Knights Rout ECU 63-21 on Homecoming
Nine different players find the end zone, as UCF records 600 yards of offense.
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – No. 21/22 UCF came into the weekend leading the nation in scoring and proved why on Saturday night against ECU. The Knights racked up exactly 600 yards of total offense in a 63-21 rout of the Pirates. The Knights (5-0, 3-0) found the end zone on offense, defense and special teams for the first time this season and the first time since defeating ECU 47-29 last season in Greenville, N.C.
For the first time since the 1998 season, the Knights have recorded more than 500 yards of offense in three consecutive games. Against the Pirates, UCF tallied 365 yards through the air and 235 on the ground. Seven different players scored an offensive touchdown. The Knights finished with seven plays of 20 yards or more.
The defense wouldn’t be outdone, setting the tone early in the first half by stopping ECU (1-6, 1-3) on its first four third-down conversion attempts. The Knights shut down the pass-heavy Pirates offense that came in averaging 307 yards per game to just 160 yards in the air, including 88 in the first half. Tre Neal put the defensive points on the board, wtih a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. Mike Hughes added a 66-yard punt return down the sideline for a touchdown in the third.
MAGIC MILTON
• Quarterback McKenzie Milton continued his impressive season on Saturday, throwing for 324 yards on 21-of-27 passing with two touchdowns in the air.
• The sophomore strolled into the end zone in the second quarter for his first rushing touchdown of the season.
• After one 300-yard passing game in 2016, Milton has posted three through five games this year.
TANK FORMATION
• The Tank formation, featuring Jamiyus Pittman, Trysten Hill and Tony Guerad, checked into the game with the Knights on the ECU four-yard line.
• Normally a blocker in the formation, Pittman ran as a receiver out of the backfield. Milton lofted a pass to the right side, where the 311-pound defensive lineman was wide open for his first career touchdown.
• The Tank formation is now four-for-four this season when called on to put the ball in the end zone. Tonight was the first time a defense player as scored in Tank. The previous three scores came on the ground.