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It was nearly three years ago when McKenzie Milton suffered a potentially career-ending leg injury as the starting quarterback for UCF. Now a backup quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles, Milton got his chance to play Sunday night against Notre Dame, marking 1,017 days after the injury.
Starter Jordan Travis struggled and was forced to the sidelines in the fourth quarter after losing his helmet, and he also was dealing with cramps. Milton came in and immediately made a splash, helping the Seminoles get back in the game after falling behind 38-20. While Florida State ultimately lost 41-38 in overtime, Milton remained in the game and potentially created a quarterback controversy.
Afterward, the Seminoles quarterback opened up on his return to the field, via ESPN's Andrea Adelson:
“It was one of those bang-bang moments,” Milton said of being told he was going in. “You just got to be engaged and ready to go on the sidelines. It was time to roll. I didn't really have time to process any of the emotions or things like that. A job had to be done to give us a chance to win the game, and just came up short.”
The Florida State quarterback also touched on what it was like to be back out there three years after his career was nearly destroyed by an injury:
“It was three years ago when I was playing ball. I was definitely grateful to be out there playing with the guys,” Milton said. “We went through a lot of hard training through January up to this point. We all got a bunch of bruises. I'm just super proud of the way our guys fought today.”
The injury involved a dislocated knee, torn ligaments, nerve damage and artery damage. It's a miracle that Milton is back on the field playing again for the Seminoles. Even Travis was thrilled to see him out there, which is pretty cool given there could be a quarterback competition now.
Milton only wound up completing five out of seven passes for 48 yards, but what he did has to have Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell thinking about making a permanent change.
