UCF is ASU’s most talented opponent so far

The toughest two-game stretch of the Sun Devils’ 2024 schedule remains beyond this week. But it sounds like ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham is lumping UCF in the conversation before Arizona State faces two ranked teams and then the rival Arizona Wildcats to close out the regular season.

The Knights are coming off a 56-12 win over the Wildcats, and Dillingham may be right to call UCF the most talented team ASU has faced this season.

“Just looking at their talent level, their two D-tackles (Lee Hunter and Ricky Barber) are freak shows,” Dillingham said Friday Bickley & Marotta of Arizona Sports. “Their defensive end, Nyjalik Kelly, was a high-profile four-, five-star recruit who went to Miami and just transferred to them. You are loaded.

“Their running back (RJ Harvey) is the best running back we face this year. Their wide receiver, Kobe Hudson, was a top four- and five-star recruit for Auburn when I was actually at Auburn with (UCF head coach Gus Malzahn).”

UCF’s 4-5 record doesn’t explain Dillingham’s opinion. But recent events could be.

Central Florida lost 38-35 to then-No. 9 Iowa State on the road three weeks ago and to then-No. 11 BYU two weeks ago by a score of 37-24. That’s promising.

Following this, Malzahn fired defensive coordinator Ted Roof and replaced him with Addison Williams.

Malzahn also relieved himself of his duties as game manager and turned the duties over to offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr.

The immediate result was a flogging of Arizona on Saturday. The Knights averaged 14.7 yards per completion and 7.0 yards per rush behind Harvey.

The UCF running back is third in the country with 1,201 rushing yards this year, 100 more than ASU’s Cam Skattebo.

“You have really good players that play hard, that’s why you beat a team 56-12,” Dillingham said.

Arizona State’s goal is to slow down this momentum with a fast start. For Dillingham, facing a UCF squad with so many midseason changes is almost like preparing for a still-unknown opponent in Week 2.

“We can’t let these guys continue to ride the 56-12 wave from last week,” Dillingham added.

Cam Skattebo is a real game-changer for ASU vs. UCF

The Sun Devils withheld their star running back from practice this week, but Dillingham said Friday that he needs to be cleared first before a potentially tough discussion about whether or not he should play.

“I will do everything I can to tell him not to play because we have to get him to 100%, we have to get him healthy,” the head coach said. “Obviously nothing happens without the medical team and their approval, but once they approve it, it’s like, ‘Okay, how do you feel?’ How can you perform?’ And we won’t find out until it starts.”

The QB change transformed UCF’s offense

UCF freshman quarterback Dylan Rizk took over during the BYU game two weeks ago before making his first start at Arizona. The early results were promising: Rizk completed 20 of 25 yards for 294 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran nine times for 55 yards.

“Rizk really opened up the passing game in the one-on-one and RPO world,” Dillingham said.

Defenses that put bodies in the box to stop Harvey and keep an eye on Rizk on the ground could put pressure on opposing defensive backs to win one-on-one battles outside against receivers.

Arizona knows this well. The Knights’ Hudson (58 yards), Jacoby Jones (106 yards) and tight end Randy Pittman Jr. (80 yards) scored last week against Arizona.

But all of that, according to Dillingham, was what Harvey created in Malzahn’s inside zone run plan. And he should know.

Dillingham was Malzahn’s offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2020 before heading to Oregon and eventually taking the head coaching job at ASU.

Malzahn recognized Dillingham’s potential

The connection between Dillingham and Malzahn was former ASU offensive coordinator Mike Norvell, who worked in Tempe when Dillingham got its start under Todd Graham.

Norvell invited Malzahn to Memphis when he was head coach and Dillingham was on that team, and that’s where the current UCF coach got to see his Saturday opponent up close.

“You could tell right away that he really had a dynamic personality,” Malzahn said this week. “Really left a positive impression on me. When I got the chance to hire him as OC (at Auburn), obviously that had a lot to do with it. Also Mike’s trust in him.

“I had the chance to spend a year with him. He helped a lot. Obviously we had a good year, Bo Nix’s first year. He did a good job. It didn’t surprise me at all. He’s a young guy, but he doesn’t act young. He has a gift.”

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