This game was tight from start to finish with each team scoring just seven points in three of the four quarters. The Arizona State Sun Devils gave up a TD early in the 4th Qtr to fall behind 31-28 but scored one with under five minutes left to go up 35-31 and held on for their seventh victory of the season. It was a great win that they were able to pull off in spite of missing their 1,000+ yard rusher Cam Skattebo who was out with a shoulder injury. Sitting 4-2 in conference, they are in a virtual tie for fourth place in the Big-12 with No. 20 Kansas State who they will meet up with next Saturday on the road.
The Knights got the ball first and took a 7-0 lead at the end of a 13 play, 75 yard drive, and Senior RB RJ Harvey 8 yard TD run. It was his first of three on a day in which he rushed for 127 yards—over 70% of the team’s 177 yard total on the ground. After their drive stalled nine plays later at the UCF 40 yard line, Arizona State turned the ball back over on downs. But the Sun Devil defense dug in and UCF was held to a three-and-out, except their punt was blocked and Freshman DB Montana Warren ran it in for a touchdown and a 7-7 tie.
The Knights would score on their first two possessions of the 2nd Qtr. First on a 45 yard field goal by the Freshman PK Grant Reddick and secondly—after holding the Sun Devils to a three-and-out—on a 6 yard TD run out of the wildcat by their Sophomore QB Jacurri Brown to go up 17-7 with less than five minutes left to play in the half. Arizona State would come right back with a 9 play, 75 yard drive, and Sam Leavitt 4 yard TD pass to Junior TE Chamon Metayer to make it 17-14 with less than a minute left in the half. But just nine seconds later and with UCF starting from their 1 yard line after the kick-off, Sun Devil Junior DB Leterrance Welch intercepted Dylan Rizk’s pass and took it to the house for a 21-17 lead that held to the break.
Arizona State got the ball to start the 3rd Qtr but had to punt it back to UCF on both of their first two possessions. While the Knights got bogged down on their opening drive as well, they did score—aided by a face mask penalty—on five consecutive RJ Harvey runs to make it a 24-21 game with five minutes left in the 3rd Qtr. The Sun Devils would come right back eight plays later on a 9 yard Sam Leavitt to Jordyn Tyson TD pass to take the lead back 28-24 with under a minute left in the third. As I mentioned at the top, Arizona State gave up a TD early in the 4th Qtr to fall behind 31-28 but scored another TD with under five minutes left to go up 35-31 and held on for their seventh victory of the season.
For the Wildcats, Freshman QB Sam Leavitt connected on 16-of-25 for 161 yards and three TD’s—two to Jordyn Tyson who also collected 99 of those yards and one to Junior TE Chamon Meatier—without an interception while also rushing 11 times for 22 yards. On the ground Sophomore RB Kyson Brown led the way with 18 carries for 73 of the team’s 99 yard total. If you just looked at first downs, rushing yards, passing yards, 4th down efficiency and time of possession you would think that UCF won this game for sure. But those numbers don’t account for those two defensive TD’s that made all the different in this one.