College Football

Milton Shines as Knights Stay Unbeaten

Published

8 years ago

September 29, 2018

Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton (10) holds the ball over the goal line to score a touchdown on a 5-yard run past Pittsburgh linebacker Elijah Zeise in the first half Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. Photo: John Raoux/AP.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – UCF entered their final non-conference game with something to prove, especially against a school that is in a “Power 5” conference. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate McKenzie Milton, the UCF Knights are now 4-0 by defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers by the score of 45-14.

Milton went 18 for 34 yards and 4 touchdowns passing as the Knights jumped on the Panthers early and never trailed in the entire game. He also contributed two touchdowns rushing as the Knights had 568 yards in total offense. It’s the second game in a row where Milton had six touchdowns. Milton hit four different receivers for touchdowns as the Knights used just about every offensive weapon to defeat the Panthers.

McKenzie in the game moved up the school’s all-time quarterbacking records today as well. With his four touchdown passes, he passed Blake Bortles and moved into 4th all-time in school history for touchdown passes with 59. He also passed Steven Moffett for 6th all-time for passing attempts (86). Lastly, he passed Bortles for 4th all-time for career touchdown responsible for with 75.

Pittsburgh’s only points of the first half came from a 86-yard punt return for a touchdown by Rafael Araujo-Lopes late in the opening quarter. Outside of that, the Knights defense dominated Pittsburgh. The defense allowed Pitt to pass the Knights side of the field once in the game. They held the Panthers to 272 total yards, who got a late 58-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to Maurice Ffrench.

Milton opened up the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening series and threw a beautiful touchdown pass on a post pattern to Gabriel Davis (4 catches for 80 yards) to put the Knights up 14-0 in the opening 10 minutes of the game.

Adrian Killins Jr. had 180 all-purpose yards, including a 71-yard touchdown catch from Milton in the 3rd quarter.

UCF will return to Spectrum Stadium next Saturday night as they take on SMU at 7pm. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Scoring Summary

1st – UCF – Milton 5-yard touchdown run (Matthew Wright extra point), 7-0
1st – UCF – Davis 24-yard touchdown catch from Milton (Wright extra point), 14-0
1st – PITT – Araujo-Lopes 86-yard punt return (Alex Kessman extra point), 14-7
2nd – UCF – Milton 23-yard touchdown run (Wright extra point), 21-7
2nd – UCF – Colublale 2-yard touchdown catch from Milton (Wright extra point), 28-7
2nd – UCF – Wright 21-yard field goal, 31-7
3rd – UCF – Killings Jr. 71-yard touchdown catch from Milton (Wright extra point), 38-7
4th – UCF – Anderson 13-yard touchdown catch from Milton (Wright extra point), 45-7
4th – PITT – Ffrench 58-yard touchdown catch from Pickett (Kessman extra point) 45-14

_________________________________________

Danny Thompson is a sports contributor for Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com

Up Next

Bill Nelson: Significant new endorsement of Nelson comes with strong rejection of Scott

Don't Miss

Chris King, Rep. Amy Mercado, Rep. John Cortes, and Community Members to Protest GOP Nominee Ron DeSantis Campaign Stop In Kissimmee

Click to comment

Central Florida News

USF Comes Up Short at UTSA as Late Touchdown Seals 31-24 Loss

Published

1 week ago

October 9, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — USF running back D.J. Crowther (5) crosses the goal line on a 15-yard touchdown run to open the scoring against UTSA Thursday night at the Alamodome. Photo by Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics.

South Florida held an early advantage and reclaimed the lead late, but UTSA’s second-half execution proved to be the difference Thursday night at the Alamodome.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida gave itself a chance to steal a road win Thursday night, but UTSA answered when it mattered most, defeating the Bulls 31-24 at the Alamodome.

USF struck first behind D.J. Crowther, who broke through for a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Bulls an early advantage. Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. helped keep South Florida’s offense moving throughout the night as the Bulls continued to respond whenever UTSA threatened to take control.

USF stayed within reach from start to finish, but the second half belonged to a UTSA offense that consistently found a way to finish drives.

UTSA Finds Its Rhythm

Running back A’Marion Peterson became the difference-maker for the Roadrunners, finishing with 92 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

UTSA scored on every second-half possession, gradually shifting momentum away from a USF team that continued to battle offensively. The Roadrunners leaned heavily on their ground game while keeping the Bulls from building any sustained separation.

(more…)

Central Florida News

Temple Hands USF First Loss, 17-13

Published

2 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

Cameron Seldon races toward the sideline as Temple defenders force him out of bounds. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

Bulls move to 4-1 as Hartline turns attention toward corrections and the week ahead

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida’s unbeaten start ended Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium as Temple defeated the Bulls 17-13. USF struck first behind a Nico Gramatica field goal but went into halftime trailing 10-3 before finding momentum after the break.

USF responded in the third quarter as D.J. Crowther’s one-yard touchdown tied the game at 10.

USF and Temple battle at the line of scrimmage. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

The Bulls’ defense added a key stop when No. 1 C.J. Hicks recovered a Temple fumble in the end zone. Gramatica later connected from 49 yards to give USF a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead. Temple answered with the defining possession of the night, driving 96 yards before quarterback No. 13 Ajani Sheppard scored on a 34-yard run to put the Owls ahead for good.

Temple’s 96-yard fourth-quarter drive became the turning point in the 17-13 finish.

Joshua Porter sprints for catch with Adrian Laing closing in for Temple. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

USF was unable to answer late, dropping to 4-1. Following the game, head coach Brian Hartline focused on returning to the film, correcting the mistakes that surfaced and making sure the Bulls use the loss to improve heading into the next week.

FINAL: Temple 17, USF 13

Up Next: USF travels to San Antonio to face UTSA on Thursday night.

– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com

Central Florida News

USF Saves Its Best Work for the Fourth in 14-6 Win Over Bowling Green

Published

3 weeks ago

September 29, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

The Bulls erase a six-point deficit and leave Ohio 4-0 for the first time since 2018.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (FNN SPORTS) — The first three quarters belonged to a low-scoring game. The fourth belonged to South Florida.

Bowling Green entered the final quarter ahead 6-0, but USF’s defense had kept the margin small enough for one possession to change the direction of the game. Three quiet quarters did not decide this one. The final quarter did.

That opportunity came after a fourth-down stop near midfield.

USF Head Coach Brian Hartline reviewing play. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News.

D.J. Crowther helped move the Bulls downfield, and Luke Kromenhoek finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run to put USF ahead 7-6.

Crowther was back at the center of the next scoring drive, ending a 72-yard possession with a one-yard touchdown. He finished the afternoon with 143 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Bowling Green’s final drive reached USF territory, but Asani Redwood recorded a late sack before the Falcons came up two yards short on fourth-and-16.

USF walked away with the 14-6 win and its first 4-0 start since 2018.