Sun Devils stun Wildcats on road to keep Big 12 Title hopes alive

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Sun Devils stormed into Bill Snyder Family Stadium Saturday night, and made a statement to all of their doubters that thought they weren’t Big 12 contenders.

After all, Arizona State downed No. 16 Kansas State 24-14 under the lights, which was its’ first loss of the season. The players left the crowd of 51,180 completely silent as they took that walk of fame back to the locker room. It was also the second time this year that the Sun Devils beat a top-20 team. Not to mention Arizona State is currently on a four-game win streak, and tied in second place with Iowa State in the Big 12 standings.

The Sun Devils are taking care of business down the stretch after winning five of the last six games, and now control their own destiny. Coach Kenny Dillingham put his team through an intense week of practice, and it all paid off on the gridiron. The Sun Devils came out on fire, took it right to the Wildcats and never trailed the entire contest. Arizona State (8-2) even held Kansas State scoreless in the first half.

“I think that we made a statement that we’re a good football team, and you can look at the records and cap every game in the Big 12, but we never know who can win,” Dillingham said. “I know these guys play hard for each other, I think there’s great power in that, and that means a lot to these guys to came in here with that chip on their shoulder today, and did something that nobody thought we could do.”

The fireworks started after defensive back Xavion Alford intercepted Avery Johnson’s pass on the second play of the game. The turnover by the defense gave Arizona State’s offense good field position for the first drive, and quarterback Sam Leavitt took care of the rest. The Sun Devils drew first blood after Leavitt led the offense on a six-play, 49-yard touchdown drive, that ended after he connected with wideout Jordyn Tyson in the corner of the end zone.

Leavitt also led the offense on an 11-play, 67-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, in which he hooked up with Tyson again. The fun didn’t stop there either. Tight end Chamon Metayer later got in on the action, and hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Leavitt. Within a blink of an eye, the Sun Devils jumped out to a 21-0 lead, and they had all of the momentum at halftime.

It was obvious Dillingham had a great game plan, and he made the necessary adjustments every time the Wildcats tried to climb back in it. Kansas State’s defense loaded up the box to stop dynamic running back Cam Skattebo, and Dillingham enjoyed the way Leavitt made the unit pay.

“They are a run-pressure defense, so a lot of their early down pressure is not to stop the pass, it’s to stop run downs,” he said. “We were very, very successful against some of those run pressures, so we knew we had to combat that with play-action shots early, and with screens.”

Leavitt and his teammates pretty much picked up where they left off at, and extended their lead to 24-0 early in the third quarter after a 47-yard field goal from kicker Parker Lewis. By that time the fans in attendance were speechless, and started to exit the venue. Taking the crowd out of the game was one of Dillingham’s goals, and it clearly worked to perfection.

Kansas State (7-3) didn’t score until late in the third quarter, and that was when Arizona State’s defense was in cruise control. The Wildcats pulled within 10 points, and made it somewhat interesting in the fourth quarter, but the Sun Devils never panicked and kept a double-digit cushion. Dillingham’s boys dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball too. Kansas State’s explosive offense never got into a rhythm, and struggled when it mattered the most.

Once the smoke cleared, the Sun Devils led the Wildcats in first downs, third down efficiency, plays and time of possession. Leavitt completed 21 of his 34 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Skattebo rushed for 73 yards on 25 carries. Tyson stole the show with a game-high, 12 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Arizona State caused three turnovers, and suffocated Johnson. He couldn’t do much damage with his mobility, and the Sun Devils forced Johnson to beat them with his arm, and he couldn’t. Linebacker Jordan Crock finished with a team-high, nine tackles. Defensive back Keith Abney added seven stops, and Caleb McCullough and Myles Rowser each had six.

Dillingham is glad that his players had fun in a hostile environment, and felt even better that he let them be themselves during the process.

“The way that we came out on the road like that, we had to focus, and our guys felt disrespected going into the game,” the 34-year old said. “Winning is way more fun than losing, I’ll tell you that much.”

Now the Sun Devils are looking like the hottest team in the Big 12. It’s hard to argue with that when Arizona State has won eight of its’ first 10 games for the first time since 2014. Despite the win, Dillingham understands that there’s more work to be done, and his players can’t get complacent.

Arizona State hosts a one-loss BYU team in week 13, and it’ll be the perfect opportunity to move up the Big 12 hierarchy. Regardless, Dillingham feels his team is a year ahead of schedule. The Sun Devils are a confident and hungry bunch, as they inch closer to a berth in the Championship Game. Dillingham knows his squad doesn’t have a margin for error, and now they’re the hunted.

“We got a big game this week against BYU, and if the valve is not activated now, I don’t know if it ever will.”