TEMPE – The momentum turned in ASU football’s favor late in the first half on Saturday, when cornerback LT Welch grabbed a pick-six after the Sun Devils scored on UCF less than 10 seconds earlier.

Two touchdowns in the last minute?

The Sun Devils ended the first half in style. pic.twitter.com/wWvoQqML97

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) November 10, 2024

Welch is coming off a career outing against Oklahoma State after which he was named to PFF’s National Team of the Week. In addition to his pick-six, he had three tackles in the first half on Saturday.

“As soon as I looked up, I saw the ball and I said, ‘Okay, okay,’” Welch said. “That’s my first choice ever, so I’m glad I was able to do that for the team and get our team to where we were.”

The interception was the first play after UCF’s true freshman kick returner Christian Peterson muffed a punt that he slowly cleared out of the end zone before being tackled. The piece was checked for safety.

The Sun Devils had just scored on a balanced nine-play drive, highlighted by a Chamon Metayer touchdown catch.

The special teams already had a productive day, as Montana Warren returned a blocked punt for the Sun Devils’ first points of the game.

With the special teams and defense touchdowns, ASU outscored UCF 21-17 in the first half on half as many offensive drives (three to six).

ASU coach Kenny Dillingham has emphasized the “middle eight” during his tenure, referring to the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.

“The game is changing for us,” Dillingham said after the game.

The touchdowns, which came less than 10 seconds of game time apart, ensured Arizona State won the important segment as the Sun Devils were unable to add to the total early in the second half.

ASU leads the bracket 63-13 against its opponents this season, according to Sun Devil Athletics.

Arizona State finished the job by beating UCF 35-31 on Saturday to move to 7-2 on the season.