A look at UCF's bowl history as the Knights prepare to play the Gators on Dec. 23 in Tampa
When UCF plays the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23, it will be the 13th bowl in Knights history.
UCF is 5-7 all-time in bowls.
With eight wins this season, UCF bested Miami (7 wins), Florida (6 wins) and FSU (5 wins) to lead the state's major college football programs.
Here is a look at UCF’s Bowl history.
Hawaii Bowl: Nevada 49, UCF 48, OT
When: Dec. 24, 2005
What to know: In Honolulu, Matt Prater, who is still one of the NFL's best kickers, missed an extra point in overtime and the Knights lost their first-ever bowl game.
UCF running back Kevin Smith rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Brandon Marshall caught 11 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
Nevada racked up 623 yards of offense.
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Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State 10, UCF 3
When: Dec. 29, 2007
What to know: In Memphis, Tennessee, UCF scored first with a 45-yard field goal in the second quarter, and the game went to the fourth quarter tied at 3.
The Bulldogs scored a touchdown with 1:54 to play in the game, and UCF fell to 0-2 in bowl games.
St. Petersburg Bowl: Rutgers 45, UCF 24
When: Dec. 19, 2009
What to know: In St. Petersburg, Mohamed Sanu, the game's MVP, caught four passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in addition to rushing 14 times for 47 yards and two touchdowns to lead Rutgers.
UCF rushed for just 35 yards on 30 carries as the Knights fell to 0-3 in bowls.
Liberty Bowl: UCF 10, Georgia 6
When: Dec. 31, 2010
What to know: In Memphis, Tennessee, Latavius Murray scored the game’s lone touchdown in the fourth quarter and UCF’s defense held on for the Knights’ first bowl victory.
Murray rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries with one touchdown, earning him Liberty Bowl MVP honors.
Beef O'Brady's Bowl: UCF 38, Ball State 17
When: Dec. 21, 2012
What to know: In St. Petersburg, Latavius Murray and Blake Bortles were unstoppable in leading the Knights to a decisive victory.
Bortles threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Murray. Bortles and Murray each also ran for a touchdown.
Fiesta Bowl: UCF 52, Baylor 42
When: Jan. 1, 2014
What to know: In Glendale, Arizona, Big 12 champion Baylor played American Athletic Conference champ UCF in a 94-point shootout.
In victory, UCF became the biggest underdog victors in BCS history. Baylor had gone into the game as a 16.5-point favorite.
St. Petersburg Bowl: North Carolina State 34, UCF 27
When: Dec. 26, 2014
What to know: In St. Petersburg, UCF fell behind big and tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter with 14 points, but still fell short.
Current Miami Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett guided NC State to victory.
Cure Bowl: Arkansas State 31, UCF 13
When: Dec. 17, 2016
What to know: In Orlando, UCF was a surprise bowl participant after going 0-12 the year before. The Knights went 6-6 in the regular season to make it into the Cure Bowl in Scott Frost’s first year as head coach.
However, the Knights couldn’t contain Arkansas State QB Justice Hansen, who threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
Peach Bowl: UCF 34, Auburn 27
When: Jan. 1, 2018
What to know: In Atlanta, this was UCF’s signature bowl win, wrapping up an undefeated season that led to the Knights claiming their own national championship.
The College Football Playoff Committee denied UCF a spot in the Final Four, and the Knights ended up defeating the team — Auburn — that beat both teams that played for the national title — Georgia and Alabama.
UCF’s impressive quarterback Mackenzie Milton threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another.
Fiesta Bowl: LSU 40, UCF 32
When: Jan. 1, 2019
What to know: In Glendale, Arizona, after leading UCF to its second consecutive undefeated regular season, Mackenzie Milton suffered a gruesome injury against USF in the last game of the regular season.
Darriel Mack Jr. did an admirable job filling in, leading UCF to an AAC title victory over Memphis, but the Knights’ 25-game winning streak was snapped in the Fiesta Bowl by LSU and Joe Burrow, who threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns.
Gasparilla Bowl: UCF 48, Marshall 25
When: Dec. 23, 2019
What to know: In Tampa, UCF’s defense was on display, as Richie Grant intercepted a pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, and Tre’mon Morris-Brash returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown. The Knights led 21-0 after one quarter and never looked back.
Boca Raton Bowl: Brigham Young 49, UCF 23
When: Dec 22, 2020
What to know: In Boca Raton, future No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick quarterback Zach Wilson shredded UCF for 425 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson also ran for two scores and caught a 16-yard pass. These teams ordinarily would not play in the Boca Bowl, but the usual C-USA vs. Sun Belt matchup was scrapped in the season of COVID-19.
Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. UCF
When: Dec. 23, 2021
What to know: In his first season as UCF head coach, Gus Malzahn stewarded the Knights to an 8-4 season.
Despite losing starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the second game of the season, true freshman Mikey Keene showed steady improvement, helping the Knights make a bowl for the sixth season in a row.
Individual UCF bowl records
Most rushing yards in a game: Kevin Smith 202 yards (2005 Hawaii Bowl)
Most rushing touchdowns in a game: 3, Smith (2005 Hawaii Bowl) and Storm Johnson (2015 Fiesta Bowl)
Most passing yards in a game: 301, Steven Moffett (2005 Hawaii Bowl) and Blake Bortles (2014 Fiesta Bowl)
Most passing touchdowns in a game: 3, Moffett (2005 Hawaii Bowl), Blake Bortles (2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl) and Justin Holman (2014 St. Petersburg Bowl)
Most receiving yards in a game: 201, Brandon Marshall (2005 Hawaii Bowl)
Most receiving touchdowns in a game: 3, Brandon Marshall (2005 Hawaii Bowl), John Reese (2014 St. Petersburg Bowl)
Most tackles in a game: 11, Terrance Plummer (2014 Fiesta Bowl, Clayton Geathers (2014 St. Petersburg Bowl), Demeitre Brim (2016 (Cure Bowl)
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: A look at UCF's 12 bowl games prior to the 2021 Gasparilla bowl
