(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)
Aug. 29, 2017 at Wayne Densch Center
Availability: QB McKenzie Milton, WR Cam Stewart
QB McKenzie Milton
- The University of Central Florida host Florida International University on Thursday at 6 p.m.
I’m just excited. Just excited to get the season started. Not really nervous or anything like that. I think some butterflies will come around during game time ’cause it’s the first game of the season, but I think our guys are locked in, and we’re just excited to get going.
- Last season, Milton threw for 1,983 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 57.7 percent completion percentage.
Well guys are just tuned in to their jobs. Guys are moving around. Guys are flying around doing their jobs correctly. Paying attention to the minor details, and, this time last year, we weren’t at that point. So, it’s a thing of beauty.
- Milton sees himself as a lead-by-action leader.
I mean, I just try to come in day in and day out and lead my action. Just come to work every day with a mindset to get better, and I feel like if, I guess, the quarterback’s doing that, it’ll feed off to the other players as well, and everybody will be locked in and ready to go.
- Last season, the Knights ranked 66th in points per game with 28.8.
- That was good enough for seventh out of 12 teams in the American Athletic Conference.
[Our offense] looks good. We’ll find out on Thursday. I mean, I can say everything now, but until we do it on the field, it doesn’t really matter.
I mean, you always wanna hit somebody else when you’re hitting your own team for a month straight. So I think our guys are getting excited to do that.
- For Milton, he doesn’t feel too different at the start of this season compared to last year.
I mean, I don’t feel too much different. I mean, maybe I just feel like I have the reigns a little more, but, I mean, it’s the same. You approach it the same. You just come to work every day, and you always gotta be ready to play, whether you’re a 1 or 2. So, you just gotta be—have the mindset ready to play.
- As a true freshman, Milton took over the starting-quarterback duties after then-starter Justin Holman went down with an injury in a Week 2 loss to the Michigan Wolverines.
I think game experience is awesome experience. Maybe just the speed of the game. And just always know that the most important play is the next play. You can’t dwell on a touchdown, you can’t dwell on a pick. You just gotta move forward and keep keeping on.
- True-freshman quarterbacks Noah Vedral and Darriel Mack Jr. are currently in a hotly contested competition for the backup-quarterback spot.
- One player will likely be redshirted.
I’ve seen a lot of growth out of both of them. I mean, Noah—I’ll say he’s stood out picking up the offense, and Darriel—his physical abilities. I mean, they’re eye-opening. He runs super fast, and he’s super big. So, I mean, it’s pretty impressive. And Noah’s pretty skaddy (sic) himself. So, they’re both really good players.
- For Milton, he’s confident in the host of veteran and rookie receivers this season.
- Last year, the Knights were ninth in the AAC in passing yards per game with 209.7.
Well, obviously, Tre’Quan Smith. He’s All-American candidate in my opinion, and, outside, we got a young guy, Emmanuel Greene. Another young guy, Gabe Davis. Cam Stewart. Expect them to make some plays. Case Harrison and Dredrick Snelson, of course. I mean, we got a lot of weapons, and our tight ends are pretty good, too. Jordan Akins, Jordan Franks and Michael Colubiale. We got a stable of backs, so, I mean, we got playmakers. We just gotta let the playmakers make plays.
I mean, it’s been awesome. They compete day in and day out ’cause, obviously, there’s only 11 guys that can play, so guys are scraping to get on the field. So, I mean, it’s awesome. Competition brings out the best in everybody, I think, and our guys have embraced that, and they’ve been doing well, and we’ll see what happens.
- Otis Anderson and Marlon Williams joined the Knights early in the spring.
The thing about those two guys—they came to work since spring ball. They were early enrollees, and it’s just awesome to see their work ethic. And it definitely shows on the field. Lot of speed and lot of grit, too. They’re not the biggest guys, but they’ll go get in a linebacker’s chest to spring a run for the running backs or just a bubble for another slot back.
- The last time the Knights had a home season-opener, UCF hosted FIU.
- FIU won on a blocked field goal that potentially would’ve given UCF the lead in the waning minutes.
It’s definitely exciting. I know our fans will definitely show out and have a lot of support, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of energy in there, and it’s just a lot of fun. I love the grass. The grass is super soft.
- For Milton, Davis has impressed with his work ethic.
He’s another guy. He’s a work-ethic guy. Since he’s got here in the summer, he just—he’s been a dog. Like, he’s been in the front of almost every sprint, every lift, everything like that, and it’s not ’cause he’s just trying to show off, it’s just how he is. He’s really a dog, and he’s a heck of a player, too. And I love his work ethic. He’s picked up the offense extremely fast for a freshman, and he never gets too high. He never gets too low. He’s an even-keel guy, and that’s somebody you want out there. And you want a guy that’s gonna go attack that ball.
WR Cam Stewart
- Stewart said he had a details-oriented offseason.
This past summer, I’ve just been trying to, like, work on my technique. Working on details, knowing more in-depth in the playbook. Just getting better with the quarterbacks on certain routes and stuff, and I just been working on, like, trying to be more physical and trying to stay consistent.
- Stewart sees Smith as a leader for the wide-receivers group.
Tre’Quan is a hell of a receiver. He just really—like, ever since my freshman year, he’s just been teaching me, like, little details on how he gets open and how he catches the ball sometimes when he knows he’s gonna get hit. And he just teach me on how to play kinda quicker and just, you know, how to execute.
- Despite his admiration for Smith, Stewart has aspirations of his own to be the No. 1 receiver.
Yeah, so I know Tre’Quan’s gonna do tremendous. He’s probably gonna go to the league, and I just wanna replace his—like, take his footsteps pretty much and be that guy here, and so I just wanna show the coaches that I can do it this year, and so it’ll roll over to next year. And then I can try to be that No. 1 dude.
- For Stewart, he’s noticed Davis’ focus on the playbook.
He’s really in the playbook pretty much, and, ever since he’s been here, he’s been in the playbook. And he’s always with [offensive coordinator Troy Walters], and he’s just trying to learn pretty much. Whatever he can learn, he’ll just soak it in like a sponge, and he doesn’t forget it. So, he just comes out, and he just—he just transfers from the meeting room to the field, and he just plays.
- Stewart said he’s seen Milton be more confident entering this season.
- As for his physical qualities, Stewart said Milton’s gotten faster and more accurate, too.
He’s more confident in himself. He’s more alert and more aware of, like, what’s actually happening, what’s changing on the defense and the schemes and whatnot. So he’s more—he’s communicating more with the receivers so we understand. We’re always on the same page, and I just feel like he’s more vocal now, and so he’s being more directive to the offensive line, receivers and the running backs.
It looks like he’s picked up some speed, I guess. Since 7-on-7, it look like he just been picking up speed from somewhere, but I don’t know where. But his balls are more accurate now. And it’s like his deep balls have gotten a lot better, so I feel like he took a step forward and coming into this season.
For more on the Knights, as they host FIU on Thursday, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
