Arizona State beats UCF 26-13, Secures Bowl Eligibility

Arizona State defeated UCF 26-13 on Saturday at the Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Florida, overcoming a cross-country travel delay caused by a nationwide FAA ground stop to secure bowl eligibility.

FAA Flight Grounding Delays Sun Devils Travel to Orlando

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide on Friday, leaving the Sun Devils stranded in Phoenix and forcing their travel schedule into Saturday morning, as reported by USA Today.

Team officials sent players home at 6 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, and the roster returned for a 6 a.m. team meeting in Tempe on November 14, according to AZ Family. All 105 players arrived in their seats six minutes early at 5:54 a.m., according to USA Today.

The flight departed Phoenix at 7:25 a.m. Mountain Time and landed in Orlando after a three-hour and 22-minute trip, according to AZ Family. In response to the flight disruptions, the Big 12 Conference pushed the kickoff back two hours to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, as noted by UCF Athletics.

“Excuses are like buttholes, everybody has them and they all stink,” Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham told reporters in his postgame news conference.

Mack and Fette Drive Arizona State Offense

Freshman running back Cardae Mack carried the ball 25 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, anchoring an Arizona State ground attack that totaled 165 yards on 42 carries, as detailed by USA Today. Freshman quarterback Jake Fette completed 21 of 36 passes for 196 yards without an interception or a sack, according to Arizona Sports and CBS Sports.

Carson Smith contributed four field goals, including a 51-yard attempt, scoring 12 points for the Sun Devils, according to Sun Devil Athletics. Marquis Gillis opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run following a double pass from Cardae Mack to Derek Eusebio to tight end Anthony Miller, as reported by Arizona Sports and UCF Athletics.

With 43 seconds remaining in the first half and Arizona State leading 13-7, edge defender Jalen Thompson sacked UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III and forced a fumble that Albert Smith recovered, according to AZ Family and Arizona Sports.

“It was definitely a big play because it allowed us to go into the half with the momentum,” Thompson said.

That turnover set up another Smith field goal to push the lead to 16-7 at halftime, as reported by Sun Devil Athletics. Mack extended the advantage to 23-7 early in the fourth quarter by capping a 14-play, 81-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run, according to Sun Sentinel and Sun Devil Athletics.

Knights Fall Short in Orlando

UCF dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 play, finishing with 311 total yards and 54 rushing yards, according to USA Today and Sun Sentinel. Barnett threw for 257 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Tyren Hornes on a 40-yard score late in the fourth quarter, while Landen Chambers added a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, as detailed by UCF Athletics.

Josh Derry recorded seven catches for 137 yards for the Knights, marking his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game, according to Miami Herald and UCF Athletics.

“They played better than us today. If you guys want to make it about that narrative, you can. But they made more plays out there than we did today, and that’s really what it came down to,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said.

Arizona State Achieves Bowl Eligibility with Victory

With the victory, Arizona State improved to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12, achieving bowl eligibility for the third consecutive season, as reported by USA Today and Sun Devil Athletics. In the final two minutes, Dillingham subbed Mikey Keene in at quarterback to take two kneel-downs against his former team, securing the clock management and a personal milestone, according to Yahoo Sports.

“We thought we were going to come in here and win, regardless of the situation we were in or what had happened with the flight,” Arizona State freshman quarterback Jake Fette said.

Arizona State hosts Oklahoma State on November 21 at 10:15 p.m. Eastern Time, while UCF hosts Iowa State on November 20 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time at Acrisure Bounce House, according to USA Today and UCF Athletics.