FSU's Milton 'grateful to be out there' in 1st game since 2018

Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton put on an inspirational performance in his first game since suffering a potentially career-threatening knee injury in 2018.

Milton rallied Florida State from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame on Sunday, though the Seminoles ultimately fell short in overtime, losing 41-38.

"It was three years ago when I was playing ball. I was definitely grateful to be out there playing with the guys," Milton said, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "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."

Florida State opted to start Jordan Travis but replaced him with Milton when he was sidelined after losing his helmet during a play.

Milton remained in the game until the end, completing five of his seven pass attempts for 48 yards.

"It was one of those bang-bang moments," Milton added. "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 (we) just came up short."

Despite being replaced, Travis said he was happy for Milton, adding that he couldn't get the smile off his face during the signal-caller's return.

"To see him run on the field, it gave me chills," Travis said. "He's a great dude. I'm so happy to see him on the field performing, and I'm blessed to have him on my team."

Sunday marked Milton's first snaps since he dislocated his knee in November 2018, which almost led to amputation due to additional ligament, nerve, and artery damage. He managed to return to run UCF's scout team in 2020 before transferring to Florida State last December.