WATCH: McKenzie Milton returns, forces overtime for Florida State
Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton entered the game in the fourth quarter and led the Seminoles to two straight scoring drives and a tie. Florida State was down 18 at the start of the fourth quarter, and a pair of touchdown drives from quarterbacks McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis brought them all the way back.
McKenzie Milton ties game for Florida State
In a gutsy performance to remember, Milton entered the game in the fourth quarter after Travis lost his helmet on a play. Travis was forced to step out for the next play and Milton made his football return in heroic fashion.
On his second drive for the Seminoles, Milton made plays on the ground and the air both to bring them into field goal range. In a 10-play drive for 46 yards, Milton ran on his surgically repaired leg for nine yards on two plays.
Milton’s return from injury
At UCF, Milton saw tremendous success. He threw for 8,683 yards, 72 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, adding 1,078 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing. In his two full seasons as UCF’s starter, the Knights did not lose a single game. Milton’s UCF career came to an abrupt end at the end of the 2018 season when he went down with a major leg injury.
Not only did Milton miss the remainder of the 2018 season, but he missed the entirety of the 2019 and 2020 seasons as well. As he neared his return to the football field, Milton knew that he had to do so away from UCF. Dillon Gabriel took over for Milton as UCF’s starting quarterback, and Milton thought that Gabriel deserved that job without competition.
This led to Milton’s tough decision to transfer. He ultimately ended up at Florida State, where he will continue to fight to become the Seminoles’ starting quarterback.
“I have one shot to go chase a dream,” Milton said when he announced his intention to transfer from UCF. “A lifelong dream to play in the NFL.”