Hudanick

ORLANDO — What college football team has the longest current winning streak among FBS teams?

If you think it is Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State, you are wrong.

The answer is Central Florida, which has won 16 straight games, and a Seneca Valley graduate has played a major role for the Knights.

Senior Tyler Hudanick is the team's starting left guard and has helped the offense remain explosive following last year's perfect 13-0 record.

Central Florida is averaging 594 yards of offense per game following dominating wins over Connecticut (56-17), South Carolina State (38-0) and Florida Atlantic (56-36). The Knights carry a No. 13 national ranking into Saturday's home game against the University of Pittsburgh.

“The offensive line has not been perfect, there's always something you can improve on,” said Hudanick (6-foot-5, 312 pounds). “But we have a lot of experienced guys who know what it takes week in and week out.

“We run a spread offense and play a fast-paced game. We have a lot of speed and it allows us to score a lot of points.”

Having his hometown Panthers come to town presents a challenge to Hudanick and his fellow linemen.

“They have one of the bigger fronts we will have seen,” said Hudanick. “They roll a lot of guys in and are very physical, but we have a good plan for them.

“I take every game the same, so I'm not looking at this one as any bigger than the rest. I do think it's cool we are playing a team from where I grew up because playing in the (American Athletic Conference), we don't face many teams from up there.”

Team success did not come immediately once Hudanick arrived in Orlando. In fact, Central Florida went winless during his freshman season, during which he started nine games.

“We had some guys who probably weren't as bought in as they should have been,” he said.

Hudanick missed the final half of his sophomore season with an ACL injury, but returned to help the Knights to their perfect season last year, culminating with a 34-27 triumph over Auburn in the Peach Bowl.

“We had guys on the team who wanted to win and wanted to create a (winning) culture,” said Hudanick, who has taken over as a full-time starter again.

That culture could have been disrupted when head coach Scott Frost left after last season to take over the program at the University of Nebraska, his alma mater.

The first three games of this season suggest otherwise.

“Coach (Josh) Heupel has done a heck of a job keeping that culture,” Hudanick said. “We haven't skipped a beat and our play proves it.”

Hudanick's effort has helped quarterback McKenzie Milton start the season with a bang. He has thrown for 895 yards, nine touchdowns and just three interceptions.

“He was the conference player of the year last year and I think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” said Hudanick.

The team's ground game is by committee, but still effective. Five players have at least 100 yards rushing, led by Adrian Killins Jr., who has 193 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries.

As a team, Central Florida is gaining 290 yards on the ground per game.

“Each of those guys has a different style,” Hudanick said of the running backs. “For them to be able to roll in and keep each other fresh, it makes our job easier.”

The start to this season came as no surprise to Hudanick. He just wants to keep it rolling.

“We had a lot of guys coming back from last year,” he said. “It's been a lot of fun.”