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UCF (# 9) won a 38-10 win against USF rival on Saturday, extending the country's longest winning streak of 24 games and completing two straight sets of the regular season.
The victory was overshadowed by McKenzie Milton's knee injury. Milton was operated on emergency Friday night in Tampa, several sources told Orlando Sentinel.
Discover the three main things we learned from the bitter-sweet victory of the Knights:
1. This is the team of Darriel Mack Jr.
UCF officials have declined to comment on the extent of Milton's injury, but it is clear he will not play this season.
Mack stepped in to help the Knights win the Bulls after Milton was injured in the second quarter.
"I am extremely proud of DJ [Mack]. From the way he entered, he played with composure and took care of football, "said UCF coach Josh Heupel. "He missed several things, then bounced back and also found a way to make coins.
"That's typical of his identity and the way he has practiced in our program since the East Carolina game."
Mack guided the offensive, which scored 21 points in the second half to win the victory.
He finished 5 of 14 passes for 81 yards while adding 51 yards.
Heupel said he was confident that his young substitute could lead the Knights against Memphis next week in the American Athletics Conference Championship game.
"We will be ready to play," Heupel said. "It's a team game and, again, everyone in the locker room is thinking of McKenzie at the moment, but at the same time, we'll move on and be ready to play next week."
Mack said that he would continue to do what he's done all season.
"Stay ready as I always do," he said. "I just have the team on my back and we're going to play and play for him [Milton], playing for the rest of our school and playing for the city. "
Back-half Greg McCrae insists that this week's preparations will be like every week for the Knights.
"Nothing changes, we start with the same mentality, the same effort and just try to play 1-0 every week," said McCrae.
2. McCrae continues to fuel the game in the process of execution
McCrae concocted a better night in his career against the USF on Saturday, rushing for a team record of 181 yards and a total of three career touchdowns, while unleashing the Knights' offense.
UCF finished with a 391-yard average against the Bulls, the third McCrae performance in the 100-yard rushing season this season.
"A great job at O-line. They picked up a lot of blocks. The holes were there and I made a lot of adjustments, "McCrae said. "They just provided very big holes for me to cross."
Heupel was pleased with McCrae's performance.
"He just keeps playing, performing and doing the little things at such a high level," Heupel said.
McCrae is 105 yards from the first 1,000-yard UCF rider since Storm Johnson in 2013.
3. Another great performance of the defense
After giving Temple 670 yards on Nov. 1, the defense allowed only 359 yards per game against Navy, Cincinnati and USF.
The 309 yards the Knights gave the Bulls was the lowest total for 272 yards lost in a Pittsburgh win on September 29th.
"It's a suffocating performance on their part, both in the running and in the backcourt," Heupel said of the group's performance on Saturday.
The UCF has managed four sacks Saturday against the Bulls, bringing the total of its season to 25. The Knights also recorded another win, extending a series of at least one forced turn-over in the last 30 games, dating back to 2016.
"In defense, we always say that we have to bring the juice," said linebacker Nate Evans, who finished with 10 tackles, a top in the team, including a tackle for defeat. "I'm just happy for all of us right now."
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