On Saturday, Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell called him a special young man.

Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham couldn't say enough nice things about him during Monday's press conference.

But for McKenzie Milton, the senior quarterback who is the top backup to Seminoles starter Jordan Travis, his decision to let redshirt freshmen Chubba Purdy and Tate Rodemaker take the second-half snaps in FSU's blowout win over UMass on Saturday wasn't anything extraordinary.

It just made the most sense.

"You know, I've played a lot of ball," Milton said after practice on Wednesday. "Chubba and Tate really haven't gotten as many live reps as I have over their careers. And it just made the most sense in that situation for those guys to go get some live reps."

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Purdy, who saw most of the action in relief, was a perfect 5-for-5 passing and led the offense to three straight touchdowns.

Meanwhile, his more experienced teammate, the one who has accounted for 94 total touchdowns and over 10,000 yards in his storied career, was on the sideline rooting for him. Even giving him suggestions every time he came back off the field.

"He's a competitor," Dillingham said of Milton. "He wants to be on the field, let me tell ya. That dude wants to compete. But he also wants to win. And when he talked about wanting to let those guys get an opportunity, if the opportunity came about, that's what he wanted. He wanted to see those guys succeed.

"And that's just a testament to the person he is, and what he's about, and what he's done for the QB room. He's just shown up and been himself. He's not out there trying to be coach, he's not out there trying to be mentor, he's just going out there and being McKenzie Milton. And I've said it before, he's got a unique and special aura about himself that whether he's the starting quarterback or whether he's not on the field, people are going to gravitate toward him. People are going to learn and listen to him."

Milton does not hide the fact that he wants to be FSU's starting quarterback. The former UCF star has been a starter essentially his whole college career, so this has been brand-new territory for him.

The Hawaii native started three games for the Seminoles in September -- losses to Jacksonville State, Wake Forest and Louisville -- before being replaced by Travis before the Syracuse game.

He hasn't played a down the last three games, but Milton said he's making a point to stay ready just in case he's called upon once again.

"No matter what I'm doing, in my work, I'm approaching it as if I'm playing," Milton said. "I'm going to approach it the best I possibly can. To me, it doesn't really matter. Obviously, I want to play, but it's just one of those things. Jordan is our guy, so we're going to roll with him.

"If my number is called, I'll be ready. But last week in that situation it made the most sense for those guys (Purdy and Rodemaker) to go in there. You know, whatever way I can help the team, I'm going to do that."

Right now, the team is on a three-game winning streak and preparing to play the best defense on the schedule at Clemson this Saturday.

Milton said he likes the way the Seminoles are playing right now, and he believes the improvements are mainly due to attention to detail during practice.

"The biggest thing is we've got to be the hunter. We've got to bring the fight to them," Milton said. "Obviously, they're a storied program and they are who they are. So, we've got to go out and take it.

"They're not going to give us anything."

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