LSU Football: 5 reasons Tigers are on upset alert vs UCF

1. Darriel Mack Jr. had time to really get up to speed with the first team

When McKenzie Milton went down for the season with a gnarly injury that put more than just his football career in jeopardy, it looked like UCF was at risk of tapering off offensively and maybe even American Athletic Conference contention. Instead, the Knights just kept going thanks to the raw skills of freshman quarterback Darriel Mack Jr.

Mack went just 5-of-14 after entering the regular-season finale against South Florida in the War on I-4, though he added 50 yards on the ground. Once he had a week to prepare with the first team, though, Mack proved more than capable of stepping up and replicating the sort of productivity that Milton brought to the UCF offense.

Against Memphis in the AAC championship game, Mack went off for 348 passing yards and 59 rushing yards while scoring six total touchdowns. He threw for two scores and punched in four more on the ground, showcasing the sort of dual-threat skills that will make him a staple in the UCF offense over the next few years.

With more time to prepare for LSU, Mack has a legitimate chance to do to this set of Tigers what Milton was able to pull off last year in Atlanta against Auburn.