Eyeing a 1-4 opponent on the schedule is generally a cheerful sight, yet ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham and the coaching staff preached all week how challenging of a conference foe Kansas would be despite their four-game losing skid. Anyone who chalked those statements up to typical coach speak was in for an unpleasant surprise on Saturday as the Sun Devils scratched and clawed their way to a home victory.
In a dramatic affair, Arizona State (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) defeated Kansas (1-5, 0-3) 35-31 for its first Big 12 win in its inaugural conference home game. It was also the first meeting on the gridiron between these two schools, all while eclipsing Arizona State’s win total in each of the last two seasons and doing so after just five games.
In an emotional and physically draining contest, Dillingham’s squad ramped up its offensive output, scoring a rare 21 points in the fourth quarter alone, including a game-winning reception from sophomore wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with only 16 seconds to play.
Dillingham knows this triumph was not picture-perfect, yet coming off of a bye week, the team had an extra ounce of energy required to prevail in the game's waning moments. Arizona State’s head coach said that the players’ motor through every stretch of the contest was his most positive takeaway from this contest.
“We played an ugly game,” Dillingham admitted. “But we played so hard, with passion, we made plays in the fourth quarter … we just played the next play, we didn’t get rattled, we didn’t waver, just responded.”
Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt thrived amongst the pandemonium, throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes, including two in the final seven minutes. Leavitt finished the game 14-24 for 157 passing yards, while on the ground, he converted on timely scrambles, rushing for 77 yards on ten tries. Dillingham noted that the improvements made by his young quarterback game-by-game are evident not just in his statistical output but during the moments in which he executes crucial plays.
“Sam has unbelievable poise,” Dillingham remarked. “The dude's mindset is a professional mindset; he prepares every week like a pro. He shows up every day, and he’s getting better and better and better. Today he did what he had to do, when the game was on the line he showed up. That was his fifth start in college football, that pretty exciting for ASU, it’s pretty exciting for the Valley.”
Similar to his head coach, Leavitt praised Dillingham for the preparation and support he’s received since arriving in Tempe last spring. He claims the belief and backing from his teammates and coaching staff are what afford him the ability to perform at a high level, even when the pressure is at its apex.
“A couple of big things I wrote on my whiteboard was just being calm in the pocket,” Leavitt said. “Just fall back on our training; we do two-minute [drills] all the time in practice. Dillingham says just go fall back on your training.”
Leavitt was heavily aided by a dynamic rushing attack; the Sun Devil backfield ran for 236 yards on 35 attempts, excluding Leavitt’s performance. Senior Cam Skattebo made up the majority of that chunk, rushing for 186 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry, and scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The ASU run game sprung up a notch in the fourth quarter, as it rushed for 116 yards in the final 15 minutes. Skattebo tallied 72 yards on the ground in the final frame of the game, including a 39-yard run following the two-minute warning. That play noticeably shifted the game's momentum, leading to Tyson's game-winning touchdown.
“When we got to 11 minutes left I said, ‘Hey this is Skattebo time,’” Dillingham commented. “Let’s get him the ball here in this fourth quarter. We tried to keep him fresher, I think we kept Skattebo fresh at the end of the game which was the goal.”
The ebbs and flows of the Sun Devils' contest saw plenty of turmoil on the defensive side of the ball; junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and junior defensive lineman Clayton Smith were ejected for targeting penalties in the second half. Those infractions proved nearly costly, as ASU was flagged for eight penalties totaling 70 yards. Yet Dillingham wouldn’t change much, noting that the penalties correlate to the passion his players demonstrated.
“We can coach as much as we want, but those weren’t violent penalties, and those weren’t stupid penalties,” Dillingham said. “Those just happened through the flow of the game … I mean, we got a flag for spiking the ball; usually, you don’t get flags for spiking the ball, but the ball bounced too high. So, it is what it is, we played hard, we played with passion, we got to continue to do that.”
Earning stops on third down seemed an impossible task early on as Kansas converted on 4-5 in the opening period. However, the defense was able to come up with timely stops throughout the contest. The most evident illustration is the defensive performance during the ‘Middle 8,’ a term coined to represent the final four minutes of the first half and the opening four minutes of the second half. During this period, ASU won the battle 7-3 due to critical red zone defense that stonewalled the Jayhawks into a 20-yard field goal.
“Where we did improve was red zone defense,” Dillingham said. “We got two really huge stops there to start the second half. After the Keyshaun Elliott targeting and then we had to do it again … How many points did we win the football game by? Four, how many points did we win the ‘Middle 8’ by? Four.”
When losing two pivotal starters due to ejections, the on-field outlook might sway; however, junior Xavion Alford noted the trust the defensive unit possesses, describing the time and consistency it takes to formulate the bonds necessary for success during adverse moments throughout a season.
“That goes back to winter workouts in January,” Alford said. “This culture that we build here, being instilled in each other and holding each other accountable. Like when running springs, making sure we’re touching the line, things like that.
“The way we practice is a next man up mentality; we practice with the same intensity all the way down from the top of the team to the bottom, So I have full confidence in whoever the next guy in that they’re going to come in and do their job and execute.”
ASU will need to continue trusting its depth for the road ahead, with No. 18 Utah visiting Tempe on Friday. The combination of a short week for ASU, a bye week for Utah, and two defensive leaders being ineligible for the first half will require the entire roster to overcome the looming formidable challenges.
“It sucks because [Elliot and Smith] are going to miss the first half of next week,” Dillingham said. “I wish there was different levels of targeting penalties, but that’s not the rule. Unfortunately, we play a Friday night game, and Utah’s off a bye, so I don’t know how we got a schedule where we have six days, and they have a bye week, but it’s possibly the worst scenario you could ever have. We’re going to be as fresh as physically possible.”
The Sun Devil faithful aided the players in Saturday's win. Now sitting 3-0 in home games in 2024, Dillingham urges the fans to repeat their support. With 54,639 seats filled on Saturday, a sold-out Mountain America Stadium proved pivotal against Kansas.
“These are still 18 to 22-year-olds that run out of the tunnel, and they dreamt of it being a sold-out crowd,” Dillingham said. “Running through all the fans and people cheering it fuels our guys. I'm proud of the fan base for how they’ve shown up so far this year, and we got a big one on Friday night, so cancel your plans and get back out here to the stadium.”
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