Beef 'O' Brady Bowl 2012: Ball State a formidable opponent for UCF

The Central Florida Knights enter the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl with a 9-4 overall record as they face the Ball St. Cardinals, who enter with a 9-3 record. The Cardinals' three losses on the season came against the Kent St. Golden Flashes, the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Clemson Tigers, who combined for an overall record of 33-5.

Knights head coach George O'Leary complimented the Cardinals on how they run their gameplan and on Cardinals coach Pete Lembo for how the team played this year:

"I was very impressed with Ball State on the tape I saw and the execution I saw," O'Leary said Thursday. "They put points on the board on everybody and they played stingy defense. I think Coach Lembo has done a great job . . . with his football program and his football team as far as being a total team - offense, defense and special teams."

The Beef 'O' Brady Bowl is one of only nine bowls in the lineup that features two teams with at least nine wins. The Knights will be looking for their second bowl win in program history, while the Cardinals will be looking for their first ever.

The Beef 'O' Brady Bowl will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersberg, Fla. on Friday, Dec. 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.