LSU Football: 3 reasons to watch 2019 Playstation Fiesta Bowl vs. UCF
By Zach Bigalke
1. Can Darriel Mack Jr. get the job done for the Knights?
Once it became apparent that McKenzie Milton was not taking the field again this season after injuring his knee in the War on I-4 versus South Florida, UCF had to quickly regroup. Replacing Milton at quarterback was 6-foot-3, 230-pound redshirt freshman Darriel Mack Jr., who earned his first start against Memphis in the AAC championship game.
Mack went 19-of-27 for 348 yards and two touchdowns through the air against the Tigers. The dual-threat quarterback was even more impressive on the ground, adding another 59 rushing yards and four touchdowns as he kept the ball 18 times. Producing more than 400 yards of offense was a great debut on the big stage.
Of course, though, Mack put up those numbers against a Memphis defense ranked 66th in yards allowed and 81st in points allowed. A better way of looking at it is the fact that Mack completed nearly 12 percent more of his passes than Milton did against the Tigers in their close win earlier this season, throwing for 52 more yards and one more passing touchdown while running for 70 more yards than Milton and three extra rushing touchdowns.
LSU’s defense throughout the season has been far better than anything the Knights have yet faced this year. But while they come into the game with a rookie quarterback getting just his second start, Mack is proving to be a dynamic threat. If he beats the Tigers in Glendale on New Year’s Day, he could set himself up to keep UCF winning for years to come.