What has head coach Kenny Dillingham not done in his second season at ASU?
The team that was 3-9 in two consecutive seasons and predicted to finish last in the Big-12 Conference is 8-2 with bowl eligibility and a chance at a conference championship bid.
The path to such abrupt success has been anything but anti-climatic. This season, the Sun Devils notched their first SEC win in program history and have two wins against top-20 ranked teams, the first coming against then No. 16 Utah and now this win against No. 16 Kansas State. This comfortable 24-14 win displayed an ASU football team firing on all cylinders.
Now Sun Devil fans are realizing that this is not a dream. It's all real.
"We made a statement that we're a good football team," Dillingham said. "It means a lot to these guys to come in here with a chip on their shoulder today and do something that really nobody thought we could do."
This "staple win" in the program, as redshirt junior defensive back Xavion Alford defined it, was facilitated by a fast start.
On the third play of regulation, Alford made a diving interception. ASU's offense got the ball in enemy territory and didn't look back. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore Jordyn Tyson six plays later as ASU struck first, 7-0.
That sequence set the tone. By halftime, ASU was up 21-0.
"That was a big focal point for us, we knew we had to start fast," Alford said. "We were in their place ... but we wanted to come in here and make it our place."
READ MORE: Fast starts, scripted plays are key for ASU's offensive success
Leavitt led the ASU offensive effort, completing nearly 62 percent of his passes for 275 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. In a game where a dominant performance from senior running back Cam Skattebo felt necessary for a chance at victory, Leavitt stole the spotlight.
"Sam's going to play on Sundays," Dillingham said. "There's zero doubt in my mind, Sam's an NFL player. I think the sky is his limit, and I think he's going to be the face of Sun Devil football."
The same duo of Leavitt and Tyson that completed ASU's first touchdown continued to dominate through four quarters. The only player who rivaled Leavitt's stat line was Tyson. He caught 12 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
"(Tyson) just has a great feel for the game, and we constantly work on it," Leavitt said. "We talk about almost every single rep. So when you get in the game, and you see a look, he knows exactly what I want."
READ MORE: A statistical analysis of Sam Leavitt this season
On defense, ASU forced three turnovers and held the Wildcats to their second-lowest scoring output of the season. While the Sun Devil defense did give up 412 yards of offense, the group led by defensive coordinator Brian Ward performed admirably when it mattered most.
Kansas State's Avery Johnson was blitzed constantly on passing downs, and these blitzes led to an uncharacteristic performance for the sophomore quarterback. He went 24 for 40 with 258 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
When asked if ASU's rebuild was ahead of schedule, Dillingham had to be "brutally honest."
"We were a three-win team twice," Dillingham said. "We were under NCAA sanctions. Most head coaches, to be brutally honest, get fired if you take a job under sanctions. You don't survive. You're hired to be fired. That's the nature of the beast, and right now we're sitting here at 8-2, and I couldn't be prouder. "
Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at jwkartso@asu.edu and follow @kartsonis3 on X.
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Jack is a sophomore studying sports journalism. This is his second semester with The State Press. He has also worked at other student journalism organizations.
