Thanks to a run-heavy offense and a defense that frustrated the Utah offense, the Sun Devils pulled off the upset on Friday night, beating the Utes 27-19. Newcomers on both sides of the ball made critical plays throughout the game. Here is our detailed report.
(Note: all transfer players, true freshmen, redshirt freshmen regardless of if they played last year, and other players, regardless of class, who redshirted last year are the ones mentioned in this article series)
Offense
Reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt followed up his Week 5 performance, completing 11-18 attempts for 154 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Leavitt battled through a rib injury that he suffered midway through the second quarter and only sat out the rest of the drive and the next before returning and taking a knee to send the teams into the locker rooms at halftime and playing the entire second half.
In the second half, the Sun Devils shifted their game plan to a run-heavy offense, which proved to work as they finished with 212 rushing yards. Before taking the hit, Leavitt scrambled for 28 of those yards.
“I wasn’t too worried about the pain, just sad I couldn’t put on for the team,” Leavitt said after the game. “Once I got the strength to get up, I went to the tent and did what I had to do. Then I got back out there and did what I could do to get a win with the team.”
Senior quarterback Jeff Sims came in for Leavitt when he went down and finished off the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown, his first one as a Sun Devil. In the next series, he came out on the field and instantly connected with redshirt sophomore receiver Jordyn Tyson for a 13-yard completion. He threw an incomplete pass just a few plays later, as in his two pass attempts.
Tyson led the Sun Devils in receiving yards for the fifth game this season, finishing with five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown from Leavitt in the first quarter. He caught five of his seven targets this week as he continues to build his chemistry with Leavitt, following a win versus Kansas the previous week where he had two touchdown receptions.
“Dating back to spring ball, I feel like it just clicked instantly,” Leavitt noted. “He’s got a really good feel for the game, and we constantly work together. We’re getting more comfortable with the offense and timing, and he feels how I’m going to throw the ball and how I want him to come out of breaks. It’s stuff like that putting in the work outside here that when it comes to game day is like second nature to us.”
Redshirt junior tight end Chamon Metayer was the only tight end to catch a pass, hauling in one catch for seven yards. He’s been the security blanket for Leavitt in prior weeks, but with Leavitt’s limited scrambling in the second half saw him and the other tight ends blocking more than catching passes.
Defense
The Arizona State defense gave Utah quarterback Cam Rising a harsh welcome back to the field, as Rising missed the previous three games with a finger injury. He was intercepted three times and was out of sync with his receivers due in part to an effective pass rush.
The Sun Devils were without junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliot and junior defensive end Clayton for the first half. They were serving suspensions after both were flagged for targeting penalties in the second half vs. Kansas. Utah's dangerous run game was expected to take advantage of this opportunity, but it was held to just 51 yards at halftime.
Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Zac Swanson was a key contributor to this effort, stepping in this week and recording seven tackles, a tackle for loss, and a half sack. Another run-stopper was a couple of feet behind Swanson in junior linebacker Jordan Crook, who also recorded seven tackles and broke up a pass. Senior defensive tackle Jeff Clark was also key on this side of the ball, tallying two quarterback hurries and four total tackles.
Junior safety Xavion Alford held down the secondary, finishing second on the team with nine tackles and minimizing any big plays to beat ASU down the field. The longest pass of the day was a 35-yard completion, but it was a jump ball in one-on-one coverage that the Utah receiver came down with. Junior safety Miles "Ghost" Rowsr had six total tackles and a pass breakup, continuing to be a force in the defensive backfield.
Special Teams
Redshirt freshman Carston Kieffer and redshirt sophomore Ian Hershey continued in their battle for the starting placekicker position, which Kieffer won heading into the Utah game. Kieffer missed his first extra-point attempt, though, and Hershey was given those duties the rest of the night, making all three extra-point attempts.
Graduate kicker Parker Lewis maintained his kickoff position, knocking four of his five kicks for a touchback. The only kick that was taken out of the endzone saw the Utah returner run to the 29-yard line, where Lewis proceeded to light him up and hit him hard out of bounds. Lewis celebrated a bit after the big hit and jogged back to the sideline ramping up the crowd.
Freshman Kanyon Floyd had a formidable performance in Week 5 but followed it up with a subpar outing versus Utah. He punted three times all from inside ASU’s 35-yard line, but his three punts went 106 yards total for an average of 35.33, his lowest average on the season.
True freshmen who exceeded four game appearances and are unable to redshirt:
P Kanyon Floyd
LB Martell Hughes
Newcomer Participation List for Kansas Game
QB Sam Leavitt
QB Jeff Sims
WR Jordyn Tyson
WR Jake Smith
TE Chamon Metayer
TE Markeston Douglas
TE Coleson Arends
TE Cameron Harpole
DL Roman Pitre
DL Zac Swanson
DL J.P. Deeter
DL Jeff Clark
DL Jacob Kongaika
LB Keyshaun Elliot
LB Zyrus Fiaseu
LB Martell Hughes
LB Jordan Crook
LB K’Vion Thunderbird
DB Laterrence Welch
DB Javan Robinson
DB Xavion Alford
DB Myles Rowser
DB Montana Warren
DB Adama Fall
DB Keontez Bradley
DB Kamari Wilson
DB Kyan McDonald
K Parker Lewis
K Ian Hershey
K Carston Kieffer
P Kanyon Floyd
True freshmen who recorded four or fewer game appearances and can still redshirt:
DB Kyan McDonald (four games)
DB Rodney Bimage (two games)
RB Jason Brown (one game)
DL Albert Smith (one game)
DB Tony-Luis Nkuba (one game)
True freshmen who haven’t appeared in a game this season:
OL Terrell Kim
OL Champ Westbrooks
OL Semisi Tonga
WR Zechariah Sample
TE Jayden Fortier
TE James Giggey
DL Ramar Williams
DL Salesi Manu
DB Plas Johnson
DB Chris Johnson II
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