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Central Florida quarterback Dillon Gabriel has started his team’s last three games.
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UCF coach Josh Heupel said at his weekly Monday press conference that quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a freshman from Mililani, will not redshirt this season.
Gabriel has played in the Knights’ first four games and started the past three, including Saturday’s 35-34 loss at Pittsburgh.
He finished 25-for-42 for 338 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions against the Panthers, who ended UCF’s 25-game winning streak in the regular season.
Brandon Wimbush, who started the Knights’ opener at QB before getting hurt, played briefly against Pittsburgh.
A player can redshirt if he plays in four games or fewer and hasn’t used a redshirt season already.
“Dillon won’t redshirt,” Heupel said.
Gabriel took six sacks against Pitt and fell behind 21-0 before mounting a comeback. UCF held a 34-28 lead before Pitt’s winning TD in the final minute.
“I think young quarterbacks, finding out when is the right time to step up into the pocket and get out, when is the right time to throw away, those are all things that come with experience sometimes,” Heupel said. “There’s some things that he wants back, whether that’s a throw or moving in the pocket or running on a play where he’s outside of the pocket. Those are all things you continue to watch, learn and be better for.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to take care of the football. It’s one of the things that’s really important every football game. It’s really important when you’re on the road.”
The Knights host UConn on Saturday.