What bettors need to know: St. Petersburg Bowl

Dec. 18, 2009 / By Covers.com

The second renewal of the St. Petersburg Bowl kicks off Saturday evening at Tropicana Field when Central Florida meets Rutgers in a battle of teams that finished the season with identical 8-4 records. The game is televised on ESPN.

Game time temperatures are expected to be in the low-to-mid 50s, with winds 10-15 mph out of the northwest. There is a 10 percent chance of rain. 

How they got here

When Rutgers' football players left Piscataway, New Jersey Tuesday morning it was 40 degrees and raining. When they arrived later that afternoon it was 83 degrees with clear skies.

"I love it down here. It's just gorgeous," coach Greg Schiano said.

The trip was a thousand miles more than the Central Florida traveled. UCF's journey was 97 miles via bus from Orlando to St. Petersburg.

Because of the close proximity from the campus in Orlando, UCF will hold a home-field advantage. It's not quite like playing at Bright House Networks Stadium, where the Knights are 13-6 (6-1 this season) since it opened in 2007, but the fan support will be in Central Florida's favor.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to play so close to our fans in St. Petersburg," head coach George O'Leary said. "It will be great to have a large fan base behind us as we go for our ninth victory against a quality team from the Big East Conference. It is a great opportunity and one that I know our players wanted."

Rutgers finished the 2009 season in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big East Conference. UCF finished in second place in the Conference USA East Division. 

Bowl history

In its brief two-year history, UCF is 1-1 in bowl games, with the underdog taking home the money in both contests. The Knights' last bowl appearance was in the 2007 Liberty Bowl where they lost 10-3 to Mississippi State as 3-point favorites.

Rutgers is bowling for the fifth straight year. The Scarlet Knights are 3-2 all-time in bowl games, including 3-1 straight up and against the spread behind Schiano.  They beat NC State, 29-23, as 6.5-point favorites in last year's Papajohns.com Bowl. 

Good Knights

UCF owns the fifth best rush defense in the land. The Knights allow 85 rushing yards per game, holding eight of their 12 opponents under 100 rushing yards this season.

Central Florida rewarded its backers in 2009, cashing nine of its 11 lined games, going 4-2 ATS against fellow bowl teams.

Rutgers defense ranks No. 18 in the land, allowing 312 yards per game. The Scarlet Knights held four opponents to season low — or second lowest — yards this year. 

Role call

UCF sophomore RB Brynn Harvey rushed for 1077 yards, gaining more than 100 yards five times this season. Harvey's 14 rushing touchdowns in 2009 are tied for second-most in Knights history.

Central Florida senior quarterback Brett Hodges, a Wake Forest transfer, compiled a 7-2 record as a starter and helped turn around a unit that ranked last in the nation in total offense in 2008.

Rutgers 6-foot-5 freshman QB Tom Savage completed 94 of 84 attempts for 1268 yards and 10 TDs this season. His prime target, senior receiver Timmy Brown led the Knights with 51 receptions for 1051 yards and eight touchdowns.  Brown missed most of the season finale against West Virginia with a badly sprained ankle but is expected to play tonight. 

In his honor

UCF coach O'Leary lost his brother, Terry, to a battle with cancer last Friday.

"I still think it's a dream," O'Leary said. "It's hard to realize he's gone."

O'Leary took time off from St. Petersburg Bowl preparations to join his family and long-time friends for memorial services last Sunday and Monday in Walton, N.Y.

"Probably one of the tougher things I had to do was the eulogy," O'Leary said.

Handicap this

The dog is 2-0 SU and ATS in Central Florida bowl history.

UCF is 0-13 SU and 2-11 ATS versus Big East opposition.

Rutgers is 13-2 ATS with a winning record versus non-conference opponents under Schiano.