UCF linebacker Chance Henderson and guard Jah Reid don't care about how cold it might be for the UCF Football team's game in Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday.
"When you get out there and get the pads on …, you don't really feel the cold temperature," Henderson said.
What the Knights do feel is the last chance for consecutive victories this season.
UCF has a shot to finish 5-7 and at 4-4 in conference play, an achievement that would have seemed far-fetched three weeks ago.
Here are the keys to Saturday's game:
Catching corps
"I think they got excellent receivers, guys who are supposed to look like receivers," UCF head coach George O'Leary said of Memphis' receiving tandem of Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton.
Calhoun, the Tigers' leading receiver last season, is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and has 31 catches for 386 yards and a touchdown this season.
Singleton, who is 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, is massive and building on his 767-yard and 11-touchdown performance last season. Singleton leads the Tigers with 740 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
"I think our secondary corps will have their work cut out for them," O'Leary said.
While Calhoun has seen a drop in his production, he has caught a pass in all 34 of the collegiate games in which he has played.
UCF cannot boast the same type of consistency with its receivers.
Against Marshall, UCF receivers dropped several passes, something that will lead to them catching more balls in practice.
"You can only do two things," O'Leary said. "You either get more new receivers or make sure they catch 100 balls a day, which they catch about 50 a day now."
Quarterback consistency
Both the Tigers and the Knights have struggled with consistency at the quarterback position, but for two very different reasons.
While the Knights can't find a way to complete 50 percent of their passes, the Tigers can't find a way to have one man stay at the position.
Junior transfer Arkelon Hall started off the season strong, but he was injured on Oct. 18 against East Carolina. His backup, Will Hudgens, came in and was injured in the next series.
Memphis first turned to Brett Toney and then true freshman Tyler Bass.
The next week against Southern Miss, Bass tore his ACL late in the third quarter, and Toney was back in.
Hall may be available for Saturday's game, but his thumb fracture could hinder him in both the passing and running games.
The Tigers use several different trick plays, and nine players have attempted at least one pass, and eight players have completed a pass.
The Knights' problems at quarterback rest on injuries just slightly, with the only question being the status of Michael Greco's knee. But since it seems true freshman Rob Calabrese has solidified himself in the starting role, Greco's health may not matter.
"I thought he managed the game," O'Leary said of Calabrese's performance against the Thundering Herd. "Was everything exceptional? No. I see him improving, where the defense is starting to slow down a little bit, it's not rapid-fire for him anymore."
D for defense
While Clinton McDonald may not have billions and billions served, he has plenty of sacks. McDonald ranks 14th in the country in sacks per game, and he has accounted for seven of Memphis' 15 sacks.
McDonald is one of the bright spots on a Tigers defense that allows nearly 369 yards per game, which is 69th in the country.
But the Tigers have had trouble keeping Conference USA offenses off the scoreboard. They have allowed an average of 29 points in their conference contests, and only one team - Marshall - scored less than 26 against them.
UCF will rely heavily on its secondary to pull out a victory. O'Leary said that the team that plays the better pass defense will be victorious.
Both teams play mostly man-to-man defense and allow a similar number of yards through the air.
But the turnovers have been the difference. The Knights have picked off 17 passes and made several opposing quarterbacks look foolish. Senior safety Sha'reff Rashad leads the team with five interceptions, which is the amount the Tigers have as a team.
Final words
The Tigers have the 20th-best offense in the country, making them the fourth team in the top 35 of total offense that the Knights have faced this season.
Those other games - against UTEP, Tulsa and Southern Miss - came out as losses for the Knights, and they are hoping to break that trend.
UCF will also have a chance to avenge its loss in the Liberty Bowl last season to Mississippi State.
It all starts Saturday at 2 p.m.
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