By Jacob Seliga
Lead Writer
Saturday night’s contest between Arizona State and UCF was billed as a matchup between an offensive master and his protégé, as Gus Malzahn and Kenny Dillingham met for the first time as opposing coaches.
The duo was first connected during the 2019 season when Dillingham served as the offensive coordinator under Malzahn at Auburn University.
In Saturday night’s battle of offensive wits, the protégé Dillingham out-dueled his teacher as the Sun Devils improved to 7-2 overall (4-2) with a 35-31 victory over UCF.
However, it wasn’t the offense of the Sun Devils leading the way. Initially, the unit sputtered in its first two drives and the lone spark the team received came from freshman linebacker Martell Hughes.
On a punt attempt by UCF, Hughes broke through the Knights protection and blocked the kick, which was scooped up by Montana Warren for a 46-yard touchdown.
“Montana shows up and works and works and works, those are the guys you should get hyped about because he does the things that are needed to win,” said Dillingham.
From there, the Knights moved the ball with relative ease, as the UCF offense had 207 yards of offense in the half, scoring two touchdowns on long sustained drives.
However, it was the final four minutes of the first half that flipped the switch for Arizona State.
After being bottled up on both initial series of the game, Sam Leavitt led a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 4-yard touchdown reception by Chamon Matayer that cut UCF’s lead to 17-14 with 56 seconds remaining in the first half.
On the ensuing play, Knights kick returner Christian Peterson muffed the kickoff and narrowly avoided a safety after being ruled down at the 1-yard line.
“It shows we can play really good special teams, do your thing and it gives guys confidence that all the little things are important,” said Dillingham.
Sun Devil defensive back LT Welch jumped in front of an errant pass by UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk, returning it for an Arizona State touchdown. This 14-point swing just before halftime turned a 17-7 deficit into a 21-17 lead for the Sun Devils.
“That was my first ever pick six and I’m glad I was able to do it and put my team in position to take the lead,” said Welch.
Coming out after halftime, the Sun Devils -- just like in the first half -- could not sustain any drives or establish a rhythm and the Knights were able to capitalize.
Running back RJ Harvey, who had been bottled up in the first half, began to have his way against the Sun Devil defense as he rushed in a touchdown that gave UCF a 24-21 lead halfway through the third quarter.
Quickly, though, Arizona State stole back all momentum with a 75-yard drive highlighted by a 29-yard third-down conversion by Jordyn Tyson.
That was only one good play, however, as he hauled in a 9-yard touchdown reception later and gave the Sun Devils a 28-24 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Once again, Harvey would not be denied, as he rushed his way down the field for another Knights' touchdown. This time, he rushed in a 13-yard score, his third touchdown of the game to put the Knights up 31-28 early in the quarter.
With the Knights controlling the momentum, UCF stuffed the Sun Devils on their next possession, forcing a punt. The Knights received the ball past midfield and were given a chance to put the game out of reach.
But, needing a stop, defensive tackle CJ Fite made the big play, as he stuffed Harvey on a third down to force a Knights field goal attempt that would be no good.
Momentum finally was firmly on the Devils side and the offense took advantage.
Leavitt got the drive going with a pass that led to a pass interference by the Knights and he used both his arm and legs to march the Sun Devils down the field.
With a first and 10 at the UCF 13-yard line, Tyson once again hauled in a massive touchdown reception over the defender to take a 35-31 lead with under five minutes to go.
“Sam is a dog, a proven winner, whenever we need a big play or a big drive he’s going to get it done,” said Tyson.
Needing another stop to effectively seal the game, the defense stepped up when it mattered most.
Fite, just like on the previous drive made, a massive play as on second down, sacking Rizk to force a long third down.
The Knights' quarterback went on to hit receiver Jarrad Baker, who was stopped short of the first down to set up the play of the game.
On a fourth down where the Sun Devils needed a stop in order to ice the game, Myles Rowser came down from his safety spot to stuff Harvey in the backfield and sealed the game for Arizona State.
“We had to be ready for any play that Gus would run, that’s a situation where he has 3-4 plays ready whether it’s the toss sweep, triple option, or a run to the boundary and we were ready for it,” said Dillingham.
What’s Next: Arizona State at No. 19 Kansas State, 5PM, ESPN
Now, the Sun Devils will travel to Manhattan for a big-time showdown that may be a contest between two ranked teams.
This matchup looks like a Big 12 championship elimination game, as both teams will enter the contest with two losses in conference. For the Sun Devils, a victory would all but set up the senior day matchup against No. 9 BYU as a potential College Gameday and national spotlight matchup.
The Wildcats are one of the more dangerous offensive units in the conference led by quarterback Avery Johnson. But they have a defense that is prone to giving up a big play. If the Sun Devils are healthy, a magical season could reach another level next week.
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