No. 12 UCF won its 22nd straight game on Saturday as the Knights won 35-24 over Navy. The Knights also extended their home win streak to 13 games, a program record.

In addition to the winning streaks, the Knights have scored 30 points or more in 22 games straight, which also leads the country.

Knights247 shares its Four Takeaways from UCF's Homecoming victory over Navy:

1. It all starts with a strong offensive line performance

The Knights had success on offense thanks to the big men up front and it wasn’t because they had watched the film.

According to UCF head coach Josh Heupel, Navy’s defense played in formations different from anything the Midshipmen had played in previously this season.

“Structurally, they (Navy) were completely different than anything they had shown on tape the entire season. Coaches and players did a great job of adjusting after that first series and finding a way to go score some points,” said Heupel.

According to Heupel, the communication by the offensive line was critical for success.

“I thought the communication was really, really good from those guys starting with JJ (Jordan Johnson),” said Heupel. “Just the offensive line, the five guys up front, tight ends, all being on the same page. I’m just really proud of the effort of those guys.”

2. Passing game continues to feed off the run attack

Thanks to the communication up front and the important adjustments, the running game by UCF continued to be successful.

And as we’ve seen in the past, the run game led to a successful pass game.

But, it took time according to Heupel as the Knights had to adjust on offense.

“Obviously we relied heavily on the run game early in the football game because of the structures we were seeing,” said Heupel.

Although at times it appeared that passing the ball made more sense, sticking to the run game gave UCF an advantage according to Heupel. The Knights rushed for nearly 300 yards, coming up just short with 297.

“With what they were playing defensively, structurally, to me, it was our best advantage to be in the run game, and be with our pass plays off of the run game.

Running backs Greg McCrae and Taj McGowan each had a rushing touchdown of their own. It was McCrae’s fourth rushing touchdown of the season, and McGowan’s sixth.

“I thought we executed the pass plays really well when they were there, and when they weren’t we were handing the ball off and had some big runs,” said Heupel.

3. McKenzie Milton flexed his football IQ against Navy

Once the running game got going for the Knights, McKenzie Milton was able to work his magic.

Milton threw for 200 yards on 17/21 passing and two touchdowns. In addition to passing, Milton rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown.

And this game showed how smart of a quarterback Milton is.

“Really good,” said Heupel when asked to describe Milton’s performance. “Really accurate with the football, great decison maker. The ability for him to adjust to something that had not been seen on tape within the course of the ballgame speaks to his understanding and knowledge of football.”

Milton has now thrown a touchdown pass in 22 straight games, which ties him with Daunte Culpepper for the second-longest such streak in program history.

“McKenzie is just an awesome quarterback,” said wide receiver Dredrick Snelson who caught two touchdowns. “He adjusts to any coverage, any team, anything you throw at him. He’s a great quarterback, and he’s going to put the ball where I need it. He did that today. He executed perfectly.”

Passing touchdowns isn’t the only stat that Milton’s and Daunte Culpepper’s names can now be said in the same sentence.

With his 62 rushing yards, Milton passed Culpepper for the most rushing yards in a career by a UCF quarterback.

“That’s a huge honor, Daunte is obviously a legend - not just here but, in the NFL, so that’s huge. I’m pretty sure Darriel Mack will probably pass that up when his time comes.”

4. Facing Navy requires discipline, even in between plays

By facing an academy school, one can expect a different type of football game. These athletes are committed to serving in the military following school so football, in the end, is secondary for the athletes of Navy.

This was on full display as wide receiver Dredick Snelson lined up against the defensive back who was covering him.

“They (Navy) didn’t even talk to me the whole game,” said Snelson. “They didn’t say a word to me, the defensive back that was covering me. He was a pretty poised guy, he just didn’t talk with me. My hat goes off to them, they’re excellent guys.”

With it being Veterans Day weekend, playing an academy school meant a lot to Heupel and the Knights.

“I said this going into the ballgame, all of the academy schools, we have a great respect for Navy. Their head coach is as good as there is in the business. They do things the right way,” said Heupel.

McKenzie Milton nearly committed to Navy while he was being recruited in high school, before ultimately deciding to attend UCF. Although he did not end up at the Naval Academy, Milton has great respect for the opposing head coach Ken Niumatalolo.

“Those guys are a class act,” said Milton. “Starting with their head ball coach, Coach Ken. All those guys are just a reflection of their head ball coach and the way he carries himself. Those are great guys that we played today and they're great young men. They're going to do great things for this country.”

After the game, Niumatalolo had high praise for the Knights.

“Those guys score a ton of points against a lot of people,” said Niumatalolo. “There’s a reason they’ve been undefeated. There’s a reason they got the national championship. They’ve won a ton of football games.”