On the eve of the St. Petersburg Bowl, we take a quick glimpse at Rutgers opponent:

Team Name:  University of Central Florida Knights

Location:  Orlanda, Florida

Notable NFL Alumni:  Dante Culpepper, Brandon Marshall, Kevin Smith, Asante Samuel

Conference:  Conference USA

How they got to the St. Petersburg Bowl:

9/5 W vs. Samford 28-24                   9/12 L @ Southern Miss 26-19

9/19 W vs. Buffalo 23-17                    9/26 L @ East Carolina 19-14

10/3 W vs. Memphis 32-14               10/17 L vs. Miami 27-7

10/24 W @ Rice 49-7                         11/1 W vs. Marshall 21-20

11/7 L @ Texas 35-3                          11/14 W vs. Houston 37-32

11/21 W vs. Tulane 49-0                    11/28 @ W UAB 34-27

Final 2009 Record:  8-4

Best Win:  Houston.  Down 17-3 to the Top 15 Cougars, the Knights stormed back behind RB Brynn Harvey who ran for 139 yards and three touchdowns.  The Knight defense was able to limit the big plays from Heisman candidate Case Keenum as the Knights were strong down the stretch winning 5 of their last 6.

Worst Loss:  East Carolina.  Though Central Florida lacks a true "bad" loss, the worst of the bunch had to be the one to the Pirates.  East Carolina would eventually go on to win the division, but the way that the Knights turned the ball over made this loss tough to stomach.  They turned the ball over 5 times, including 4 Brett Hodges interceptions and still had a chance to win at the end.  If they can win that game, who knows where the Knights season goes from there.

Player to watch on offense:  Rutgers should be able to stop the aerial attack of the Knights, especially since they lack a mobile quarterback.  The load will be put on UCF RB Brynn Harvey who has rushed for over 1000 yards this season.  More importantly, the Knights have not lost a game in which Harvey has rushed for over 100 yards.  As Harvey goes, so will the Knights.

Player to watch on defense:  DT Torrell Troup.  Rutgers has struggled to move the ball on the ground all year, and things don't get much easier in this game.  Central Florida ranks 4th nationally against the run, and Troup is a big reason for that eating up space inside and providing gaps for the other lineman and linebackers to clog.  If UCF can stop the Scarlet Knights on the ground, it could be a long day for Rutgers.

The Skinny:  Rutgers and UCF took a similar course to get here relying on tough defense to both reach 8-4 records.  Central Florida has been scorching hot over the last 3 games on offense, averaging 40 points per game.  Hopefully the layoff has cooled off the UCF offense, but for George O'Leary's team this game is huge.  For the Knights to knock off a Big East foe would be a step in the right direction towards gaining momentum at a potential run at the Big East should they expand.