As the winter air has finally rolled through the Valley of the Sun, so too has a new era of Arizona State football. Gone are the deserted days of barren lack of success that the program has suffered through in the past two seasons. After winning six combined games in 2022 and 2023, the program has been rejuvenated in year two under head coach Kenny Dillingham. After collecting its sixth win of the season last week, ASU (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) can enter a game having already secured bowl eligibility.
The Sun Devils will have to make do without their Heisman candidate and seniorrunning back Cameron Skattebo. He dominated in ASU’s previous game against Oklahoma State to the tune of 274 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. He suffered a shoulder injury late in that contest that has knocked him out for the upcoming game.
The now four-time Big 12 offensive player of the week has exploded on multiple occasions this season in the Sun Devils re-emergence as a bowl team and has been arguably their most important piece.
The last time ASU took the field without one of its offensive stalwarts was in a midseason clash with Cincinnati on the road where starting quarterback redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt was sidelined due to injury. ASU promptly lost 24-16. For the Sun Devils to continue climbing the Big 12 ladder — which it currently sits seventh in — the offense game plan must stay consistent even in the absence of a crucial cog.
“One player is not going to define the scheme you put in,” Dillingham said. “Sometimes they can but you have to put together the best plan for your football team.”
While the upcoming opponent, UCF (4-5, 2-4 Big 12), is a new one, there will be a creeping sense of familiarity between the two men in charge. Dillingham perfected his craft as a rising offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2019. There he learned under the tutelage of then-Tiger head coach Gus Malzahn.
Malzahn is one of the titans of the college game. In his 18 years as a coach, including 12 as the leading man, he’s led eight groups to conference championship appearances, won two-sec titles with Auburn (2010,2013), and led his 2014 tigers to the BCS National Championship game where they fell to Florida State. Now Malzahan spreads his teaching at UCF and will attempt to stall the continued ascent of his former protege’s program.
“Coach Malzahn is, of active coaches one of the most successful guys,” Dillingham said. “He’s been doing it a long time, he’s won a lot of games, this is going to be a great challenge.”
Offense
Total Offense: 471.1 yards/game (1st Big 12), 38 touchdowns (T-1st Big 12)
Passing: 1,789 yards (4th Big 12), 198.8 yards/game (4th Big 12)
Rushing: 2,451 yards (1st Big 12), 271.2 yards/game (1st Big 12)
Entering the year UCF would likely have been excited about the prospects of playmaking under center for the Knights. They had received fifth-year Arkansas Transfer KJ Jefferson who’s a large mobile playmaker that unlocked the Razorback’s offense in years prior. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound quarterback has thrown for 8,923 yards and ran for 2,069 for 97 combined touchdowns in his 49-game career.
Expectations were high for Jefferson to keep the Knights offense, which ranked second in the Big 12 in yards per game in 2023, humming at lethal efficiency.
Then the carousel began.
Just four games into the Jefferson era, freshman EJ Colson took the helm. A game later, redshirt junior Miami transfer Jacurri Brown replaced Colson for the next two games before ceding control of the offense to redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk.
Rizk orchestrated UCF’s most recent win — a 56-12 thrashing of Arizona – while throwing for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout. He’ll likely assume his role again leading the Knights offense, marking only his second game in charge. While there is not much film to scheme against, the sheer inconsistency of UCF’s signal-calling situation may make it easier for ASU to prepare for.
“You can’t reinstall a new offense in the middle of the season,” ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “So if you have a new play caller then maybe he’s going to have different tendencies in different areas of the field. We try to anticipate those things. (However) we’re not preparing for them any different than we do anybody else.”
In any case, the fulcrum of the extremely potent UCF offense was never its passing game. The Knight ground attack, spearheaded by redshirt senior running back RJ Harvey, is one of the nation’s most deadly. The team’s 272.3 rushing yards per game is the second most in the country and Harvey’s 1,201 yards on the ground paces the conference and is the third-most in the country.
He’s lethally efficient and consistent, picking up 7.2 yards per carry and tallying 133.4 rushing yards per game. Harvey is the engine through which this offense runs and one of the country’s premier backs.
“[Harvey] could be the best back we face all year,” Dillingham said. “He’s dynamic and he’s explosive. They’re committed to running the football.”
Ward sees the potential of a future NFL player in the UCF leading man and because of that will likely allot a wealth of resources to stop him.
“He’s outstanding,” Ward said. “He’s a Sunday guy. when you see a guy that you just know that this dude’s going to be you know a day one or two draft pick, you know you have to prepare for those dudes.”
What production the group does get from its air attack comes primarily from redshirt senior receiver Kobe Hudson, who was an All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2023. His 31 receptions for 567 yards and three touchdowns are all team-highs. Hudson has posted three 100-yard games on the season.
Ohio transfer and redshirt senior receive Jacoby Jones offers a spark opposite Hudson. Jones has come on as of late with 11 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns in his last two outings. In order for there to be any form of production from the passing attack, a serviceable offensive line performance will be paramount for UCF. The men up front figure to be a target point for ASU’s defensive group.
“We could definitely get after them in the interior,” ASU junior defensive lineman Jacob Kongaika said. “They’re a little light in the backside, so we could just push them in.”
Despite what their record suggests, the Knights feature one of the conference’s most lethal offensive attacks that will test the merit of the ASU defense. Success will be contingent on what preparation was done for the fireworks coming to Tempe.
“We’re trying to get our guys to play fast and put them in position to be successful,” Ward said. “Our guys executing this week is no different than any other week. Their offense gives us a different challenge and presents different problems for us that we’re trying to prepare for and doing our best to prepare for.”
Defense
Total Defense: 329.4 yards/game (9th Big 12), 27 touchdowns (T-6th Big 12)
Passing: 2,234 yards (4th Big 12), 248.2 yards/game (4th Big 12)
Rushing: 1,060 yards (1st Big 12), 117.8 yards/game (1st Big 12)
Addison Williams runs the defensive side of the ball for UCF. Having coached with Dillingham under Malzahn previously, the ASU head coach is well aware of the mental capacity ready to face him.
“(Williams is) super intelligent,” Dillingham said. “He can see one play and remember it, he’s a really good football coach.”
The Knights trot out a solid defensive unit spearheaded by the best run defense in the conference. This only makes sense considering the unit practices stopping the Big 12’s best rushing attack every week.
Redshirt junior defensive end Malachi Lawrence and redshirt junior Miami transfer defensive end Nyjalik Kelly start on the outside of the line with redshirt junior Lee Hunter and redshirt senior Ricky Barber anchoring the middle. Lawrence is the most statically prolific of the bunch tallying four sacks with 13 total tackles, three quarterback pressures, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
The unit is one of the most stout on that side of the ball, especially at getting in the backfield and limiting opposing run games.
“They do a really good job stopping the run,” ASU defensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “Do a good job up front, those interior guys are as good as we’ve seen”
The linebacking core is led by redshirt senior Vanderbilt transfer Ethan Barr who leads the team with 47 tackles. Joining him in the second level is redshirt senior Cincinnati transfer Deshawn Pace who is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Supplementing them is former ASU commit sophomore Xe’ree Alexander who has tallied 39 tackles for the Knights.
The secondary is not the best in the conference but still suffices. Senior corner Brandon Adams and redshirt senior Mac McWilliams, from UAB, petrol the outsides for the group. Redshirt senior safety Qadric Bullard anchors the back of the defense with his physicality. His 45 tackles are second on the team behind only Barr.
“On the back end they’re athletic and long,” Arroyo said. “They can run they can catch, I think they’ll do a great job. There’s going to be no easy outs with these guys.”
ASU will have to find a way to test the conference’s best run defense with the presence of the Sun Devil battering ram in Skattebo. Should ASU find consistent offensive movement against a solid UCF defense there will be a large room for optimism for the fans in Tempe.
