ORLANDO, Fla. -- Blake Anderson thought only he and his assistant coaches were bothered by talk of Arkansas State's recent struggles in nonconference games.
Turns out, it bothered his players, too.
" 'Coach, we're going to get it done,' " Anderson said they told him on Saturday at Camping World Stadium.
Without the benefit of much offense, ASU got the job done with stingy defense and aggressive special-teams play that sparked a 31-13 victory over Central Florida in the Cure Bowl.
Kendall Sanders caught 5 passes for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns -- including one to open both the third and fourth quarters -- to highlight a Red Wolves' offense that was held to a season-low 234 yards.
But a veteran defense filled with all-Sun Belt Conference picks and a special-teams unit consisting of dependable starters got Anderson his first bowl victory as a head coach and ended an eight-game skid against nonconference FBS teams that had lasted more than two years.
Anderson called it a relief that the streak had ended, then said the victory over an American Athletic Conference team was important even without the additional wrinkles.
"I just want to celebrate the win for what it is," he said. "It's [victory] No. 8. It's against a conference that's got a great brand, and against a program that's got a great name. To me, it's on its own merits. It's a huge win for us."
The Red Wolves' special teams and defense supplied plenty of merits.
Freshman safety B.J. Edmonds started the scoring by recovering a blocked punt in the end zone with 10:59 left in the first quarter.
Two of Sanders' touchdowns came after ASU's special teams recovered fumbles -- one on a kickoff return and another on a punt return -- and the defense held Central Florida to 223 yards and 12 yards rushing.
The defensive performance wasn't a surprise to senior cornerback Chris Humes, who said the unit had control from the very beginning.
"From Play No. 1," he said. "That's the standard. Shutdown defense."
Linebacker Xavier Woodson-Luster said he had a feeling it was going to be a good day before kickoff. Five ASU team captains returned from midfield after the pregame coin toss and said Central Florida's captains didn't shake their hands.
The added nudge sparked a team that was already fired up to end its nonconference frustrations.
"These guys didn't respect us," Woodson-Luster said. "We just wanted to prove a point. And it just gave us a little more edge and a little more fire when the ball was kicked off. It turned out great. We completed our goal."
As the offense sputtered early, the defense set the tone.
ASU (8-5) forced punts on UCF's first four drives, the second of which produced points when Johnston White broke around the edge to block a punt that Edmonds fell on in the end zone.
"Everything we got was going to be earned," Anderson said. "Nothing came easy."
It was ASU's first lead in a bowl game since it beat Ball State in the GoDaddy Bowl in 2014, the season before Anderson arrived.
Sawyer Williams, handling kicking duties because starter JD Houston was suspended for disciplinary reasons, made it 10-0 with a 22-field goal. Avery Johnson forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff return that Kirk Louis recovered to set up ASU's first offensive touchdown.
Quarterback Justice Hansen's floater over the middle was ripped from a defender's hands by Sanders for a 12-yard touchdown to make it 17-0 with 2:48 left in the first quarter.
A UCF field goal and an 11-yard pass from McKenzie Milton to Taylor Oldham made it 17-10 at halftime.
ASU defensive end Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, who had two sacks and a fumble recovery, said some subtle tweaks were made at halftime, but no major changes were made for a defense that was in control and confident.
Hansen hit Sanders on a slant that went 75 yards to open the second half and make it 24-10.
"Big plays lead to momentum," Hansen said. "And Kendall had a lot to do with it."
Hansen's 17-yard touchdown to Sanders on another slant opened the fourth quarter and made it 31-13. The sophomore quarterback capped his first season as a starter by completing 12 of 26 passes for 205 yards, most of which went to Sanders, a senior who got to ASU last year after a sexual-assault charge led to his dismissal from Texas. He was found not guilty in October 2015.
Sanders had just 33 receptions for 426 yards and 4 touchdowns in his first 12 games.
"He's always in my ear telling me to give him a chance and this and that," Hansen said. "Tonight, they were giving us a look, and I was giving him the ball, and he did the rest."
ASU was held to a season-low 29 yards rushing yards, but it was enough for a defense that was locked in from the start.
ASU sacked Milton six times before he was pulled from the game.
"They've been that way all year," Anderson said. "Every game we've won, every game we've been close in, even the ones we lost, you know we've leaned on that defense."
Sports on 12/18/2016