Florida International @ Central Florida preview

Florida International at Central Florida

Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2016 ) Central Florida 53, Florida International 14

Central Florida kicks off Year 2 of the Scott Frost era Thursday against visiting Florida International, a Conference USA squad hoping to be energized by the hiring of onetime University of Miami coach Butch Davis. UCF has increased expectations of its own after making strides last season, going 6-7 with a Cure Bowl defeat after a winless 2015 campaign.

Frost's up-tempo offense, a work in progress a year ago, rang up 501 yards -- 276 rushing, 225 passing -- and seven touchdowns (six rushing) in last season's crushing 53-14 victory over FIU. But these Panthers, despite returning 15 starters, may look nothing like that demoralized squad thanks to Davis and his new coaching staff. "We'll watch a few games from last year for personnel reasons and then we're trying to find whatever tape we can to try to have the best guess at what they're going to do," Frost told reporters. "It's a challenge, but typically in your first game, you're going to run what we've been practicing with fall camp anyway." UCF was one of the nation's most-improved teams in 2016 and can't afford to stumble in winnable games if it wants to compete for the American Athletic Conference East Division title.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Central Florida -17

ABOUT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (2016: 4-8): Despite his six-year coaching hiatus after he was fired by North Carolina in July 2011 because of an NCAA investigation, Davis brings optimism to a team that began last season 0-4 then rallied to win four of its last eight games. The offense has some talent led by star running back Alex Gardner, the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,272 career yards after running for 930 last season, but senior quarterback Alex McGough needs more protection up front (30 sacks allowed) to help him cut back on his mistakes after he threw 11 picks a year ago. The defense allowed 34.8 points per game last season, but Davis is a defensive specialist and the unit returns nine starters spearheaded by the senior linebacking tandem of Treyvon Williams and Anthony Wint, the team's top tacklers a year ago with 109 and 108, respectively.

ABOUT UCF (2016: 6-7): Quarterback McKenzie Milton gets the nod once again after throwing for 1,983 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a freshman last season. An improved offensive line figures to make his job easier as will the return of star wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith, who hauled in 57 catches for 853 yards and five scores. Still, the success of the Knights may rest heavily on a defense that returns only four starters but one is outside linebacker Shaquem Griffin, the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year who did it all in 2016 with 11.5 sacks, 92 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, seven broken-up passes and two forced fumbles.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Last year, UCF became only the eighth team in NCAA FBS history to have gone from winless to a bowl game in one season.

2. The Knights have won eight of their last nine home openers, with the lone defeat coming to FIU 15-14 in 2015.

3. Milton set a UCF freshman record for completions with 194 in 336 attempts over 10 games.