Let’s take a look at some of the biggest news stories from around the college football world leading into Conference Championship weekend.
UCF Quarterback Suffers Gruesome Injury
UCF star quarterback McKenzie Milton suffered a gruesome injury on Friday that required surgery to stabilize the knee. The school announced that surgery was successful and Milton is recovering at Tampa General Hospital as of Saturday. The injury occurred in the second quarter of UCF’s 38-10 victory over South Florida. Milton was hit in the knee by a helmet of a USF defender and was forced to be carted off the field with his leg immobilized. The school did not give any specific details on the nature of the injury, just calling it “traumatic.” UCF will host Memphis next Saturday in the AAC Championship game, and backup quarterback Darriel Mack will take over the starting role. UCF was ranked 9th in the latest College Football Playoff poll with the top four teams advancing to the College Football Playoffs.
Florida Snaps Losing Streak to Florida State
The Florida Gators blew out the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, 41-14, ending a five-game losing streak to their in-state rivals. With the loss, Florida State fell to 5-7 on the field and failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 1982. It is also the Seminoles first losing season since 1976, which was the first season under legendary coach Bobby Bowden. The Gators improved their record to 9-3 with the win, and have an outside chance at a New Year’s Six game this season. Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks threw three touchdown passes in the win, and the Gators ran for 278 yards. Florida State suffered losses to Florida, Miami, and Clemson this season, which was the first such occurrence since 2009.
UConn Ends Historically Bad Season
The University of Connecticut wrapped up their football season in historic fashion by becoming the worst defense in FBS history. The Huskies were defeated by Temple on Saturday, 57-7, and set new single-season records for most points and most yards allowed in one season. Connecticut gave up 605 points and 7,409 total yards this season, shattering the previous records. The Huskies also set new records for most points allowed per game (50.42) and most yards allowed per game (617.4). UConn finished the season with a 1-11 record and failed to win a conference game for the first time since 1954.
Texas A&M Beats LSU in Record-Setting Fashion
Texas A&M outlasted LSU on Saturday night for a 74-72 victory that went into 7 overtimes. The seven overtimes tied an FBS record, and the 146 combined points is an FBS record. It became the second highest scoring game in college football history behind a game between Abilene Christian and West Texas A&M in 2008. LSU came into this game as the 7th ranked team in the country, and the 74 points allowed are the most by a ranked team in college football history. With the victory, Texas A&M got their first win over LSU since the 1995 season, snapping a seven-game skid. The loss kept LSU from achieving their first 10-win regular season since 2012 and will likely keep the Tigers out of a New Year’s Day Bowl game.
Ohio State Blows Out Rival Michigan
The Ohio State Buckeyes blasted rival Michigan on Saturday, winning by a final score of 62-39. Michigan featured one of the top defenses in the country, allowing 24 points or less in all of their games this season, but the Ohio State offense lit them up on Saturday. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw for 318 yards and five touchdowns to set Big Ten records for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season. The Wolverines had never given up at least 50 points to the Buckeyes in the 114 meetings played between the rivals. Ohio State’s 62 points were the most ever allowed by the Michigan Wolverines in a regulation game in the program’s history. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is now 7-0 against Michigan in his career, and the Buckeyes secured a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game next weekend. The Buckeyes will take on Northwestern on Saturday night for the Big Ten Title.
