South Carolina State @ UCF preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2016 ) South Carolina State 0, Central Florida 38

Central Florida’s offense has picked up where it left off last season and looks to continue producing big numbers when the 20th-ranked Knights host FCS foe South Carolina State on Saturday night. Junior Heisman Trophy candidate McKenzie Milton threw for five touchdowns in last week’s 56-17 victory at Connecticut to extend UCF’s national-best winning streak to 14 games.

The Knights scored eight touchdowns with just 21:52 of possession time while pushing the tempo in new head coach Josh Heupel’s debut against the Huskies, and averaged 8.2 yards per carry on the ground. UCF, which led the nation at 48.2 points per game last year, hopes to continue its offensive balance against South Carolina State - a team it handled 38-0 to open the 2016 season. “They rally to the ball. They play hard,” Milton told reporters after watching tape of the opponent’s game last week. “I remember them coming in my freshman year and they gave us all we could handle. … It’s really their Super Bowl, to knock off a top 25 opponent. We can’t overlook anybody. We’re going to come to play, as well.” The Bulldogs, who finished 3-7 in 2017, were picked seventh in the MEAC preseason poll and fell 37-6 at Georgia Southern in their opener.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: None

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (0-1): The young Bulldogs totaled just 151 yards in their opener, including only 31 through the air with three different quarterbacks being used by 17th-year head coach Buddy Pough. Sophomore Tyrece Nick got the majority of the work under center, rushing for a team-high 66 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown while completing 1-of-3 passes with 14 yards, and junior Dewann Ford was 1-of-6 for 17 yards after throwing for 1,772 last year. Sophomores Omar Cummings and Datron James gained 61 yards combined on the ground and senior Quan Caldwell, along with junior De’Montrez Burroughs, are the top passing targets.

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (1-0): The Knights struggled with tackling at times in the opener, giving up 220 yards on the ground - 157 to UConn’s quarterback David Pindell - and 266 through the air, but did force three turnovers. “It’s the first game, so we have some stuff to work on,” UCF sophomore defensive back Richie Grant, who recovered a fumble and picked off one pass, told reporters. “Overall, I feel like we did pretty good. I thought we hit our goals.” Ole Miss transfer Tre Nixon had a strong debut for the Knights, hauling in five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Dredrick Snelson recorded six receptions for another 90 yards last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Milton is four touchdown passes from tying Blake Bortles (56) for fourth on the school’s all-time list.

2. UCF junior RB Adrian Killins Jr. had a team-high 125 all-purpose yards to lead the way last week.

3. South Carolina State senior LB Damu Ford was named as a preseason second-team pick by the MEAC.

PREDICTION: Central Florida 66, South Carolina State 7