Despite a remarkable 2024 campaign, Las Vegas doesn’t expect the Sun Devils to stretch to trailblaze into Manhattan, Kansas. Playing its second ranked opponent of the season, Arizona State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) is listed as an 8.5 point underdog against No. 16 Kansas State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) heading into Saturday. Some will understand the circumstances surrounding the game and likely agree with the outsiders’ perspective on ASU, yet in Tempe, the doubt placed on the Sun Devils only adds fuel to a fire that’s been ignited for months.

“I told our guys this is a fight,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “A dog fight. This is not going to be a game where you go in, and it's a three-round knockout this is going to be a fight where you may win round one, they may win rounds two through four, you may win five, six, seven, you just got to keep swinging and it doesn't matter what happens the team that gets back up and continues to swing and fight and compete is probably going to be the team that wins.”

The Sun Devils swung all of last Saturday night against the University of Central Florida, trailing for a majority of the first half and falling short in most major statistical categories such as total yards, first downs, and yards per play. For the players, their struggles fail to concern them on the sidelines, as their trust in themselves and each other allowed them to pull away in critical moments.

“I think we've found a rhythm. We just have a sense of belief,” Dillingham noted. “You look at our leaders on defense, and you believe they're going to make the play. Does that mean they're always going to make it? No, it doesn't; the shot doesn't always go in, but the sense of belief that you're going to has to be there. I think on offense and defense, our guys believe that when the games are on the line, we're going to make the play.”

Adding ammunition to their cohesive belief, Dillingham has taken the opportunity to remind his players of the outsider perspective on the Sun Devils as expectations have greatly altered concerning a team that was projected to finish last in the conference in the Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll.

“It's that time of year where it's time to bring out all the external motivation,” Dillingham remarked. “There are three games left. I've shown them everybody who says that we're still not good and that we haven't played anybody. I've shown them that we're one of the few two [loss] teams that still aren't ranked.”

To aid ASU, four-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, senior running back Cam Skattebo is scheduled to play this weekend after suffering a shoulder injury against Oklahoma State. Skattebo didn’t suit up for the UCF contest but has practiced this week in preparation for the Kansas State contest.

“He's doing really well,” Dillingham said in regards to Skattebo. “He’s gonna play, barring something changing. I fully expect him to play this week unless something changes.”

ASU's head coach added that junior linebacker Keyshawn Elliott, who was also sidelined last weekend due to a neck stinger, is expected to play as well since he also practiced this week.

Skattebo, who leads the Big 12 in all-purpose yards per game (175.6), was sorely missed against UCF, as ASU tallied just 99 total rushing yards in that game. Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo made it clear that missing his main weapon hurt the unit off the field just as much as in between the lines.

“It's a huge impact; the guy’s a huge spark for us on and off the field,” Arroyo said. “Mentally, physically, and emotionally, I think that type of leadership you're going to miss that in different aspects, whether it's going to be on the field or the preparation for it.”

In order to preserve the health of Skattebo and the remainder of the team, ASU took its foot off the gas pedal in practices this week, cutting the sessions short and emphasizing execution and conceptual understanding over banging and bruising before the final stretch of the season.

“A little lighter day today,” Dillingham said following Wednesday’s practice. “I took about 25 minutes off of the guys between yesterday and today compared to what we've done in the last few weeks. It's week 10 but kind of week 12 when you include the bye-weeks, so we got to get to game day as fresh as possible.”

Coming off a restful bye week, the Wildcats had the opportunity to recenter their efforts. Coming off a 24-19 loss to Houston, they’ll be hungry to redeem themselves. Typically, this is a Kansas team that has done an exemplary job grinding out victories. It was just one of three teams to be undefeated at home in 2024, alongside ASU and BYU.

“Kansas State's done such a good job for a long time that place has got some DNA in it,” Arroyo explained. “That goes back a long time in the way they play. I've played there a couple of times, and as far as the culture and DNA, they've always been good at their rush defense. It's a really good group of coaches that know, and we've got a great test.”

The Sun Devils’ game plan roots in winning the modest battles that edge out advantages. Offensively, ASU has an advantage in this sector, averaging more first downs per game and ranking second in the conference on third-down conversions at 45.5%, while Kansas State sits ninth in the same statistic at 40.5%. The reserve side of the ball favors the Wildcats, who rank second best in opponent fourth-down conversions at 35%, while ASU loses its battles 56.3% of the time on fourth downs.

“The margin of victory in this league is so small that you have to win the situations,” Dillingham commented. “You have to win third downs, you have to win the red zone, you have to win the middle eight, the turnover battle, you have to win those things, and that's what this football team does.”

A schematical component that raises eyebrows in the ASU camp is the odd front defensive setup for Kansas State, a scheme designed to off-put an offense’s blocking assignments.

“They're obviously an odd front, and we've obviously struggled with the odd fronts,” Dillingham admitted. “All the odd front teams we've faced, Texas Tech we obviously struggled with, Cincinnati obviously wasn't a good game, and most the teams that did that we struggled with, so that's another thing that compounds the challenge.”

On the defensive side of the ball, another dynamic rushing attack looks to cause the Sun Devils troubles. Through a hyper-athletic sophomore quarterback, Avery Johnson, who is tenth in Big 12 total offensive yards. The run-pass options and play-saving tendencies compelled defensive coordinator Brian Ward to make daunting comparisons for the Wichita native.

“He's just so hard to tackle in the backfield and he has great vision in the pocket,” Ward detailed, “and he's a creator so he most reminds me of in terms of passer-runner like Lamar Jackson. When he gets out, he's as fast as anybody I've seen in space, so we got to be able to keep in front of him and keep him in front of us in order to be successful on Saturday.”

To simplify Johnson’s role as a passer, running back DJ Giddens is as talented as any notable running back in the Big 12. Ranked as the fourth-highest all-purpose yards contributor per game (134.2), the junior can generate matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.

“They rush the ball like crazy. He has unbelievable patience, and he's so strong,” Dillingham stated. “Very rarely does he go down wherever he's contacted, and their style of play fits into that mold because they'll run the ball until you stop it. So if he runs you over for a gain of five, then he does it again, and it's a first down. And they just keep doing that, and they don't really care what else happens in the game. There's great power in that. That’s why Coach [head coach Chris Klieman] has won four (FCS) national championships there. That's why he's built and continued a really good program at Kansas State and built upon that into where they are right now.

“These guys are the best from what this conference has to offer,” Ward said, “and they've been traditionally one of the best teams in the country in the last five or six years. So yeah, we got our hands full. What makes this offense so good is they just they do the same things over and over and they trust, and they wait for you to make a mistake or break down mentally, or start to press, and they they take advantage.”

To defeat a diverse opponent will require immense focus from the opening kickoff. With a conference record of 1-2 on the road, ASU has showcased its biggest struggles this year, almost exclusively away from Tempe. However, beating Oklahoma State at Stillwater broke that trend and presented the components that need to be featured should ASU win this contest.

“We got to start fast, and we got to be able to execute and don't let the environment affect us,” Ward stated. “Play the situations and what our plan is, and then if we got to make adjustments, we'll do that as we go.”

Despite being an unlikely success story in 2024, ASU’s notoriety amongst the general populous of colligate football is not as highly touted as other programs with similar feats; with its best chance to catapult into the Top 25 on Saturday, Dillingham is proud of his players’ hard work paying off in a turnaround season.

“What it's all about is building relationships with these guys; it's all a reflection of playing meaningful games,” Dillingham remarked. “Because that's the groundwork for that kid being successful in life, so for me, that's what it's all about is all the things nobody really sees, but it's easier to convince guys to work hard to build good habits to do those things to put themselves in position to be successful in life when they see that we are playing meaningful games.”

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