ORLANDO, Fla. — Arizona State flew across the country the morning of its game and still beat UCF 26-13 on Saturday to become bowl eligible for the third straight season.
The FAA’s nationwide ground stop on Friday kept the Sun Devils from leaving Phoenix as planned. According to AZFamily, the team’s flight left Phoenix at 7:25 a.m. Arizona time Saturday and landed in Orlando about four and a half hours before kickoff, which had been pushed back two hours.
“At the end of the day you’re gonna take the field for 60 minutes and play a football game, and you’re either gonna get it done or you’re not,” coach Kenny Dillingham said.
ASU (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) won back-to-back games for the first time this season. A trick play set up the first score: running back Cardae Mack took a wildcat snap and pitched to receiver Derek Eusebio, who threw 28 yards to tight end Anthony Miller. Marquis Gillis scored from a yard out two plays later.
Kicker Carson Smith made four field goals, including a 51-yarder. A sack-fumble forced by defensive lineman Jalen Thompson and recovered by Albert Smith just before halftime led to another field goal and a 16-7 lead.
Mack ran 22 times for his fourth 100-yard game of the season and added an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, according to Arizona Sports. Reed Harris had seven catches for 80 yards, and freshman quarterback Jake Fette went 21 of 36 for 196 yards.
ASU’s defense held a UCF team averaging more than 30 points to 13. The Knights fell to 5-5.
Sources: Arizona Sports, AZFamily. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: NASA / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
