4 things we learned from UCF’s spring game

UCF’s 2018 spring game is in the books and the Knights remain undefeated. Head coach Josh Heupel displayed his offense in front of a reported crowd of 22,973. Although there were some differences, a good amount of the plays the offense ran were similar to what we saw under Scott Frost. Here are some other things we learned as spring ball wrapped up.

1. McKenzie Milton’s 2017 season was not a fluke

Milton picked up right where he left off, going 14-21 for 183 yards with 2 touchdowns in UCF’s 2018 spring game. In his sophomore campaign, the Hawaiian native threw for over 4,000 yards and 37 touchdowns finishing second behind Baker Mayfield in passer rating and yards per attempt. Josh Heupel’s offense is more vertical than Scott Frost’s which will challenge Milton to become a stronger pocket passer. From what we saw yesterday, that should be no problem at all.

2. Tristan Payton is back

The former 4-star recruit has definitely had his ups and downs at UCF. After flipping from USC to attend UCF, the wideout only racked up 396 yards on 33 catches for two touchdowns through his first two seasons. Offensive struggles and position depth are largely to blame for that. Last season as a junior, he spent the first half of the season suspended only to return as a defensive back seeing most of his playing time on special teams. With a new coaching staff in place, he has made the switch back to wideout and appears to be a strong #2 candidate behind Dredrick Snelson, another former 4-star recruit.

Check out this catch from Payton during the spring game.

3. The defensive backs look much improved

If you followed UCF last year, it was no secret that the secondary struggled. All season long they allowed big plays through the air which was exposed the most against South Florida. The cornerback position had a lot of youth that will be more experienced this season. The addition of Alabama transfer Aaron Robinson will be huge for the secondary as well. Leadership from both senior starting safeties Tre Neal and Kyle Gibson will play a major key in the success of this unit.

4. The depth chart is DEEP at running back

It says something when the presumable 5th string running back stole the show during the spring game. Greg McCrae rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Him along with Cordarian Richardson, Otis Anderson, Adrian Killins, Taj McGowan all have what it takes to be a feature back. Even Bentavious Thompson, who redshirted last season, rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries. Is it even possible to get all six players enough snaps throughout the season?