UCF Knights at Arizona State Sun Devils

Sam Leavitt's 3 TD passes help Arizona State beat UCF 35-31

Sam Leavitt threw three touchdown passes, two to Jordyn Tyson, and Arizona State held on to beat UCF 35-31 Saturday.

In a game that featured five lead changes, the Sun Devils (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) took the lead with 4:55 to play on Leavitt’s 13-yard pass to Tyson.

“It’s an unbelievable connection right now,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Sam knew they were in cover one on the one scramble. He bought some time and then knew there was a one on one in the corner, launched it, gave him a jump ball and great job by Jordyn going to get it.”

Arizona State played without star running back Cam Skattebo, sidelined with a shoulder injury.

RJ Harvey rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns for UCF (4-6, 2-5). But he was stopped on fourth-and-2 with 3:18 to play and the Knights did not get the ball back until 5 seconds remained, and they could only complete a short pass as time ran out.

“I felt like our defense was getting a little tired,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. “We put the ball in our best player’s hands and it didn’t work.”

“Another disappointing loss. We didn’t play well enough to win.”

Arizona State scored two touchdowns in 9 seconds near the end of the first half to take a 21-17 lead at the break.

The Sun Devils scored with 56 seconds left in the half on a 4-yard pass from Leavitt to Chamon Metayer to cut the Knights’ lead to 17-14.

Tyson finished with 99 receiving yards in seven catches. Leavitt, a redshirt freshman, was 16 of 25 for 161 yards and ran 11 times for 22 yards.

“People should be fired up about the opportunity to build around that and I’m just glad he’s here,” Dillingham said of Leavitt. “Helps me makes me look good.”

The kickoff was fielded in the end zone by UCF’s Christian Peterson, who didn’t take a knee, tried to run it out and was tackled at the 1-yard line. On the next play, L.T. Welch intercepted Dylan Rizk’s pass and returned it 9 yards for a touchdown with 47 seconds remaining in the half to take a four-point lead.

Earlier, the Sun Devils scored when Martell Hughes blocked a punt and Montana Warren returned it 46 yards for a TD.

UCF outgained Arizona State 406-260, but five false-start penalties and a 46-yard field goal try that bounced off the goalpost in the fourth quarter helped to sink the Knights’ hopes.

UCF (4-6, 2-5) dominated time of possession in the first half, controlling the ball for 19 minutes and outgaining Arizona State 227-103. Rizk was 8 for 8 on the opening drive, which went 13 plays for 75 yards and lasted 7:14. RJ Harvey scored on an 8-yard run.

The Knights’ other first-half TD came when backup quarterback Jacurri Brown ran around left end for 6 yards with 4:56 left in the second quarter.

Skattebo, the senior running back with 1,001 yards rushing this season, was out with a shoulder injury. Harvey entered the week third in the nation with 1,201 yards rushing. Skattebo is seventh.

Kyson Brown filled in for Skattebo on Saturday and carried 18 times for 73 yards.

Rizk was 24 for 34 for 229 yards. He made his second career start for UCF, coming off a victory over Arizona at home last week. Rizk is the fourth quarterback to start for the Knights this season.

The takeaway UCF: The Knights must win their final two games to become bowl eligible.

Arizona State: Received a few votes in the AP Poll last week and will be closer to consideration with a narrow home win.

Up next UCF: Off next week before traveling to West Virginia on Nov. 23.

Arizona State: At No. 22 Kansas State Saturday.