After opening with a dominant stand against the UConn Huskies, the UCF Knights extended their winning streak to fifteen after a caging the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University 38-0. The Knights defense was what did the heavy lifting in the victory.

After being named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, McKenezie Milton struggled throwing three interceptions all in the first half. Milton would finish with 21-for-39 for 243 yards with 1 touchdown. On top of the turnovers, Milton missed a number of passes under throwing receivers throughout the opening two quarters before coming back on balance to cap a scoring drive with a 13-yard end zone completion to wide receiver Gabriel Davis.

“Definitely a subpar performance by myself”, Milton explained after the game. “. . . I didn’t get into a great rhythm, I missed some easy throws and [South Carolina] State made some good plays, too. We’ll watch the film tomorrow and hopefully bounce back next week”.

It’s safe to say that this would end Milton’s Heisman campaign for all intents and purposes. With a mediocre passing performance of that caliber against an FCS defense, there’s no way I see any sports writer out of the state of Florida casting their vote to go to New York to accept the trophy.

Fortunately for UCF, the running game and defense were both present and accounted for. Adrian Killins recorded two touchdowns in the first half and concluded his night recording 89 yards on eight carries and two scores. Otis Anderson also chalked up a six-bagger from one yard out while Greg McCrae turned in a 32-yard jaunt for six.

“The running game showed that it was evident that we have playmakers in the backfield”, said Killins. “. . . It all starts up front with the O-line. The O-line played another phenomenal game today in the run game. Every time we go out for a series, the O-line likes to do one-drive series so we can get in and get out.”

The defense accounted for three turnovers and four sacks on the evening to keep the undefeated streak and the College Football Playoff hopes alive. More good news for the evening is that they got lots of help from other schools in the AAC beating Power 5 Teams. The USF Bulls stinging the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Houston Cougars topping the Arizona Wildcats of the PAC-12 adds depth to UCF’s strength of schedule. The importance of this is magnified with a tropical storm is looking to pass through North Carolina that could cancel the Power Five game for UCF next week.

Kyle Nash, known as The Student of the Game, covers UCF Football for SportsMediaPass.com and is a special contributor for Break the Fourth. He’s a also a writer for the DolphinsWire of USA Today and co-host of the DinnerTime and Default Assault podcasts.