CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL
UCF KNIGHTS vs. AUBURN TIGERS
Monday, Jan. 1
12:30 p.m. ET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
(73,000/Natural Grass)
Atlanta, Georgia
Television
ESPN
Dave Flemming, Brock Huard and Allison Williams
National Radio
ESPN Radio
SiriusXM 80
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic
UCF Radio
WYGM-FM 96.9 (flagship)
10/10 UCF
12-0, 8-0 American
Head Coach
Scott Frost (Nebraska ’97)
20-7, second season
Notes
UCF enters the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl as the nation’s only unbeaten team … The Knights are making their ninth bowl apperance in program history and their second appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl game … UCF won the 2014 Fiesta Bowl against Baylor (52-42) to cap the 2013 season … The Knights are 3-5 all-time in bowl games and have dropped their last two … The Knights hae won 12 games for the first time since the 2013 season … The 12-game winning streak is a program record for UCF and it ranks as the second-longest winning streak in American Athletic Conference history, behind Memphis’ 15-game streak (Oct. 25, 2014 to Nov. 7, 2015) … UCF leads the nation in scoring (49.4 ppg) … The Knights have scored at least 30 points in all 12 games this season, marking the longest active streak with 30 or more points … UCF’s national ranking of No. 10 in the coaches’ poll is the highest for the Knights in program history, matching the final ranking of the 2013 Associated Press poll … Head coach Scott Frost, the consensus national coach of the year, has led the Knights’ bowl preparations and will coach UCF against Auburn despite his taking the head coaching job at Nebraska followingThe American Championship … Josh Heupel has been named to succeed Frost as head coach … QB McKenzie Milton has 3,795 passing yards and 35 touchdowns with nine interceptions to go with 497 rushing yards and seven TDs on the ground … Milton is ranked second nationally in pass efficiency (184.8) behind only Baker Mayfield … RB Adrian Killins Jr. leads the team in rushing with 762 yards and 10 TDs and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry … RB Otis Anderson has averaged 7.9 yards per carry and has four touchdowns … WR Tre’Quan Smith has 54 catches for 1,082 yards and 13 touchdowns … The leader on defense is LB Shaquem Griffin, a second-team AFCA All-America pick who has 62 tackles to go with 10.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2017 … CB Mike Hughes, and S Kyle Gibson have four interceptions each … Hughes has scored touchdowns on an interception return, punt return and two kickoff returns in 2017.
7/8 AUBURN
10-3, 7-1 SEC
Head Coach
Gus Malzahn (Henderson State ’90)
45-21, fifth season at Auburn
54-24, sixth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Auburn will make its 42nd bowl appearance in program history and its fifth straight under head coach Gus Malzahn … Auburn will play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the sixth time as the Tigers look to improve to 5-1 in the bowl … Auburn has faced a current member of the American Athletic Conference twice in bowl games, falling to Houston in the 1969 Bluebonnet Bowl and defeating Memphis in the 2015 Birmingam Bowl … The game against UCF will be Auburn’s second straight contest at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, coming on the heels of the SEC Championship against Georgia … Auburn’s log of impressive wins includes a 40-17 decision against Georgia, when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 2, and a 26-14 victory against then-top-ranked Alabama to clinch the SEC West Division … Auburn is one of four teams nationally that has averaged more than 225 rushing yards and 225 passing yards, along with USF, Louisville and Ohio State … The Tigers have not allowed more than 27 points in a game this season … OG Braden Smith was chosen as a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press, Walter Camp and the FWAA … K Daniel Carlson was a first-team All-America pick of Walter Camp … QB Jarrett Stidham has completed 218 of 327 passes for 2,827 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions … Stidham leads the SEC with a 66.7-percent completion rate … The leading rusher is RB Kerryon Johnson, who has 1,320 yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games and is averaging 120.0 yards per game … WR Ryan Davis has team highs with 76 receptions, 768 yards and five touchdown catches … The defense is led by LB Deshaun Davis, who has 75 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss … DE Jeff Hollad has registered 9.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss to go with four forced fumbles … Carlson has made 21 of 28 field goal attempts and is 12 of 14 from inside 40 yards … Carlson has it four field goals of at least 50 yards this season … The game against UCF completes a stretch of three opponents for Auburn with a combined record of 35-2 (Alabama is 11-1, Georgia is 12-1 and UCF is 12-0) … The two losses by those teams have been at the hands of Auburn.