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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Arkansas State senior wide receiver Kendall Sanders admits that he was pushed by his coaches and even teammates when he didnt want to be at times this season.The Texas transfer came around as the Red Wolves season progressed in his lone year with the program. Sanders finally put it all together in his final appearance Saturday night, catching five passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-13 rout of UCF in the AutoNation Cure Bowl.It was almost like vindication for Sanders who missed two years of football after leaving the Longhorns under the controversy of a sexual assault case in which he was acquitted last year.I just had to continue to fight, said Sanders, who also took home the Cure Bowl MVP. I just thank God for giving me another opportunity and I just tried to make the best of it.Sanders speed opened up opportunities for big plays all night with quarterback Justice Hansen connecting with Sanders on touchdown passing plays of 12, 75 and 17 yards for a career night. His 75-yard touchdown reception on the third play of the second half set the tone for remainder of the game as the Red Wolves (8-5) went up by a commanding 24-10 just 51 seconds into the third quarter.Sanders got by the safety, broke a tackle and outran the secondary to the end zone.Initially in my route I had to run a 20-yard route but I had just had the conversation with him (Hansen) and he was like just get past the safety, Sanders said. So I kind of cut it short and tried to past the safety so he could see me and he hit me right in stride. From there I just used my God-given abilities.It was a fitting ending to college career that was about perseverance.I really dont think he started out the season with too much confidence, he was rusty and had to get his feet underneath him, Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson said. What youve seen him do the last five or six weeks he started playing better and better. That explosive play we had on the very first series of the second half, we desperately needed that to gain the momentum back.The Red Wolves also received major contributions from their defense and special teams.Arkansas States defensive front, led by defensive end JaVon Rolland-Jones, swarmed UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton all night, giving him little time to find open receivers. But the special teams unit also came through big, contributing two turnovers that led to touchdowns and also blocking a punt for a touchdown.When you look at a team that is as good (defensively) as Central Florida is you know special teams has to come up huge, said Anderson.For first-year UCF coach Scott Frost the biggest takeaway was learning how much more his team has to grow to take the next step.We got to get a lot better, said Frost, who team finished the year 6-7. I think our payers gave us absolutely all they had and I think this group got about everything they could out of themselves.TAKEAWAYUCF: Clearly, Frost wasnt comfortable letting Milton throw the ball down field and that hurt the offense. Jawon Hamilton found little running room with Arkansas State stacking the box and the short passing game to TreQuan Smith rarely produced the desired results in a disappointing showing in front of the Knights home crowd.Arkansas State: While the special teams units made most of the highlight plays, the defense was dominant throughout. Defensive end JaVon Rolland-Jones and linebacker Chris Odom kept the pressure on Milton and didnt give Hamilton any running lanes.UP NEXTUCF: The Knights could be a contender for the American Athletic Conference title next year but Milton has to take some big steps, especially with his mechanics. Too often he throws off his back foot which leaves passes well short of the receiver. Defensively Frost will have to find a way to replace his entire secondary.Arkansas State: The Red Wolves lose quite a bit along the offensive line and on defense, but they have enough explosive players to run their string of postseason appearances to seven next season.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Cheap Air Max Sale .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Cheap Air Max Online . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. http://www.airmaxoutletsale.us/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Cheap Air Max Outlet . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Air Max Outlet Online . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. (STATS) -- With first place on the line in the competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference, North Dakota State and Youngstown State might have to overcome a key loss on the offensive end if they hope to pull out a critical victory.The Penguins are focused on redeeming themselves in their second conference showdown in three weeks after falling at South Dakota State on Oct. 22, but they may have to do it without quarterback Ricky Davis due to an undisclosed injury.Hopefully, we get off to a better start (than against the Jackrabbits) and dont get put behind the eight ball, YSU coach Bo Pelini said. You dont know how the game is going to go. You just never do.North Dakota State, meanwhile, could be missing leading rusher King Frazier after he injured his ribs in Saturdays 24-20 win at Northern Iowa. X-rays were negative, but the he might have cartilage damage and is questionable to play.The Jackrabbits, Bison and Penguins are currently tied atop the MVFC, but either No. 4 North Dakota State (7-1, 4-1) or No. 15 Youngstown State (6-2, 4-1) will be knocked from that perch on Saturday at the Fargodome. The Bison have won the past four meetings, including a thrilling 27-24 road win last November.Davis went 0 for 4 passing in that contest, though he ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. The junior has thrown for 864 yards and rushed for 340 in six games. If he cant go, Hunter Wells will make his second straight start after completing 13 of 26 passes for 101 yards with two interceptions in Saturdays 13-10 win over Indiana State.Wells, a more traditional pocket passer, has gone a combined 24 for 46 for 239 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his two career games against the Bison.They run a lot of the same sets but the ability of the quarterback to carry the football is quite a bit different between the two guys, NDSU coach Chris Klieman said. Well have to be prepared for two guys that can do different things.Fraziers potential loss would be a big one for Kliemans squad, which is struggling offensively. The senior has run for a team-leading 579 yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore running back Bruce Anderson is expected to miss another week.The Bison have averaged 20.7 poinnts and 332 total yards in their last three games after putting up 31 points and 440.dddddddddddd4 yards per contest over their first five. Sophomore quarterback Easton Stick tossed nine touchdowns and just two interceptions through the first five games, but hes now thrown just two scores with four picks over the past three.Stick threw for 176 yards and also ran in the go-ahead four-yard score with 35 seconds left in last years matchup.It certainly wont get any easier against the Penguins, who lead the conference in total defense with 276.1 total yards allowed per game. Avery Moss ranks second in the league with 8 1/2 sacks and third with 10 1/2 tackles for loss, while fellow senior defensive end Derek Rivers is third in sacks with eight and tied for fourth in TFL with nine.Its a great challenge, Klieman said. Everybody talks about their defensive ends -- theyre great players -- and Im really impressed with their front seven, but what really sets them apart is their ability to play man coverage.Youngstown State, however, is having its own troubles offensively as it ranks last in the MVFC at 23.9 points per game. The Penguins have averaged just 12.3 points in their last three after being held to 291 total yards by the Sycamores.We ran for almost 200 yards and moved the ball between the 20s a lot, Pelini said. We had opportunities for points. Obviously, we dont want to turn the football over and thats always (a concern). I thought we played better last week and did some good things, but you have to turn them into points. We just have to keep working to get better.Running backs Martin Ruiz and Jody Webb are a concern for Klieman, who saw Webb rush for a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries against the Bison last season. Ruiz is leading the way this year, ranking second in the conference with 86.9 rushing yards per game to go along with his seven touchdowns.YSU paces the league with an average of 237.8 rushing yards, but NDSU has held opponents to a MVFC-low 93.8 per game.Youve got to go in and earn it. It should be a good challenge, Pelini said. ' ' '