Five things we learned from UCF's Peach Bowl victory

ATLANTA - This was a game where no one could get a solid read on because of all of the unique variables surrounding each team; particularly the unusual situation surrounding Scott Frost and his staff’s final sendoff with Central Florida.

But as soon as the opening kickoff was up, it became immediately clear that the Knights had zero fear of the big, bad SEC power Auburn.

While UCF’s offense sputtered early, its defense came out with a fire and aggressiveness most outsiders would never have predicted. The Knights sacked Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham six times, including five in the first half alone, and held the Tigers to just six points at halftime.

The only other team to hold Auburn to less than seven points in a first half this season was defending national champion, Clemson.

The performance showed just how dialed in Central Florida was for one of the most important games in program history. Even with all of the outside distractions, Frost and his staff had UCF more than ready to answer the challenge.

Star quarterback McKenzie Milton didn’t have his best day throwing the football, but still finished 16-of-35 for 242 yards and two touchdowns. But while it took a while to get things going through the air, he made up for it with his ability to run.

Milton ended the day rushing for a game-high 116 yards on 13 carries, including an 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

That all came on a combination of designed runs and improv scrambles, and with defenses required to devote so much attention in coverage vs. Frost’s offense, there were some huge running lanes for Milton to exploit.

Nebraska’s offense obviously lacked that element this season, but there’s no doubt it will be brought back in a major way in 2018 regardless of which quarterback ends up under center.

If there was one area that was maybe the biggest concern for Central Florida going into the game, it was how its defense would hold up against by far the biggest and most physical offensive line it had seen this season.

While Auburn eventually wore the Knights down in the second half after holding an 87-71 edge in total plays and a nearly 10-minute advantage in time of possession, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander’s group held up a lot better than many would have expected.

This was a UCF defense that had been a hot topic among Nebraska fans since Frost announced he was bringing Chinander and the rest of his defensive coaching staff with him to Lincoln. Central Florida had been torched in its previous two games to the tune of a combined 97 points and more than 1,400 yards.

But the way the supposedly overmatched Knights held up just fine against the Tigers helped ease many of those concerns. Despite how often UCF’s defense was on the field, it allowed a manageable 421 yards and only 20 of Auburn's 27 points. Most importantly, the three forced turnovers served as the most significant x-factors of all.

On by far the biggest stage of his young head coaching career, Frost showed exactly why so many others in the profession think so highly of his future.

Not only was Central Florida extremely well prepared despite he and his staff working double duty between UCF and Nebraska, Frost put his creativity and confidence as a play caller on display against a stout Auburn defense.

Even though the passing game struggled early, the problems were mainly poor throws and dropped balls. Once Milton and his receivers started clicking, the Knights racked up 411 yards, including 285 in the second half alone.

Along with the designed quarterback runs and a heavy dose of screen passes, Frost showed he’s not afraid to shake things up a bit. One play in particular came on a third-and-10 early in the second quarter at the Auburn 36.

Coming out of a timeout, UCF sent a receiver in motion to the left and then ran a keeper to Milton the other direction off right tackle. Milton broke it for a 22-yard gain and led to a field goal to tie the game.

The decision to go with a quarterback run in that situation said a lot about Frost’s craftiness as a play-caller.

During the head coaches’ Peach Bowl press conference on Sunday, Frost stated that the most important stat in football was the turnover margin, a category Central Florida dominated this season, ranking second in the country at +15.

That theory proved truer than ever in the win over Auburn, as the Knights won the turnover battle 3-1, and their two interceptions and one fumble recovery resulted in 14 points and clinched the game in the final seconds.

A fumble recovery in the second quarter set up UCF’s first touchdown to take a 10-3 lead, and then linebacker Chequan Burkett made arguably the biggest play of the game with a 45-yard pick-six with six minutes left in the game.

Finally, Antwan Collier sealed the victory with an interception in the end zone with just 24 seconds to play.

Central Florida had some issues giving up lots of points and yards at the end of the season, but they end the year with an impressive 32 forced turnovers, showing that taking the ball away is a crucial staple in everything it does defensively.