Cardae Mack’s 13-Yard Ceiling Was Enough for Arizona State

Cardae Mack’s longest run was 13 yards. He carried 25 times anyway, and Arizona State walked out of its 26–13 victory over UCF with the sort of win built on accumulation rather than fireworks. The Sun Devils moved to 6–4, kept handing Mack the ball, converted enough third downs and let Carson Smith finish possessions with his leg.

That formula traveled all the way to Orlando after Arizona State arrived Saturday afternoon following a ground stop and a two-hour kickoff delay. The travel issue belongs in the margins. The game itself was decided by how often Arizona State turned modest gains into another first down, another scoring chance or another few minutes that UCF could not get back.

UCF offered a faster-moving alternative through the air. Alonza Barnett III threw for 257 yards, and the Knights’ first-half touchdown possession covered 67 yards. Yet passing production did not become consistent control.

UCF managed 54 net rushing yards, converted 2 of 9 third downs and lost a fumble. The Knights could reach scoring position quickly and still spend long stretches waiting to get the ball again.

Arizona State’s offense was less dramatic and more dependable. Mack gained 111 yards at 4.4 per carry, with one touchdown and no run longer than 13 yards. That profile can look ordinary beside a back who breaks one long play and fills the highlight reel.

Saturday rewarded the repeatable gains instead. Mack’s workload gave the Sun Devils a substantial ground contribution without requiring a breakaway to make the rushing total respectable.

Jake Fette complemented that work with 196 passing yards from 21 completions on 36 attempts. He threw neither a touchdown nor an interception. Derek Eusebio added a 28-yard completion, bringing Arizona State’s net passing total to 224. The passing game did not have to carry the afternoon by itself, and it avoided the turnover that helped hurt UCF before halftime.

The opening touchdown illustrated the rhythm. Arizona State covered 74 yards on 10 plays, with a 15-yard completion to Omarion Miller and Eusebio’s 28-yard completion helping push the drive into scoring range. Mack supplied a 5-yard run and a 2-yard run along the way.

Marquis Gillis finished it with a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Nothing about the march required a single spectacular snap; the possession simply kept producing answers.

Smith made all four field-goal attempts and scored 14 points. Three of those kicks came in the second quarter. That was considerable value from possessions that stopped short of touchdowns: Arizona State reached halftime ahead 16–7, with its kicker supplying much of the scoring. Mack’s steady gains mattered more because a stalled drive did not automatically become a wasted drive.

The final minute before halftime was especially costly for UCF. Smith converted from 41 yards with 43 seconds remaining. Barnett then lost a fumble, and Arizona State turned the short field into another kick, this one from 28 yards with 16 seconds left.

The Sun Devils had added six points in a hurry without scoring a touchdown. UCF’s own touchdown earlier in the quarter suddenly looked much less consequential.

Arizona State converted 10 of 19 third downs, a steady advantage that helped explain its 37:45 time of possession. The clearest example came after a third-quarter UCF punt. Arizona State drove 81 yards on 14 plays over 7:16, starting at its own 19.

Fette ran for a first down on third-and-1, Mack later converted third-and-1 from the UCF 27, and the drive carried into the fourth quarter.

On the opening play of that quarter, Mack caught an 11-yard pass to the UCF 15. He then ran for 7 yards and 8 yards, scoring on second-and-3 with 13:39 remaining.

The touchdown was the product of the preceding work as much as the final carry: Arizona State had kept moving, kept the clock working and kept UCF from turning a punt into a chance to seize momentum.

UCF scored on a 40-yard pass to Tyren Hornes with 2:12 left, but the late burst never became a real chase. After the onside kick, Mack carried three times, gained 11 yards and converted third-and-3 with 1:50 remaining. The Sun Devils could then kneel out the finish.

Mack did not need a runaway play to define the afternoon. His steady workload gave Arizona State structure, while Smith made sure productive drives counted. In a game where UCF threw for plenty of yards, the quieter possession game won the important minutes.

Sources

ESPN — Arizona State–UCF box score and play-by-play

UCF — official postgame report