LSU Football: 5 reasons Tigers are on upset alert vs UCF

2. UCF has a loaded backfield to take on the LSU front seven

Last year in the Peach Bowl, UCF ran for 169 yards against an Auburn team that allowed fewer than 135 yards per game through the regular season. McKenzie Milton led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

This year, the Knights won’t have to rely as heavily on their quarterback to produce rushing yards. That is because, unlike last season, UCF has a deeper stable of running backs that create the strongest Group of Five backfields in the entire country.

Greg McCrae led the way for the Knights on the ground, finishing with more than 1100 yards running the ball. He supplanted last year’s top running back, Adrian Killins Jr., as the top threat in the backfield. Even so, Killins added 698 yards and is on pace to surpass his season total from the 2017 campaign.

The Knights also boast role players in the backfield like converted receiver Otis Anderson, senior back Taj McGowan, and Mack at quarterback. With such a deep stable of talent running the ball, UCF has the chance to do to LSU what they did to Auburn last year after the Tigers from Baton Rouge enter the Fiesta Bowl with even more yards conceded than last year’s opponent.