Great postgame notes here from the official site
- By Hod Rabino
- Devils' Huddle
- 0 Replies
THE ASU VICTORY…
- Gave ASU seven wins in its first nine games for the first time since starting the 2014 season with an 8-1 record.
- Kept ASU undefeated at home this year, improving to 5-0. It is the first time the Sun Devils started 5-0 at home since 2013 (7-0).
- Kept the Sun Devils within a game of second in the Big 12 rankings.
- Moved the Sun Devils to 4-2 in conference play for the first time since 2017.
- Being outgained 406-260 against the Knights on Saturday, the contest marked the first time ASU had won a game where it trailed to total yardage category by over 100 yards since beating #18 Michigan State, 10-7, in 2019 after being outgained 404-216.
- The Sun Devils improved to 5-1 in one-score games this season.
- The contest marked the first time ASU recorded a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the same game since defeating Cal 51-41 on Sept. 24, 2016 in a game where Laiu Moeakiola had a 28-yard pick-six and DJ Calhoun returned an onside kick 42 yards for a touchdown.
- Laterrance Welch’s interception return for a touchdown was ASU’s fourth defensive touchdown of the season (two pick sixes and two fumble returns).
- In the last two games Welch has five pass breakups and an interception return for a touchdown.
- Caleb McCullough found himself taking the lead on defense in the absence of green-dot linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and responded with eight tackles and a pass breakup.
- The Sun Devils have been exceptional closing halves this season. The team entered the game 14th in the country with nine touchdowns in the final five minutes of the first or second halves. ASU added three more today with two in the final minute of the first half and the go-ahead score with 4:55 left in the fourth quarter.
- ASU has absolutely dominated the “middle eight” of games this year - the final four minutes of the second quarter and first four minutes of the second half. With a 14-0 advantage in that category today, ASU has now outscored opponents 63-13 in the category this season.
- UCF running back RJ Harvey got loose in the third quarter, and UCF had 12 rushes for 94 yards in the frame. ASU was able to limit the standout and the Knights to seven rushes for 17 yards in the decisive fourth quarter.
- UCF was 5-for-10 on third downs in the first three quarters of the game before going just 1-for-3 in the final frame.
- ASU 3-for-5 on third downs in the final quarter and 5-for-9 in the frame.
- Through three quarters UCF held the ball for 25:51 to ASU’s 19:09 and ran 59 plays to ASU 38. In the final quarter, ASU had the ball for 9:31 to UCF’s 5:29 and ran 19 plays to UCF’s 12.
- It was the second straight game where Sam Leavitt recorded three touchdown passes without an interception. His TD:INT ratio this season now sits at 14:4.
- It was the first time an ASU quarterback posted consecutive games with three touchdown passes and no picks since Jayden Daniels did so in three straight games against UCLA, Oregon State and Oregon in 2019.
- It’s also the first time a quarterback has had three or more games in a season with three or more touchdown passes in a season since Daniels in that 2019 season (four total).
- ASU is now 7-1 in games that Leavitt has played this season.
- ASU’s punt block for a touchdown was its first since Eno Benjamin accomplished the feat against UCLA on Nov. 17, 2017.
- Freshman Martell Hughes had a monstrous game on special teams, recording the punt block (which was returned 46 yards for a touchdown by Montana Warren) and then picking up an arguably even bigger play late in the first half when he made a tackle at the one-yard line on a botched kickoff return with under a minute remaining in the half. The next play was picked off for a touchdown for a 14-point swing in the span of three plays taking ASU from a 17-7 deficit to a 21-17 lead going into halftime that proved to be the difference in the contest.
- Hughes would go on to keep the game from ending dramatically, making the final tackle of the contest before UCF could get out of bounds or pitch the ball around to seal the 35-31 win.
- Jordyn Tyson had another big day, dragging in seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
- He now has five touchdowns in the last four games and 448 yards (89.6 yards per game) on 32 catches in that span. In the first four games, he had 14 catches for 209 yards with one touchdown.
- Four of his touchdown receptions this season have come in the final five minutes of a half (two in the first half and two in the second half). Three of his seven touchdown catches have come in the fourth quarter of games.
