On Oct. 13, during an unseasonably chilly rainstorm in Memphis, 18 games into its now 24u2011game winning streak, Central Florida trailed 30–17 at halftime and needed a jolt. The defense stiffened, refusing to yield another point. In the third quarter, coach Josh Heupel made a gutsy fourth-down call that helped cut the deficit to six. Then in the fourth, junior quarterback McKenzie Milton led a drive downfield. From seven yards out the dual-threat stalwart somersaulted into the end zone; 31–30 would do it.
Throughout the streak—the longest active one in the FBS—the Knights have known they could count on Milton, who was responsible for 45 touchdowns in 2017 and another 34 this season, even after injuries to his right ankle and right shoulder forced him to sit out an Oct.