Marching down the field after the Jayhawks took the lead with a field goal in the third quarter, the ASU offense set on Kansas' 19-yard line threatening to score. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt stood tall in the pocket and delivered a strike to redshirt sophomore Jordyn Tyson in the endzone — only one issue, it was dropped.
The ball fell right into the hands of Kansas's redshirt junior safety Devin Dye and the play resulted in an interception. After fumbling earlier in the game, this was the second turnover Tyson was responsible for. After the interception, Tyson ran to the sideline in frustration, where he was immediately counseled by head coach Kenny Dillingham.
"There's a reason you're (Tyson) in the game," Dillingham said after the game. "It's because we trust you. The trust never wavered, I think that's the biggest thing. When you make those plays that doesn’t mean we waver in our trust for you, it just means you have to go and respond."
Tyson responded — he accounted for three receptions for 52 yards and two scores after the drop. Each score gave ASU the lead, and his second one was a 3-yard touchdown catch on a slot wheel route in the corner of the end zone, with 16 seconds left in the game. It would go on to be the game-winning touchdown for the Sun Devils, a moment that ASU wide receiver coach Hines Ward has prepared him for.
"He's taught me so much in his short time being here," Tyson said. "On that (second) touchdown he's been preaching 'dig, dig, dig.' And I dug — what happened? Touchdown. It's everything."
Leavitt has only started five college games in his career, and in his short time with the Sun Devils, he's begun to build a relationship with Tyson as one of his main targets.
Tyson missed most of last season due to a knee injury and was expected to make an impact in this 2024 campaign. Against Texas State, he made his name felt with an impressive 52-yard touchdown score and finished that contest with six receptions for 120 yards.
Leavitt completed 14 passes against Kansas, and Tyson was the only receiver to get more than one reception. The chemistry between the two is starting to blossom and after a two-touchdown performance, a special connection could be brewing in the desert.
"A couple of plays earlier in the game, (there were) a couple of mistakes, but why would I ever lose faith?" Leavitt said. "I see the way that he comes to practice every day. He's putting in that work and he keeps killing, never lost faith in that."
Despite turning the ball over twice in the first three and a half quarters Tyson turned it around to show his true colors — maroon and gold.
"I gave him the game ball because that's what the program is about," Dillingham said. "The program is about the response. Talk about a bad beginning of a game. He was about as upset as you could be, and that fact that he could regather himself and go execute and finish with a positive attitude is everything we're trying to build here."
Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Madeline Schmitke.
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Daniel is a senior studying sports journalism. This is his first semester with The State Press. He has also worked at WCSN, OC Riptide, 1550 Sports and AZPreps365.
