ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida will try to refocus after an emotional victory and lock up a major bowl bid when it hosts surging Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 11 Knights outlasted South Florida 49-42 in an epic showdown last week and now hope to knock off No. 14 Memphis, which has won seven straight and averaged 53.6 points since a 40-13 loss to UCF on Sept. 30.
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TV: Noon ET, ABC. LINE: UCF -7
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“We’ve evolved. They’ve evolved,” Knights coach Scott Frost told reporters. “They had a lot of injuries on defense early on in the year and they’ve got some young guys who have improved as the year’s gone along. Schematically, they have some different tendencies on defense. Offensively they’re playing lights out. They’re an improved team from when we saw them the first time.”
UCF continues to grow as well, and sophomore quarterback McKenzie Milton has been at the forefront with 30 touchdown passes and a 69.1 completion percentage to lead the nation’s top scoring offense (48.3).
The Tigers, who have lost 10 straight to the Knights, are second in the country in points per game (47.0) as senior quarterback Riley Ferguson has thrown for 3,500 yards and 32 scores with senior wide receiver Anthony Miller hauling 14 touchdown strikes and accounting for more and a third of the yardage through the air.
“We’ve got to make sure we don’t turn the football over, we’ve got to communicate at a high level,” Memphis coach Mike Norvell told reporters. “It’s going to be a hostile atmosphere, we’ve got to make sure that everything with regards to how we’re executing is on point.”
ABOUT MEMPHIS (10-1, 7-1 AAC)
Ferguson has completed 62.2 percent of his throws and boasts 23 touchdown passes to go along with only three interceptions since the loss to UCF, in which he had three picked off.
Miller, who holds almost every school receiving record, registered 307 of his 1,212 receiving yards in the last two games and the Tigers are also rushing for more than 200 per game, led by sophomore Darrell Henderson (1,045 yards, eight TD on the ground).
The Tigers allowed fewer than 15 points in two of their last three games and must get another big effort on defense, led by sophomore defensive back Austin Hall (74 tackles).
ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (11-0, 8-0)
Milton accounted for 253 yards through the air with three touchdown passes and rushed for another 88 against Memphis in the first matchup, and has been intercepted only six times this season (13 times in 21 career outings).
Speedy sophomore Adrian Killins Jr. has rushed for more than 100 yards three times this season, including 115 against Memphis, while junior receiver Tre’Quan Smith boasts 48 receptions for 921 yards and 11 scores.
The Knights' defense has picked off 17 passes and recovered 10 fumbles to tie Miami (Fla.) for the national lead with a plus-17 turnover margin.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Central Florida junior DB Mike Hughes has returned a kickoff, a punt and an interception for a touchdown this season.
2. Miller caught at least one pass in 36 straight games and needs one to tie WR Phil Mayhue for second on school’s all-time list.
3. The Tigers can set a school record with their 11th victory and the Knights can match the 2013 team, which set a standard with 12 victories.
PREDICTION: Central Florida 41, Memphis 28