ORLANDO, Fla. _ The crowd roared its approval as McKenzie Milton raced out onto the Spectrum Stadium field to start the game for UCF Thursday night against Temple.
For nearly two weeks, Milton's status remained a mystery, with the school staying tight-lipped about the injury that prevented the Heisman hopeful from playing in the Knights' 37-10 win over East Carolina on Oct. 20. UCF coach Josh Heupel said Milton would be a "game-time decision" against the Owls.
There was no sign of lingering injury during the second possession of the game as Milton directed a four-play, 86-yard drive. He went 3-for-3 passing for 82 yards, capping the drive with a pretty 19-yard pass over the shoulder of Dredrick Snelson for a score.
No. 12 UCF (8-0, 5-0 AAC) went on to win a wild one, knocking off a pesky Temple team 52-40 to extend the nation's longest win streak to 21 games.
"We're a battle-tested team from this year to last year," Milton told ESPN after the win. " ... Whenever we face adversity, we respond. And that's the sign of a great team."
Turns out, it wasn't Milton everyone should have been concerned about, but rather the UCF defense.
Temple (5-4, 4-1 AAC) gashed the Knights for 34 points and 445 yards _ in the first half alone _ as quarterback Anthony Russo tossed three touchdown passes and rushed for another to power the Owls to a 34-28 halftime lead.
But UCF came out of the intermission and drove 34 yards before Greg McRae would broke off a 32-yard touchdown run _ his third touchdown scamper of the season _ to give the Knights a 35-34 lead with a little more than 13 minutes left in the quarter.
After the defense forced a punt, the Knights drove 68 yards before Milton found tight end Michael Colubiale for a 19-yard touchdown pass that pushed the lead to 42-34. UCF didn't allow any points in the third quarter for the fifth time this season.
Temple didn't go away, however, as Russo connected with Ventell Bryant on an eight-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 42-40 with 9:44 left in the game. The Owls' two-point conversion attempt was stuffed one yard short.
UCF worked quickly during its next possession, driving 88 yards. Taj McGowan found the end zone for the second time in the game, pushing the lead to 49-40 with a little more than eight minutes left in the game.
The Knights needed a huge defensive stop late in the fourth quarter and the unit found its footing just in time, forcing Temple to turn the ball over on downs.
The teams combined for more than 1,300 yards of total offense as UCF gave up a season high 670 yards, shattering the previous high of 496 yards the team surrendered against East Carolina on Oct. 20.
Milton wrapped up the evening with 312 yards passing and three touchdowns. He added another rushing touchdown.
Russo finished with a career best night, combining for more than 450 yards and five touchdowns in the losing effort.
UCF entered the first College Football Playoff rankings this week at No. 12, the highest initial ranking for a Group of 5 team in the five-year history of the playoff model. Selection committee chairman Rob Mullens said the Knights landed behind seven one-loss teams because of a weak schedule, pointing out the fact that none of UCF's seven wins were against teams with a winning record.
The Knights' strength of schedule is changing, with Temple kicking off a tough stretch of games against Cincinnati (7-1) and USF (7-1). If UCF remains undefeated, the team will host the American Athletic Conference Championship Game on Dec. 1 most likely against West Division leader Houston (7-1).
The Knights insist they're not focused on the rankings. They just want to keep winning football games.
"We're not worried about it, we're just trying to go 1-0 every week," Milton said after the win over Temple.
