ASU's 35-31 win over Kansas, scoring the winning touchdown with 16 seconds left, was much more than just a historic first-ever Big 12 conference win. It also manifested the same traits the Sun Devils exhibited in other close wins over Mississippi State and Texas State. And now, Arizona State, at a 4-1, 1-1 Big 12 mark, is enjoying success in a conference that has been flipped upside down less than halfway through the season.
Teams such as Oklahoma State and Kansas, who were both picked top five in the Big 12’s preseason poll, are now in the bottom three, still searching for their first conference wins. Conversely, Colorado and BYU, who were picked in that same poll to finish in the bottom half of the league, are both undefeated in the Big 12. ASU head coach Dillingham marvels at the parity the league has shown three early on in the season and says that it’s an indicator of the challenges that lie ahead the rest of the year.
“The more you invest in something, the harder it is to quit,” Dillingham said. “The more you put in, the more fight you have in you. I think our guys are putting a lot in right now, and that’s why, in these closer games up to this point, we’ve fared pretty well. There’s no such thing as an upset in the Big 12; there’s just another game. Bottom line, there’s no favorites; it’s another game versus a team who can beat you, and you repeat that for nine weeks in a row.”
Senior running back Cam Skattebo won the Big 12 co-offensive player of the week, sharing the honor with fellow running back and Texas Tech star Tahj Brooks after rushing 25 times for 182 yards and scoring a touchdown in the win over the Jayhawks. After rushing for just 60 yards against Texas Tech, the run game got back to its previous identity, which saw Skattebo eclipse 150 yards for the second time this season and the team go over the 300-yard mark once more this year.
“If you can run the ball with normal numbers, you should be good,” Dillingham stated. “If you can run it when you’re down, you’re going to be great, and if you can’t run it with good numbers, you’re in trouble. I think we ran the ball when we should have been able to run the ball this week. We had a good scheme, we had good leverages, we won blocks, and everybody did their job.”
After the game, Dillingham and redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt shared a moment praising each other while they were being interviewed by ESPN. Leavitt threw for 157 yards and four touchdowns, as well as rushing for 77 yards. His performance earned him Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors, and as they continue to build on their chemistry and put it on display for a national audience.
“That’s what coaching is about,” Dillingham noted. “That kid’s put in so much work, and that was his best week of prep. He was really clean, and us being able to show him all the looks two weeks in a row really helped him. We had three or four uncharacteristic drops, and he would have had an even better game. Kudos to him for being poised at the end of the game, and that moment we shared is just natural. There’s nothing fake about it; that’s just the culture we’re trying to build here.”
Freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson was thrust into the spotlight for Utah after starter and senior Cameron Rising was injured in Week 2 against Baylor and has yet to return to the field since then. Wilson has led the Utes to a 2-1 record during that period and has two weeks to prepare for the matchup against the Sun Devils assuming Rising isn’t named the starter for Friday’s game. Dillingham is familiar with Wilson, as he tried to make the Utah native a Sun Devil before he committed to Utah and was complimentary of the Utes’ signal caller.
“We recruited him,” Dillingham recalled. “He was one of our top guys. I played chess with him here and beat him, but then he beat me on Chess.com, so he got me back. He’s a smart guy, savvy, and confident, and he extends plays with his legs. He had to go on the road and start in Stillwater, and they found a way to win the football game. I know what the bye week did for Sam is going to do the same thing for him if he’s the guy on Friday.”
Saturday’s game was a sellout crowd with 54,639 in attendance, and the first two home games marked the first time the Sun Devils’ season opened with at least 10,000 fans in the student section at kickoff in back-to-back games. Dillingham, who coined the “Activate the Valley” mantra, which has been gaining more and more traction since his hire nearly two years ago, believes that the upcoming game will speak to how invested the community is in the program, and it will play an important role on the recruiting front as one of the few games airing on national television this Friday night.
“It’s huge getting people back excited about ASU football,” Dillingham remarked. “When you’re living in one of the largest cities in the country, you don’t have to hit 50% of the people in this city. This is going to be one of the craziest environments if 10% of the people want to be a part of that environment. The country is going to see what kind of support we have for our football program, and every recruit in the country is going to see that.”
Skattebo showed his worth not only in the backfield but also on special teams. He’s been on the kickoff team for four out of five games now, and the only game he didn’t take the field on the kickoff was a loss to Texas Tech. Dillingham believes that the special teams traits Skattebo is displaying are why he will play on Sundays next year.
“We’re 4-0 when he runs down the field on kickoff,” Dillingham recognized. “It seems comical and laughable, but it also is a mindset. I know there are probably a lot of people who think we’re crazy for putting him on kickoff, but that is going to get him drafted. When a scout and team sees a running back, add versatility that helps you get drafted. You get so distracted by what the world wants you to be personally that you lose focus that people are drafting players because you add value to the team.”
Dillingham announced that senior wide receiver Malik McClain is expected to redshirt for the remainder of the season after not dressing for the game against Kansas. The Penn State transfer appeared in all four prior games but didn’t record any stats. McClain transferred to ASU after the spring, and Dillingham felt he wasn’t able to fully prepare for the season because of personal reasons the wideout encountered throughout the summer.
“We’re going to try to redshirt him,” Dillingham said. “He came in late to this process, and he’s a really good player, but he has a year left, and he’s still learning the system. He missed some time in the summer for a variety of reasons, going back home and stuff like that, but we didn’t feel like we were doing him justice, playing him eight snaps a game as he was getting back into it for his final year. So I met with Malik, and we talked about it. It hurts us a little this year, but I think for him personally, and for us in the future, it’s a win-win getting him back next year.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!
