Cure Bowl, UCF vs. Arkansas State: Highlights, score and recap

The Arkansas State Red Wolves beat the UCF Knights in the 2016 Cure Bowl with a commanding 31-13 win, finishing their season with an 8-5 record while UCF falls to 6-7 on the season.

The 2016 Cure Bowl was a battle between seasoned bowl veterans Arkansas State and a UCF Knights team looking to prove a point after going 0-12 in 2015. Arkansas State jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, much to the consternation and frustration of the UCF fans who booed and started to leave. UCF rallied in the second quarter to bring the score within 10 points, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the Red Wolves from running away with the game.

First Quarter: Arkansas State 17, UCF 0

Arkansas State is the only team in the FBS that hasn’t allowed any points on their opponents’ opening drive. During the Knights’ first drive the Red Wolves almost managed a safety that forced the Knights to punt from within the end zone. The Red Wolves got on the board early after DB Brandon Williams blocked a UCF punt that was recovered by BJ Edwards in the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point was good and Arkansas State was up 7-0, with momentum working in their favor. Later in the quarter, Red Wolves’ Sawyer Williams kicked a 22 yard field goal to bring Arkansas State up 10-0. Red Wolves Quarterback Justice Hansen connected with Kendall Sanders for a 12-yard touchdown. The Red Wolves ended the quarter up 17-0.

Second Quarter: Arkansas State 17, UCF 7

The ball changed hands back and forth in the second quarter until Knight’s quarterback McKenzie Milton connected with wide receiver Taylor Oldham who ran it in 11 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was good and the Knights were on the board 17-7. That was the first career touchdown catch for senior Oldham. The Knights got their first sack of the night when Evans managed to catch Hansen at the 38 yard line. Shortly thereafter the Knights managed to knock the ball loose from the Red Wolves and recover it deep in Arkansas State territory. Matthew Wright was called in for a 45 yard field goal attempt. His longest this season was 50 yards and he made this one easily, putting UCF into the game 17-10.

Third Quarter: Arkansas State 24, UCF 13

Less than a minute into the third quarter Hansen completed a pass to Kendall Sanders who took it to the house for a 75-yard touchdown. Williams’ extra point attempt was good, extending the Red Wolves lead to 24-10. UCF’s Wright came in for a 34-yard field goal, bringing it to 24-13.

Fourth Quarter: Arkansas State 31, UCF 13

Once again the Red Wolves pounced in the first minute of the quarter, this time with a Hansen toss to Sanders for a 17-yard touchdown run to put the Wolves up 30-10. Williams nailed the extra point and Arkansas State was up 31-13, and that’s where the score stayed for the remainder of the game.

Highlights

Three Stars

1. Kendall Sanders, Arkansas State: Kendall Sanders had a season-capping performance in the Cure Bowl. With 127 yards and three touchdowns, Sanders was responsible for the majority of the points scored in the game. While UCF’s quarterback struggled to connect, Sanders and Red Wolves quarterback Justice Hansen were moving like a well-oiled machine through the game.
2. Justice Hansen, Arkansas State: Quarterback Justice Hansen was 12 for 26, with 205 yards in the game. He connected with Kendall Sanders for three touchdowns and gave the Red Wolves defense plenty of buffer room to maintain their lead throughout the game. Two of his three touchdowns came within the first minute of the third and fourth quarters.
3. Taylor Oldham, UCF: The fifth-year senior wide receiver caught his first passing touchdown in the Cure Bowl, which ended up being the only touchdown of the game for UCF.

Game aside, the Cure Bowl raises money for breast cancer research. Pictures of players and coaches impacted by breast cancer were shared throughout the game, and game sponsor AutoNation kicked in a $1.15 million dollar check to benefit breast cancer research. When asked what the Cure Bowl means to Arkansas State before the game, Coach Anderson said “That’s huge. We talked about it all week. We’ve got a lot of guys, maybe half our team, that have been affected by it somewhere along the way, either an aunt, grandmother, mom or sister. I think they’re proud to be doing something that’s bigger than football. We’d love to see a big check written.”

With all proceeds from the Cure Bowl going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, this is one bowl game where, despite the final score, everyone wins.