TEMPE – Without Cam Skattebo, ASU was in the middle of a tough clash with UCF until a clutch touchdown catch by Jordyn Tyson late sealed a 35-31 Sun Devils win on Saturday night.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Sam Leavitt completed 16-of-25 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns, Tyson scored twice and Arizona State’s (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) defense came up big with two touchdowns in the victory. UCF star running back R.J. Harvey ran for 127 yards on 25 attempts and punched home three touchdowns for the Knights (4-6, 2-5 Big 12).
Here are some takeaways from ASU’s fifth straight win at home:
-Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, especially ASU. The Sun Devils only produced 103 yards of offense and scored one touchdown, a four-yard catch in the end zone by Chamon Metayer. UCF had 227 yards as a team and Dylan Rizk completed 18-of-24 passes for 161 yards.
-The Sun Devils recorded their first blocked punt that turned into a touchdown since Eno Benjamin did it back on Nov. 11, 2017 against UCLA. UCF punter Mitch McCarthy tried to belt the ball across the field before Martell Hughes blocked the attempt and Montana Warren returned it for a 46-yard touchdown.
-After a three-touchdown performance against Arizona last week, Harvey did it again with another three touchdowns and continues to be one of the best running backs in not just the Big 12, but in the nation. Before kick-off, Harvey ranked third in running yards (1,201) and yards per game (133.9) in the country. His lowest yards rushed in a game this season was 75 against Florida.
-Arizona State’s defense contributed on offense again courtesy of a pick-six by LT Welch in the second quarter after a failed safety challenge. Rizk tried to find an open receiver at the half-yard line ahead of the end zone and Welch swooped in to intercept the ball the other way.
ASU pick-six | Arizona State 21-17 UCF
After a failed challenge on a safety, the Sun Devils got a pick-six courtesy of L.T. Welch and the Sun Devils defense has now scored twice.#ASU #SunDevils #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/fk6AAti1EU
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) November 10, 2024
-UCF had five false start penalties in the first half, losing a total of 25 yards.
-ASU really missed Skattebo on offense in the first half, not clicking on all cylinders as the team has done for most of the season. Skattebo was out with an undisclosed injury after leaving the game against Oklahoma State in the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-11 running back reached 1,001 rushing yards on the year, scored three touchdowns and collected 274 yards in total in the win last Saturday, being named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week in the 42-21 victory.
-Jordyn Tyson didn’t record a reception until 3:33 left in the first half, but made multiple, explosive catches when he did. As the second-best offensive weapon for Leavitt besides Skattebo statistically, he corralled at least four catches for 10 or more yards. This season, Tyson has 558 receiving yards, 39 receptions and five touchdowns.
ASU Touchdown | Arizona State 35-31 UCF
The back and forth affair continues as Sam Leavitt connects with Jordyn Tyson the second time, a 13-yard touchdown.#ASU #SunDevils #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/e5Gp3CZ413
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) November 10, 2024
-The Sun Devils were 6-for-12 after starting 1-for-5 on third-down conversions, having to punt the ball away due to the offensive discombobulation.
-Almost every time the Knights entered the red zone, Rizk would head to the sidelines and make way for Jacurri Brown. Known for being a mobile quarterback, Brown was able to dash toward his left for a touchdown and hand the ball off to Harvey for another score.
-In place of Skattebo, Kyson Brown played the majority of the offensive snaps, rushing 18 times for 73 yards. Prior to the game, Brown racked up 29 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, both touchdowns coming from the Oklahoma State win.
-Needing crucial stops with the differential so close, Myles Rowser and Xavion Alford stuffed Harvey from converting a pivotal fourth-down conversion with ASU up 35-31 and 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. Off of the turnover on downs, ASU was near the red zone before running down the clock.
-UCF produced 406 yards while ASU finished with 260, but the Sun Devils were able to play complimentary football in the second half to get the result.
-With the win, it gives Arizona State seven wins in its first nine games for the first time since 2014 (8-1), a 5-0 home record for the first time since 2013 (7-0) and is inching closer and closer to being near the top of the Big 12 rankings. The Sun Devils are currently in a four-way tie for second at the time of reporting.
In a back-and-forth battle to the final second, Arizona State pulls off a 35-31 win over UCF, improving to 7-2 on the season.#ASU #SunDevils #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/KLn3yHvM7r
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) November 10, 2024
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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
