Reviews are in: Mack is a winner
Sophomore Darriel Mack Jr. earned rave reviews from the UCF coaching staff following his surprise start Saturday at East Carolina, helping the Knights extend their nation-leading win streak to 20 games.
But for Mack, the moment was special because he got to share it with his father, who sat decked out in a familiar No. 8 jersey at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
“Not a lot of people these days have that supportive father figure like that, so it was just him always being my biggest supporter. It was just real nice to celebrate that with him,” Mack said of moment captured on the school’s socialmedia accounts. “He knows it and I know it. We still talk about it and we’ll probably talk about it the rest of our lives.”
The decision to play Mack in place of injured starter McKenzie Milton was shocking. Milton, a Heisman candidate, was banged up during victories over SMU
and Memphis, but the school didn’t give any indication it was bad enough for the junior to miss the game against the Pirates.
But Mack had been preparing in case a situation like this one should arise and his hard work in spring and preseason camp paid off. Coach Josh Heupel said he informed Mack he we would be starting the game instead of Milton following the team’s pregame warmups Saturday.
“I think DJ did exactly what we expected him to do,” UCF quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby said of Mack. “He went in and he took care of the football. He found ways to make plays with his feet. He made enough throws and he made some really good decisions. It’s what we expected from him.”
Mack finished with a teamhigh 120 rushing yards, including a seven-yard touchdown run in the first half.
“You try and find those situations in spring, try to find those situations in the fall camp and throughout practices. You really never know,” Lebby said of preparing Mack to play.
While Mack had some short drives and bumpy moments, he never turned the ball over while East Carolina gave it up five times.
“D-Mack took great care of the football,” Heupel said Wednesday. “[He] was a good decision-maker.”
Mack admits there were some first-game jitters, but he was pleased with his performance.
Some of those nerves were obvious, especially early on as the Knights were forced to punt during their first three offensive possessions, failing to earn a first down on two of them. But eventually the offense would settle down.
“Talking with him on the phone after every series, you knew he was fine. He was confident and he was calm,” Lebby said. “Some of the things that happened early in the game actually didn’t have anything to do with him.”
The offense would settle down to score 20 straight points during four consecutive possessions before putting the game away in the second half.
And with Milton’s status still up in the air for the upcoming game against Temple next Thursday, the experience against ECU will be invaluable for Mack.
“There’s nothing like live reps when you’re playing that position,” Heupel said. “He took some hits and responded in a really positive way. I’m really proud of what he did and that’s going to serve him a big benefit as he continues to move forward.”
Mack is confident he can keep helping the Knights.
“I’m ready for it, no matter what happens,” he said.