(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)
Sept. 5 at Wayne Densch Center
Availability: QB McKenzie Milton, CB Mike Hughes
QB McKenzie Milton
- The University of Central Florida played Week 1 on Thursday, the only Thursday night game of the season for the Knights.
- UCF does not play again until Friday against the University of Memphis at 6:30 p.m.
Yeah, I think so. You get a little more time to game plan and a little more time to recover. So I think it’s pretty good. I think it’s good for us.
- Memphis was selected to win the American Athletic Conference West Division by AAC media.
Yeah, I mean, they’re definitely one of the better teams in the conference, so we’ll get a good look early to see where we’re at, see where we stand in our conference. Definitely gonna be a good test for us.
- Milton was named AAC Offensive Player of the Week with 360 yards and four touchdowns in Week 1.
I think it’s pretty cool. I mean, there’s no individual success without team success, so it’s definitely a team thing. So, the O-line doesn’t do their job, the receivers don’t do their job, then nobody can get awards like that. So it’s pretty cool.
- In Week 1, Milton also threw an interception.
- He completed 16 of his 21 attempts.
I maybe give myself a B, B-minus. Missed some plays in the run game, made a bonehead throw on an interception. So there’s always room to progress.
- Milton and the other quarterbacks have a system with quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco where they watch tape and grade their performances.
It’s not tough. You kinda know sometimes in the game, like, where you messed up and, like, where you need to improve. And then you can go back, look on film. And there’s a couple plays where I missed some guys wide open. There’s one I forced into coverage that Emmanuel Logan-Greene was shooting under the defense wide open. So, I mean, there’s always room for improvement.
- Last season, Memphis went 8-5 and finished third in the AAC West
- In Week 1, Memphis opened with a 37-29 win over the University of Louisiana-Monroe
I mean, they’re a good ball club. They got good team speed. They’re good on defense. They fly around to the ball. And, obviously, on offense, they got a lot of fire power. So we just gotta play our game and see what happens.
CB Mike Hughes
- Hughes joined the team on Aug. 18 and is still adjusting to the playbook.
It’s just all about getting more comfortable with the system and trusting these coaches to put me in the right spot. Also trusting the players to help me out with the calls and all that kinda stuff.
- Hughes was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN in the class of 2015.
Pretty much everyone [has helped me]. The guys heard the talent I was bringing in. So everybody’s dialed in. Everybody’s all in to helping me out and getting this team rolling.
- Garden City Community College head coach Jeff Sims and UCF linebackers and special teams coordinator Jovan Dewitt coached together at Ft. Scott Community College.
Well, Coach Sims and Coach Dewitt, you know, they have a history. So those guys talked about a few things and then they got me on board. You know, it’s just a blessing to be here. Like I said, I’m all in.
- Hughes said he did not take a visit to any Florida school.
I mean, once I heard about UCF, I was committed. I was all in. Ready to go.
- UCF is Hughes’ second FBS team after being suspended and leaving the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To be honest, there’s nothing that I don’t like [here]. I like the atmosphere. Of course, the football side is just everything I’ve ever wanted. So, it’s just a blessing to be in this position. Won’t take anything for granted, man. I’m just—I’m ready to go.
- Against FIU Hughes, had three punt returns for 50 yards with a long of 43 yards.
Oh, yeah. Special teams is a huge part of the game. You know, a lot of the teams take it for granted. And it’s just something I like to do, you know, flip the game. You know, God’s given me a talent, and I’m working hard at it. I just take pride in it.
- Hughes had two tackles, a forced fumble and three pass breakups against FIU.
It’s all about, like I said, getting comfortable. That will put me in a better spot to make a lot more plays and just to play a little more loose, you know? Right now, I’m just trying to still get comfortable, not make a lot of mistakes, but, as soon as I get everything dialed in, I’ll be ready to go.
- Since Hughes joined the team less than two weeks before the season-opener, he’s still getting acclimated to the playbook.
Probably over half of [the playbook]. The safeties helped me out a lot with some of the calls. And that just gets me rolling. But, pretty much, over half of the plays.
- Last season at Garden City CC, Hughes had two interceptions and two punt returns for touchdowns.
You know, it’s all about chemistry. Once they heard I was coming in, a lot of guys welcomed me with open arms. Like I said, it’s just been a blessing for these guys to be able to help me and have me dialed in and ready to go.
- UCF has won four conference championships.
My goal is to help this team win a conference championship and then maybe go beyond that. You know, just play my game.
For more on the Knights, as they look to open conference play on Friday against the Tigers, follow Ryan Weiss on Twitter at @NDR_RyanWeiss.
