Without McKenzie Milton at quarterback, will the UCF Knights be able to take down the Memphis Tigers for a second time this season? Any hopes that UCF has of making it into the playoffs rides on this game.
Earlier this season, the Central Florida Knights traveled up to Memphis and took down the Tigers in one of the more exciting and underrated games of the 2018 college football season. The Knights played well, but they needed a strong second half comeback to be able to beat the Tigers. Now, Memphis and UCF are preparing to play for the fourth time in two years.
UCF has won all three of the previous matchups, but the Knights had McKenzie Milton leading them. With Milton out after a horrifying and gruesome injury, will Central Florida be able to extend its winning streak over Memphis to 13 games? The Knights will be turning to a freshman quarterback in hopes of beating the Tigers, claiming the AAC championship and getting enough recognition to earn a coveted spot in the college football playoffs.
That means that there’s a little bit of pressure on Darriel Mack Jr. here. Mack is a talented dual threat quarterback who chose to go to Central Florida over Maryland, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Virginia, and others. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound freshman hasn’t played much this year, but he did draw the start against East Carolina earlier this season and helped guide UCF to a 37-10 win.
If the Knights hope to beat Memphis in this game, UCF better have an answer for the Tigers offense. Brady White has thrown for 2947 yards and 25 touchdowns against 7 picks while Darrell Henderson has run for 1699 yards and 19 touchdowns this season.
How to bet on and watch Memphis vs. Central Florida
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 1
- Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Orlando, Florida
- Stadium: Spectrum Stadium
- TV Info: ABC
- Odds: UCF -3
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
Prediction: The Memphis Tigers’ dynamic offense is more than enough to put UCF on upset alert here. The Tigers have plenty of firepower thanks to Brady White and Darrell Henderson, and the Knights will need to find ways to score without McKenzie Milton. Central Florida’s defense has been notably better than Memphis’s this season and that will likely be the difference in this game. UCF should survive, but this will be an interesting game to watch.