A year ago at this time, UCF was sitting at 0-12 and fresh off a head coaching search so the Knights even making a bowl game this season is pretty impressive.
Some of those old tendencies from 2015 came back to the team early on at the Cure Bowl however, with an offense stuck in neutral and a defense that gave up some big plays helping Arkansas State jump out to a 17-10 halftime lead in Orlando.
The Red Wolves kicked off their scoring run in the first quarter by blocking a punt and recovering the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. A 67 yard reception by Blake Mack setup a short field goal to extend their lead and then an interception put the Arkansas State offense in position to punch in another with a three play scoring drive taking advantage of the short field.
UCF clawed their way back into things though, taking over at midfield in the second quarter to setup a four play drive that was finished off by a McKenzie Milton touchdown pass to Taylor Oldham. The offense took advantage of a fumble recovery with just over two minutes to go in the half and Matthew Wright nailed a 45 yard field goal to keep the momentum going.
Penalties were a big reason why the Knights looked out of sync most of the game so far as they nearly hit double-digits when it game to getting flagged.
It should make for a fun second half as the both sides seemed to find their legs after a slow start and the game evened out on both sides just before the whistle.