciting game to watch. Knight fans knew they were in for a tough one as this game determined who took sole possession of first place in the AAC East. Despite defensive struggles, UCF came away with a 52-40 victory as they improved to 8-0 on the season.

KZ’s Back, Tell a Friend

McKenzie Milton was back behind center for the Knights, going 17/33 for 312 yards, three touchdowns and a interception. If you look at the stat sheet, you’ll definitely notice a decrease in KZ’s completion percentage from last year but that’s because he’s taking deep shots left and right in Heupel’s new offense. In the second drive of the game, it took Milton just 32 seconds to go 3/3 for 82 yards and a touchdown. That’s downright scary.

Rising Star

Can you believe Greg McCrae was a walk-on when he got to UCF? Now, he may be UCF’s best overall running back. He exploded for 188 yards on 16 carries including a 32 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. He’s averaging 13.7 yards per carry over his last two games. Adding Otis, Taj and AK into the mix make this backfield almost unstoppable.

Credit Where Credit is Due

When you look at this game, there’s not too much positive you can say about UCF’s defensive performance besides a few interceptions. With that being said, Randy Shannon and his defense did a great job adjusting in the second half to only allow six points. Sure, giving up 670 yards and 40 points is rough but they made enough stops to give KZ and the offense the ability to take this one home.

In Conclusion

Despite coming away with a win, critics are using UCF’s defensive performance in this game as an example of why they aren’t legit playoff contenders. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong. The only thing that can’t be disputed is UCF extending the nation’s longest win streak to 21 games. All they can do is keep winning.

Next Up: Navy