UCF Football: 3 reasons Knights deserved shot at College Football Playoff

2. No Power Five defense can beat UCF at generating turnovers

For a team whose calling card was undoubtedly offensive firepower, the UCF defense sometimes got overshadowed. Some of that was justified, as the Knights gave up an average of 26 points and 428 yards of offense to their opponents. At the same time, though, the fact that Scott Frost’s team gave up so much yardage and so few corresponding points was telling in itself.

UCF was undoubtedly built around the same bend-but-don’t-break concepts as so many Nick Aliotti defenses that Frost saw on the opposite side of the ball leading practices in Eugene. Just like those Ducks teams, UCF made offenses pay by finishing second in the nation in turnovers gained.

The Knights ranked second in interceptions, finishing one pick behind Iowa in the final tally. They were one of a half-dozen teams with at least 20 interceptions in 2016. Along with Wyoming, they were the only two teams among that sextet to also rack up at least 10 fumble recoveries as well. UCF’s defense generated 12 fumble recoveries to finish just behind the Cowboys in total takeaways.

In the Peach Bowl, the Knights gave up 27 points and 421 yards, right around average. They also forced two Jarrett Stidham interceptions. Chequan Burkett returned one of them 45 yards for what proved to be the decisive score. That defense also managed to hold Auburn to just 90 rushing yards, giving Stidham plenty of space through the air but turning the Tigers one-dimensional.