D’Eriq King, McKenzie Milton and the game that will tear them apart for at least a week
Miami quarterback D’Eriq King and former UCF/new Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton are close buddies, business partners — and fierce rivals.
The two former American Athletic Conference stars — King for Houston and Milton for the Knights — are scheduled to compete in Tallahassee as Atlantic Coast Conference foes on Nov. 13 for the first time, only two weeks before the end of the season. But the game, played last year in September, was not an afterthought to many who asked their impression of one of the most famous rivalries in college football.
“You’ve beaten them four games in a row,’’ King was told last week at the ACC Football Kickoff, “and you’re friends with Milton?”
“We’re not friends no more,’’ deadpanned sixth-year senior King, recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus sustained during the Dec. 29 bowl game but set to begin UM practice Aug. 6. “Trying to make it five. I’ve been knowing McKenzie way before I was a quarterback at Miami and he was a quarterback at Florida State. We had a good relationship a long time ago. He’s a great dude. But when it comes to Miami-Florida State, obviously they’re our rivals.
“I don’t like those guys and they don’t like us.’’
Milton, who made an almost miraculous recovery from a catastrophic right knee injury against USF in November 2018, earlier this month announced that he and King had partnered to form Dreamfield, a company that helps college athletes connect with businesses so they can profit in the new era of name, image and likeness.
“That’s going to be fun,’’ Milton said of the UM-FSU game, the most recent installment at which King helped Miami (8-3 in 2020) put its biggest whupping on the Seminoles (3-6) in 44 years with a 52-10 victory at Hard Rock Stadium. “I’m super excited for that one. I hear it’s electric. Hopefully we both have great years and then we can meet up and tote it out and see who wins that game.
“D’Eriq and I talk pretty often, probably like once a week. It’s not always business. It’s not always football. You know, just checking in on each other. But when we’re playing that week, I doubt we’ll talk.’’
Diaz and Norvell talk rivalry
Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz and FSU coach Mike Norvell each reflected on the rivalry, one that Norvell missed last season, his first as Seminoles coach, because he contracted coronavirus.
“That was one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had, to sit there and have to watch your team on television and not being able to be a part of that process,’’ Norvell told the Miami Herald. “It’s something I hope to never experience again.
“When I came to Florida State, I came to a program that has one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football with Florida and Miami and to now be 18 months into it and still have never gotten a chance to coach in one of those games, I tell you I am excited about this season and the opportunity in front of us. Yeah, that was not fun.”
Norvell said he has never competed against Diaz as a coach, but made sure to acknowledge where the Hurricanes coach went to college, perhaps a gentle jab of sorts.
“Manny is a Florida State graduate,’’ Norvell said. “So we appreciate him for that.”
Diaz describes the rivalry as “a holiday’’ every year. “And throw UF into that equation. I love to see the state of Florida have great football. We know it always takes our best to prevail in that game, especially on the road.
“People forget. We actually had ‘College GameDay’ at that game a year ago. Of course there were no fans, or hardly any, but I’d love to see that game be the showcase, as I remember it. Our job is to make sure we take care of Miami.’’
‘Unfortunate game’
Last year’s quarterback on the losing end of the rivalry, Jordan Travis, attended the ACC Football Kickoff along with Milton. Both are vying for the 2021 starting spot.
“Every single game I watched’’ growing up, Travis, of West Palm Beach, said of the rivalry. “I’ve been a Florida State fan for a long, long time.”
Travis laughed nervously when asked what happened last year. “It was an unfortunate game,’’ he said. “You go through ups and downs of years. This year we’re going to be a great team and we look forward to playing them.’’
Florida State beat Miami seven consecutive years before the Hurricanes finally snapped the streak in 2017.
“It’s the biggest game and the biggest rival in one of the biggest rivalries in college football,’’ said UM safety Bubba Bolden. “We take a lot of pride in it and keep that fire going. You can’t lose those types of games. Two years ago was my first year. It motivated me a little bit more because I broke my leg in that game,’’ he said of the play in which he made a diving interception and then broke his ankle in a freak accident after a celebratory chest bump with a teammate.
“FSU is always a motivation for all of us.’’
King said he wishes Milton the best — except for Nov. 13.
“Hopefully he plays a good season and comes back healthy,’’ King said. “With all the stuff he’s been through with injuries and all that, I can relate. We got close in 2017, 2018 we both had injuries and his was a lot worse than mine and literally we were just talking every single day about coming back together and [who] were some of the top quarterbacks in the other conference we were in. It kind of built from there.
“I hope for him the best. But when we play them I want to beat their tails.’’
This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 7:30 AM.
