The Sun Devils remained undefeated at home with a 35-31 win over UCF that saw several newcomers make winning plays in all facets of the team. From the first special teams touchdown this year for the team to a 14-point swing in 9 seconds, here are the performances of the first-year players for ASU against UCF.
(Note: all transfer players, true freshmen, redshirt freshmen regardless of if they played last year, and other players, regardless of class, who redshirted last year are the ones mentioned in this article series)
Offense
Redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt continued to progress this week, but he was without his partner in the backfield, senior running back Cam Skattebo, for the first time this season. Leavitt stayed poised in the pocket after a rough first quarter where he only went 2-for-4 for 14 yards and finished the game with 161 passing yards and three touchdowns. He added 22 rushing yards but scrambled for a hundred more behind the line of scrimmage that won’t show up on the stat sheet.
This was the second straight week Leavitt did not turn the ball over after having four consecutive weeks before with an interception. His patience and quick decisions to tuck the ball instead of forcing a pass somewhere dangerous displayed the progression in his maturity. Leavitt, on the night, was 16-25 for 161 yards, throwing three touchdowns for the second week in a row and having no interceptions.
“He’s a dawg. That’s it,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “The fact that he has three years left, every company in the state should be calling him for an NIL deal. They should be excited about the fact that you have an NFL-level player in your state for three more years. People should be fired up about the opportunity to build around that, and I’m just glad he’s here. He makes me look good.”
Leavitt was able to keep plays alive with his legs, allowing his receivers to find ways to get open. Redshirt sophomore receiver Jordyn Tyson benefitted from this, as he and Leavitt are building their chemistry more and more each week. The Knights made it a goal of theirs to hold off the Tyson and Leavitt connection, and they succeeded in breaking up the lone target he saw in the first quarter. Tyson persisted, though, and he got open where Leavitt could find him down the field, and the two strengthened their chemistry even more.
Tyson caught seven passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, the second game in a row that he has caught two touchdown passes. He also made the eventual game-winning touchdown catch with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, which put the team up 35-31.
So far this year, Tyson has been the epitome of a clutch player for the Sun Devils. Four of his TD 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.
Redshirt junior tight end Chamon Metayer has been a security blanket for Leavitt when the pocket collapses on him, now totaling on the season 22 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns after adding three catches for 10 yards and a touchdown Saturday. He not only acted as a receiving threat but also set the edge in the blocking game to help the team total 99 rushing yards against UCF.
Defense
This game was won on the defensive end and its performance in the second half, though the Sun Devils gave up 177 rushing yards. On the defensive line, junior Jacob Kongaika sacked the quarterback, his lone tackle of the night. Junior linebacker Jordan Crook tied for a team-high nine total tackles.
In the secondary, junior cornerback Laterrence Welch picked off UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk, trying to execute a head-scratching passing play called on their one-yard line for a pick-six with under a minute remaining in the first half, the second leg of a 14-point swing for ASU taking place over nine seconds. Welch has been enjoying good momentum since, in the previous game against Oklahoma State, he had four pass breakups, all in the second half in a 42-21 ASU win. Against UCF, he also had a pass breakup and quarterback hurry. Junior safety Myles Rowser had eight total tackles.
Special Teams
Freshman linebacker Martell only recorded two tackles, but one of them was a game-changing play that pinned UCF on its one-yard line on the Arizona State kickoff, which led to Welch’s pick-six. His biggest play of the night, another significant play, came in the first quarter, where he partially blocked a UCF punt that was returned for a touchdown by redshirt freshman safety Montana Warren. Hughes, who may have been a surprise non-redshirting freshman, has consistently shown why he belongs on the field and will certainly see the field more often than not in the future. Warren, if not for a collarbone injury in last year’s Camp Tontozona scrimmage, would have also avoided a redshirt and has been still able to stand out in a talented safety room.
“When we talk about success, it’s about being the very best you can be, win or loss,” Dillingham mentioned. “Those two kids (Hughes and Warren) try to be their very best all the time, so when it shows up for them, it’s awesome. I gave Montana a game ball because that dude shows up and works. He works so hard, and the team went crazy when I gave him the ball because those are guys you should get fired up about.”
For the second straight week, graduate kicker Parker Lewis was the sole kicker for ASU on both kickoff and extra points. He made all five extra points but did not attempt a field goal, and three of his six kickoffs were touchbacks. Lewis has provided stability after the bye week but has attempted just one field goal, a 47-yard attempt versus Oklahoma State that he barely missed. If Dillingham doesn’t have the confidence to send out a kicker for a field goal attempt the rest of the season, the Sun Devils may be in trouble if they find themself in a close game late in the fourth quarter.
Freshman Kanyon Floyd punted four times, averaging 40 yards per punt and a long punt of 45. He had an opportunity to pin UCF inside their own 10, but his punt bounced into the end zone. Floyd will need to improve his consistency and directional punting, and the hope is that with more experience on his side, those shortcomings will be a thing of the past.
Newcomer Participation List in UCF Game
QB Sam Leavitt
RB Alton McCaskill
WR Jordyn Tyson
WR Jake Smith
TE Chamon Metayer
TE Markeston Douglas
TE Coleson Arends
OL Josh Atkins
OL Terrell Kim
OL Joey Su’a
DL Albert Smith III
DL Jeff Clark
DL J.P. Deeter
DL Zac Swanson
DL Jacob Kongaika
DL Justin Wodtly
DL Salesi Manu
LB Jordan Crook
LB Martell Hughes
LB Zyrus Fiaseu
DB Xavion Alford
DB Javan Robinson
DB Laterrence Welch
DB Kamari Wilson
DB Kyan McDonald
DB Montana Warren
K Parker Lewis
P Kanyon Floyd
True freshmen who exceeded four game appearances and are unable to redshirt:
P Kanyon Floyd
LB Martell Hughes
DB Kyan McDonald
True freshmen who recorded four or fewer game appearances and can still redshirt:
DB Rodney Bimage (two games)
RB Jason Brown (one game)
DL Albert Smith (two games)
DB Tony-Luis Nkuba (one game)
OL Terrell Kim (two games)
True freshmen who haven’t appeared in a game this season:
OL Champ Westbrooks
OL Semisi Tonga
WR Zechariah Sample
TE Jayden Fortier
TE James Giggey
DL Ramar Williams
DB Plas Johnson
DB Chris Johnson II
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