Knights' await unfamiliar opponent in AutoNation Cure Bowl

It’s been 25 years since the UCF Knights faced the Arkansas State Red Wolves — the only other time the teams have met. The Knights won that day in Jonesboro, Ark. By 31-20, when Willie English set a UCF record rushing for 242 yards. Saturday evening they face the Red Wolves again in the AutoNation Cure Bowl.

The Knights are a far different team than they were on Oct. 5, 1991. They were in NCAA Division I-AA, now the Football Championship Subdivision. They were years away from their breakthrough recruitment of NFL-bound quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who would catapult them onto a national stage for the first time. They had never appeared in a bowl game, let alone won one.

Now the Knights are days away from their eighth bowl game in school history. The Knights are 3-4 all time, but also 3-1 in their last four bowl games.

When the Knights reversed the curse of a winless 2015 with a bowl-bound 2016 after beating Cincinnati for their sixth win in early November, head coach Scott Frost said the changed Knights had turned into believers.

“After a tough season they were just hungry for a new direction and because of that they bought into everything we're asking [them] to do,” Frost said. “And it's their work ethic and their character that's gotten us here."

The Knights in 2016 have been masters of the turnaround, going from the worst offense in the nation in 2015 to adding more than 100 yards per game to their offensive output. They went from No. 115 in the nation in creating turnovers to No. 10. They’re No. 3 in the nation in red-zone defense, allowing a touchdown just 46 percent of the time opponents make it inside the 20. And once they’re in the red zone, the Knights are relentless, scoring 91 percent of the time to make them No. 14 in the nation.

That defense-heavy Knights team faces one of the best defenses they’ve seen this season. The Red Wolves allowed just 22 points per game this season, ranking in at No. 24 in the nation, though many of their opponents would go on to have losing records in weaker conferences. The Red Wolves have two defenders who rank in the top 20 in tackles for loss and sacks. The Knights have allowed 30 sacks this season, putting them all the way down at No. 95 in the nation in preventing sacks.

They’ll need to rely on the mobility of their quarterback, or quarterbacks, to outwit the sack-heavy Arkansas State defense. In their final game of the regular season, against USF, they used their frequent 2016 starter of McKenzie Milton for most of their snaps, but their most exciting moments may have come from their backups. Senior Justin Holman only saw limited playing time after the Knights were destroyed 51-14 by Michigan on Sept. 10. He made the most of his three chances to throw the ball again Nov. 26 against USF, throwing a 41-yard TD pass. Tristan Payton, who has spent nearly his entire football career as a receiver, threw a 72-yard touchdown pass in the same game. In just five pass attempts those two backup QBs generated 113 passing yards.

The game starts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Camping World Stadium, formerly the Florida Citrus Bowl, and formerly the Knights’ home. It’ll be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and 96.9 The Game.