Head coach Kenny Dillingham announced on Wednesday after practice that redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt will start Saturday against Oklahoma State in a pivotal road game for the ASU. Coming off a bye week and a loss to Cincinnati before the bye, the Sun Devils are a win away from clinching bowl eligibility, and they’ll have the chance to do so with their starter back behind center.
“He had a really good day," Dillingham noted. “He’s going to be the guy. He’s done everything we asked him to do this week, and he’s looked really good. I saw him be able to make throws and run around, and he’s pretty much full speed. There’s a reason we were super precautionary to make sure he was comfortable when he took the field.”
Practice today was filled with a plethora of energy throughout the morning, as players fought to the whistle and at certain points after as well. Although there was a bit of pushing and shoving after plays, Dillingham invites that intensity. They were missing that in their loss at Cincinnati, and Dillingham feels they’ve regained their edge.
“That was a great practice today,” Dillingham stated. “The physicality and energy level were great; we had a scuffle today, which was awesome to have. It wasn’t fake; it was real because we were playing so hard. It was just a really good day today.”
The kicking competition ensued today, as three kickers—graduate Parker Lewis, redshirt sophomore Ian Hershey, and redshirt freshman Carston Kieffer—all received reps today. A segment of practice was solely built for the kickers to attempt 47-yard field goals, with players yelling and waving their arms and coaches blowing their whistles in an attempt to distract the kickers.
“We tried to create a little pressure in practice, and it was good,” Dillingham said. “We told the guys we were going to have a little kicking competition, and it was good work. Obviously, it’s going to affect you when you kick under pressure scenarios. We had a guy make two of three kicks in a pressure scenario from 47 yards, which is pretty good.”
ASU travels to Stillwater, Oklahoma, this weekend to play Oklahoma State, which marched into Tempe and beat the Sun Devils last year. The weather forecast is expecting some rainfall over the weekend, posing a challenge for both teams. Dillingham prepared his team for this possibility by changing the quality of the footballs used today.
“If it’s horrible weather, you can’t throw the ball much,” Dillingham commented. “It affects your kicking game, and they have a really good punting team. Fielding punts will become more difficult, and I think the special teams are going to have a bigger effect. We know if it rains, it’ll affect the passing game, so we worked some wet ball stuff today.”
Over the course of the season, ASU’s two losses are credited in a short period from about midway through the first quarter to midway in the second quarter. Outside of that, the Sun Devils haven’t been outplayed nearly as much. For Dillingham, he feels the team needs to slow down and not get too ahead of itself.
“It’s more of one play at a time,” Dillingham explained. “We can’t get caught up in everything else for us, so we focused on that in the last half of the Cincinnati game. Our guys responded well to that, so we’re just trying to double down on that. Whatever happens, go to the next play, and that’s all that matters.”
Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo is rather familiar with Oklahoma State, as he was the running backs coach for the Cowboys from 2014-2016. Arroyo knows that he and the coaching staff that is still there from his time will be friendly before the game starts, but all of that will change once the game starts.
“I had such an awesome time there,” Arroyo proclaimed. “I’ve known that staff for a very long time, and it’s an amazing spot. It’ll be fun to see those guys before the game, but we’re all competitive, so we’ll be ready to try to whip each other’s*ss. At the end of the day, it was a special spot with really cool people.”
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy is the prime example of elongated success in college football. His 169-84 career record is the most ever at Oklahoma State, where he has coached since 2005. Gundy has led the Cowboys to a 12-6 bowl record and a Big 12 title in 2011. Arroyo is well aware of the challenge of beating someone like Gundy but is up for the task.
“He’s a pretty special guy,” Arroyo mentioned. “The thing you take from guys able to have success for two decades is consistency. The ability for them to recruit, evaluate, and make the changes necessary over the course of time with the game-changing is unreal. There’s a lot to be said about someone in this industry who can stay the course for that long. It reflects on him as a person and as a communicator, and he’s very authentic.”
Defensive coordinator Brian Ward is also aware of the Sun Devils' dangerous offense. Perhaps the biggest question for Saturday is the containment of senior running back Ollie Gordon II. Although he has, at times, not looked as dominant as hoped coming into the season, Ward feels the offense as a whole is still potent at all positions.
“They’re a very experienced offense,” Ward stated. “They’ve got four returning offensive linemen, a good group of receivers, and a preseason All-American running back. They’ve got speed on the perimeter that can stretch us deep, so we’re going to have our hands full this week.”
The Cowboys are 3-5 on the year and still looking for their first conference win. Ward knows the program's history is very telling about their ability to bounce back in seasons. They’ve shown they can win at times, but they just haven’t put it all together yet. Ward is expecting this week to be a challenge and is preparing the best way he knows how.
“The proof is in their success,” Ward pronounced. “They do what works for them, and they have answers for everything. They’ve shown quarterback runs and RPOs, and you can’t get comfortable just playing one defense with them. You have to bring multiple, so we have to give different looks and different coverages that we haven’t shown in order to prepare for a team like this.”
Oklahoma State has a veteran-filled offense with seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman at the helm. His composure and presence are enough to will the team to victory at times, but he also has the talent around him in support. Ward knows the offensive line is one of the premier fronts in the conference, and he’ll have trouble creating pressure on Bowman.
“He’s a strong-armed dude,” Ward noticed. “He believes in his receivers, and he’s very efficient moving in the pocket. He’s a hard guy to get to because they do such a good job protecting him from sacks. We’re going to have our hands full being able to get a pass rush and affect the quarterback.”
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