UCF will make around a four-hour trip from Orlando over to Tempe for its upcoming battle against ASU, and two coaches will reunite once again but go to battle on opposite sides of the field.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Knights head coach Gus Malzahn was the coach at Auburn from 2013-20 before taking up his current job at Central Florida, and Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham served as his offensive coordinator in 2019. The Tigers went on to go 9-4 in Dillingham’s lone season with the program until he joined Florida State the following year.
Dillingham has gone on to guide ASU to a 6-2 record after the Sun Devils were 3-9 in back-to-back seasons, and secured bowl eligibility for the first time under his leadership. After almost a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay, Arizona State crushed Oklahoma State 42-21 last Saturday to achieve the milestone.
Recollecting what Dillingham had provided to the coaching staff and program at Auburn, Malzahn spoke highly of what he did back then and how he is leading the Sun Devils to where they are currently.
“First of all, he has a dynamic personality and he is an extremely hard worker. He was a smart guy the year he was with me and he helped me out a whole lot,” Malzahn said at a press conference this week. “He knows football, he can relate to players, he’s got all the attributes to being a really good coach. It doesn’t surprise me he has got that thing going like he does and he’s got a good coaching staff around him.”
The Knights obliterated ASU’s arch-rival Arizona 56-12 last week to snap a five-game losing streak and are two wins away from joining the Sun Devils in being bowl-bound.
Even though this season hasn’t exactly gone to plan for his program, Malzahn wants to keep the momentum while still understanding the difficult test his team has in front of them on Saturday.
“We’re playing an Arizona State team who is 6-2, a really good team. Kenny Dillingham is doing a super job. He is from there and that’s his hometown. His team is playing with his personality,” Malzahn said. “Their defense I think is top 25 in the country, very good against the run and they’ll get after you. Then offensively, they have a running back (Cam Skattebo) that is one of the best in the entire country. It will be a good test for us, looking forward to going out West.”
Arizona State was picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 this season and has proved every doubter wrong, locking in a bowl game and knocking on the door of a ranking. UCF was predicted to finish eighth by the media.
With a long flight over to the desert, Malzahn believes the most significant challenge for the Knights is how they respond to the atmosphere that will be rocking at Mountain America Stadium.
“On the road, it’s going to be loud. Dillingham has that place where it’s going to be loud, those people are going to show up and we are going to have to handle the noise. That’ll be the biggest challenge I think,” Malzahn said.
Arizona State and UCF clash on Saturday at 5 p.m. MST.
ASU starting linebacker ruled out vs. UCF, Cam Skattebo remains ‘doubtful to questionable’
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
