The Sun Devils are back in game week preparation mode, with Kansas coming into town on Saturday. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt is confident in the team's proficiency to bounce back from its lone loss of the season on the road against Texas Tech. He used the bye week to take time and reflect on the first four games of the season in an effort to find a way to enhance his game.
“We worked on getting our identity back,” Leavitt said. “It was a good week for self-scouting and I got to find things that I need to work on and our team needs to work on. It was a good time to take a mental and physical break and get back to work.”
Each snap that Leavitt takes enables his game to progress, and he concentrated this week on constructing minor tweaks to improve his performance even further. Although he’s played in eight games total and four at ASU, head coach Kenny Dillingham continues to marvel at his maturity, as Leavitt’s work ethic has permitted him to improve his familiarity with the offense.
“I’m constantly getting more comfortable in the pocket,” Leavitt remarked. “I feel like sometimes when balls are missed, it’s because my feet aren’t under me. I worked on knowing where my hot routes are and knowing the plays, every single in and out. I’ve been getting in the playbook more and more and feeling more comfortable with the game plan.”
The Sun Devils’ offense was clicking on all cylinders for the first two weeks and played fairly well in week three. In its fourth contest, it appeared to reach a standstill on the ground, yet Leavitt’s passing prowess, although not without deficiencies, kept ASU competitive. The signal-caller has done fairly well taking care of the ball with only two interceptions through four games, but the vitality didn’t seem to be at the same level that ASU was accustomed to.
“We did a lot of good things,” Leavitt commented. “We were killing it on the ground the first couple weeks, and then we got out of our mojo. I felt like we weren’t playing with as much passion, which I take full responsibility for. I’m going to try to get my guys going even more by getting myself going. We’ve limited turnovers a lot, so we’ve been harping on that more.”
Leavitt isn’t apprehensive about the offense’s play, as he feels it is ever-changing. The distinctiveness of the offense last year was to get senior running back Cam Skattebo the ball, and that looked to be the same in the first two weeks of the 2024 season. Once opposing defenses became more efficient in halting the run, Leavitt found his footing and kept the offense afloat when the ground game wasn’t performing.
“We’re still the same offense,” Leavitt explained. “We haven’t changed our philosophy or anything. It’s just what the defense provided for us to do, like against Mississippi State. We just kept running the ball because that’s what they gave us. Last week, we got into two-minute situations where we needed to throw the ball, so I wouldn’t say that we changed anything; it’s just week-to-week.”
Family Weekend and ASU's first Big 12 home opener this Saturday are sure to create an atmosphere comparable to what Dillingham and his team saw open the season. With many different environments throughout the conference, the Sun Devils are assembling their own to match the level of liveliness and intensity of their conference opponents.
“I hope it’s rocking,” Leavitt added. “The fans are such a big factor for us to be able to come out with a lot of juice and put a little fear into the opponents. They can be a big help for us and create a home-field advantage, and we have the capability of that. We saw that against Mississippi State, so hopefully we can get back to that.”
“The Big 12 is an exciting conference,” junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliot recognized. “Texas Tech had a really good atmosphere, and the fans being out there for the whole game really made the difference. As Coach Dillingham said, there are a lot of home advantages in the Big 12, and that plays a big role. It’s a huge game coming up for us, and I know the fans and students will be there, and it’s exciting for us. We’re ready to go.”
Dillingham spoke about how Kansas’ 1-4 record doesn’t truly reflect the Jayhawks’ capabilities, and Elliot agrees. Its offense is dynamic, and it begins in the backfield with junior quarterback Jalon Daniels. Although Daniels leads the Big 12 and is third in the country with eight interceptions, he has 805 passing yards and posting 117 more on the ground. His capability to extend plays, along with the fine play of running back Devin Neal, has helped Kansas rank third in the conference with 226 rushing yards per game.
“They’re a really good football team,” Elliot declared. “They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and have a lot of weapons, but they just haven’t found a way to win. All those games are winnable for them, and their record doesn’t account for the team that they are. Jaylen is a dual-threat quarterback, and those are the hardest quarterbacks to play. You can attack many different things, so we have to be sound up front and in our pursuit lanes.”
The Sun Devils are right behind the Jayhawks, ranking fourth with 195.5 rushing yards per game, but have played just four games to the Jayhawks’ five. Leavitt and Skattebo make up about 80% of ASU’s run game, combining for 613 of the 782 total rushing yards. Practicing against one of the conference’s top running backs is extremely beneficial to Elliot and the rest of the defense, as it conditions them for what they’ll see week in and week out.
“The Big 12 is full of the best backs in the nation,” Elliot stated. “Luckily, I get to practice against Skattebo, and having one of the best backs in the nation prepares us and this defense. When he’s rolling, this whole team is rolling. He brings a lot of energy to this team with his leadership, and what he does is huge for this team.”
Elliot finished his debut as a Sun Devil with an interception and seven tackles and has helped establish the defense's identity as the season progresses. The defensive coaches consistently emphasize playing each play all the way through and always locating the ball. Elliot saw the drills come to fruition after a handful of snaps into the season but also acknowledged they needed to keep up that type of emphasis.
“That’s just who we are defensively,” Elliot professed. “We approached that throughout the whole offseason to attack. The ball is everything, and you have to change your mindset to worry about the ball but also do your job. Creating takeaways is huge for the defense. After last week, we realized you have to keep stacking the base. The first day of practice we had this season has to be the same practice we’re having this season. We have to bring the same energy, mindset, and attention to detail all year long.”
The versatility requirement of the tight end position is second to none on the field. Whether it’s catching passes, blocking on the edge, or even serving as an extra lineman in certain formations, the duties of this role cover a broad range. Redshirt junior Chamon Metayer is mindful of what is asked of him and welcomes the challenge. Ultimately, blocking for a skillful running back as Skattebo undoubtedly eases the job and serves as an effective motivator.
“I try to expand our role as much as I can,” Metayer expressed. “We want to catch as many passes as you can, but we can’t hang our hats on that. In the run game, I got somebody like Skat in the backfield that could make a couple of guys miss, and I could always come back into the play and make another great block. The backs definitely make my job a lot easier.”
Metayer has been a key target of Leavitt, ranking third on the team in receptions (11) and fourth in yards (112) after four games. Even though Leavitt is the starter, Metayer hasn’t let that hinder his relationship with any of the other quarterbacks. He is always looking to improve his game, as well as his relationship with any of the quarterbacks who want to get extra work.
“We just have to get back to our routine,” Metayer said. “I felt like we were kind of off our routine last week, so we’re going back to the little things that got us there, and we just have to focus on the minor details. I have a great relationship with all the quarterbacks. At any time, my phone’s all open to them if they want to come in and throw; they know I’m available. Me making their job easier for them is making my life more comfortable because I know I’m going to get the ball.”
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