FRIDAY
Georgia (6-6) vs. Central Florida (10-3), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Georgia by 6 1/2.
Series Record: Georgia 1-0.
Last Meeting: Georgia won 24-23 in Athens, Ga. on Sept. 25, 1999.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Georgia is trying to win a fourth straight bowl game and finish with a winning record. That would help salvage a promising season that turned into a 1-4 start with receiver A.J. Green suspended by the NCAA for selling a bowl jersey for $1,000. Central Florida is in its fourth bowl game ever, and the Knights want their first bowl victory to go with their Conference USA title for a program that didn’t start playing football until 1979.
KEY MATCHUP
UCF’s defense against Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray and Green. UCF led Conference USA in defense and ranked 18th in the nation allowing 318.08 yards. Two-time C-USA defensive player of the year Bruce Miller has 34 career sacks and returned two interceptions for TDs this year. But Murray ranked ninth in passing efficiency and 33rd in total offense, averaging 251.7 yards per game. He and Green will have to make up for RB Caleb King, one of three Bulldogs missing the bowl for academic reasons.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Georgia: OLB Justin Houston lead the Southeastern Conference with 10 sacks and was second in the league in tackles for loss with 18 1/2.
Central Florida: QB Jeff Godfrey. The true freshman ranks eighth in the nation in passing efficiency at 165.28 and was the C-USA freshman of the year. He also ranked sixth overall in percentage completion at 68.4 percent. He was 143 of 209 for 2,042 with 13 TDs and only six interceptions. He also ran for 10 more TDs.
FACTS & FIGURES
Georgia is in its 46th bowl all-time and is 26-16-3 in that time. Coach Mark Richt is 7-2. … The Bulldogs’ 23 seniors are trying to become the second straight senior class and third overall to go 4-0 in bowls, joining the 1997-2000 group and 2006-09. … Georgia ranks third in the SEC with a 96-33 record since Richt took over in 2001. … The Bulldogs have won five of their last seven. … UCF is the nation’s second-largest university behind only Arizona State. … The Knights come in tied for most victories in school history. … Coach George O’Leary is 44-44 in his seventh season at UCF. … The Knights lost their bowl debut 49-48 to Hawaii in overtime in 2005. This is their second berth in the Liberty Bowl. They lost 10-3 to Mississippi State in 2007.
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