Snelson takes advantage of opportunity

UCF has seen big freshman contributions this season.

McKenzie Milton has shown great potential as the Knights' quarterback of the future, earning the top job three games in. Adrian Killins has been electrifying with what he can do with the ball in his hands. Jawon Hamilton has been a solid presence at running back, sharing reps with Dontravious Wilson. Jordan Johnson has played well as a starting offensive guard.

Following UCF's 24-16 victory at UConn, Dredrick Snelson can be added to the list.

The wide receiver from Miami showed up in a big way, hauling in five receptions for 63 yards including a 22-yard touchdown catch for UCF's first points of the game.

Snelson hopes it's a sign of bigger things to come.

"It feels great," Snelson said. "My coach gave me an opportunity and I took advantage of it. I thank the coaches for trusting me enough to put me in the game like that. It was a big win for us. I've got to give credit to my o-line and my quarterback for putting the ball into the playmakers' hands and just thankful for the opportunity."

Scoring touchdowns was a common occurrence in high school for the former four-star recruit, but the significance of his first college TD really didn't hit him until a few seconds afterward.

"When I scored, I just flipped the ball (to the official) because that's what I did in high school," Snelson said. "It felt normal to me. When I got to the sideline, everybody was like, 'That's your first career touchdown!,' and smiling. I got excited."

Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Troy Walters says Snelson took a big step forward the past two weeks which prompted the staff to give him the opportunity to see more action.

"He was more focused," Walters said. "I tell the guys, how you practice is how you're going to play. He's a freshman. Sometimes freshmen are not as mature as upperclassmen. He had to learn how to be a pro. He did that last week. Had a great week of practice. I told him he's going to get an opportunity and you've got to make the most of opportunities. He did that. Now he has confidence. He understands that, 'If I bust my butt, work in practice, have a great week of practice, when game time comes it's easy and I'll be able to make plays in the game.' He has a lot of confidence. He's just got to keep growing.

"Definitely Snelson is a guy that can make plays when the ball is in his hands. We've got to find ways to get the ball in his hands and for him to make plays."

Snelson admits the tempo and required attention to detail did take a little time to get used to.

"I've been studying the film more and going to meetings early," Snelson said. "I'm more locked into the offense and I know everything more. Now they're putting me on the field and I'm getting more playing time."

After a summer in which he put on 14 pounds working with the strength coaches, Snelson now stands in at 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds. He hopes to gradually add to that frame to be around 225 when he's a junior.

As for Milton, Snelson says he wasn't surprised he eventually earned the starting quarterback job.

"In practice, he was doing amazing things at quarterback that I had never seen before even in high school," Snelson said. "I was like, that's our quarterback. He's legit. He earned the starting job by showing what he can do."

The goal now is for UCF's offense to put it all together, running and passing, in a complete performance. The UConn game was a high point for the passing game with Milton throwing for 317 yards, spreading the ball around for 29 receptions to nine different receivers.

"Every week we keep getting better, so the chemistry is building on the whole team," Snelson said. "The quarterback, the chemistry is building with the receivers and running backs. Hand offs, catching drills, we're all building chemistry. I can't put a time on it, but it's going to be better than what it was last week."

UCF has go back on the road this week with a date at Houston, a team that should be on full alert after a stunning 38-16 setback at SMU this past weekend. It was the Cougars' second loss in the last three games, which has knocked them out of the AP Top 25 after being ranked as high as No. 6 a few weeks ago.

"My expectation is they're going to give us a good game," Snelson said. "They're coming off two losses, but they're still a great team. Matchups are going to be crazy, but in a good way. They're going to give us everything they got. They don't want to lose a third game, but we're going to give everything we've got to try and beat them."