The UCF Knights take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves in the Cure Bowl Saturday. Here’s a preview and prediction for the game.
The 2016 Auto Nation Cure Bowl will feature a matchup between the University of Central Florida Knights and the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday evening at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
UCF comes into the game with a 6-6 record and was 2-2 in November. The Knights also lost their last two games of the season, but the team is looking to finish the year with a winning record for first-year coach Scott Frost. Making it to the Cure Bowl is a huge deal for UCF; just last season it finished 0-12, and with Frost’s guidance it has managed to turn the program around. The Kinghts’ big win against UConn was a boost to the program and is one of the main reasons they landed a bowl game in the first place. A win here would be their first win since the Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor in 2013.
UCF’s defense is led by twin brothers Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin. Shaquem is the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and he finished the season tied for 10th in the nation for sacks and tackles for loss.
Arkansas State was winless in September, starting the season 0-4 before a big turnaround against Georgia Southern that spurred a 6 game winning streak. The Red Wolves’ big win of the season came against Troy in a 35-3 shellacking. This is their sixth straight bowl appearance and they have won at least a share of the conference title in four of the last five years.
Keep an eye out for defensive end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones, who is just one sack away from breaking the school record for career sacks with 28. He leads the Sun Belt in sacks and tackles.
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Orlando, FL
Stadium: Camping World Stadium
TV Info: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBSSports.com
Keys to Victory
Arkansas State is a much more consistent team at this point of the season, giving them an edge over UCF. However, the Red Wolves struggled early on with fumbles and turnovers and UCF currently has the No. 40-ranked defense in the nation, which could pose a problem should the Red Wolves fall into their old ways.
The Red Wolves are 1-5 when they don’t score 30 points in a game, but 6-0 when they do. If the Knights can hold them to less than 30 points, there’s a good chance they might be able to pull off a win.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Arkansas State +5.5
Moneyline: Central Florida -220, Arkansas State +180
O/U: 49.5
Central Florida finished up 6-6 and 8-4 against the spread this season, while Arkansas State was 7-5 and 6-6 against the spread.
Predictions
Arkansas State comes into the game riding a six-game winning streak while Central Florida lost the last two games of the season. Despite a rough start to the season, the Red Wolves have worked out their issues and seem to have things figured out.
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This is basically a home game for UCF, so the crowd might play a big role in the result.