A week of added intensity gave ASU the boost it needed against No.7 Texas Tech

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)

TEMPE — Following a deflating 42-10 loss against the Utah Utes last week, Arizona State football team head coach Kenny Dillingham called on his team to be more physical against Texas Tech and beyond.

In the week building up to Saturday’s game against the Red Raiders, the Sun Devils brought much more intensity in their Tuesday and Wednesday practices, evening live tackling on Tuesday, something Dillingham said wasn’t normal.

“When you have a loss like that, you can go down a rabbit hole and a lot of people go down a rabbit hole, whether that’s football or life,” Dillingham said. “Our guys didn’t go down a rabbit hole. We went live, period three (in practice) and not one person flinched.”

The week of added physicality paid off as ASU (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) knocked off No. 7 Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) 26-22 Saturday afternoon.

The defense brought added physicality, as they held the Red Raiders’ offense to 106 rushing yards, a week after Utah ran for 276 yards against this Sun Devils’ defense.

“The whole thing about this week was to show that we’re physical, to show that we like football,” redshirt sophomore safety Adrian “Boogie” Wilson said.

Texas Tech came into Tempe with a powerful run game, as they ran for 372 yards and four touchdowns against Kansas last week.

The Red Raiders’ run game could have provided a disaster for ASU’s defense, had they replicated their performance from Utah, but instead delivered one of their best defensive performances of the season.

“As veterans it’s our fourth, fifth year, some guys even our sixth year playing, and sometimes it’s hard to wake up and go,” senior linebacker Keyshaun Elli said. “Coach did a good job holding us accountable. We’re going live on Tuesday practice, week seven of the year. That’s not pretty common.

Elliot alongside senior linebacker Jordan Crook led the Sun Devils in the tackling department, with six and seven respectively.

Through the opening four drives of the game, Texas Tech only had one first down and a total of 44 yards. Also, The Red Raiders didn’t reach ASU territory until the second quarter.

Texas Tech freshman quarterback Will Hammond started in place of typical starter, senior Behren Morton. Hammond, after a prolific rushing performance against Kansas, was held to only four rushing yards, 17 excluding sacks.

“He runs the ball well. We knew from the first game he played this year, that they’re going to design some quarterback runs,” Elliot said. “We practiced it. We emphasized it. We didn’t really know who was going to be the starter until last night so we just trusted our coaches.”

Stopping Hammond took out a layer of the Red Raiders’ offense and limited their typically prolific offense. The rest of Texas Tech’s run game didn’t make up for the gaps left by Hammond, as the sophomore duo of running backs Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams only combined for 63 rushing yards on eleven attempts.

Through the first six games of the season, Texas Tech averaged 47.5 points per game — against ASU they were held to a season-low of 22.

“It was unbelievable from start to finish what (the defense) did out there,” Dillingham said. “For what their defense has done to people, the offense was unbelievable. If we can just get out of our own freaking way.”

The Sun Devils’ offense also brought their own layer of physicality to the game, despite the lack of rushing attack. Redshirt junior Raleek Brown led the running backs with 46 yards, but his game-winning touchdown saw him fight through numerous Texas Tech defenders to get across the goal line.

“I just saw a little crease. Bounced to the outside,” Brown said. “Then I just stuck my foot in the ground, trying to get a push.”

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt also brought intensity to the game, in his return to the field after missing the Utah game due to a lower body injury. Leavitt threw for 319 yards and a touchdown, whilst also extending plays with his legs to keep drives going.

“Missing last week was rough. I remember we were driving on the bus on the way to the game…I got my headphones on and I just started bawling,” Leavitt said. “It’s a game that I put my everything into and I couldn’t be out there for my guys.”

The uniqueness of ASU’s practice schedule this week certainly prepared both sides of the ball for a matchup against the number seven team in the country.

“The practice felt different because usually a Wednesday practice, it’s a little shorter, a little calmer, but Wednesday’s practice felt like a Tuesday practice,” Brown said. “I felt it for sure. We played physical the whole week.”

Next, the Sun Devils play host to the 6-1 Houston Cougars, making it the eighth consecutive game ASU’s opponents have had one loss or less.

“I think we’ve hit the record on consecutive one-loss teams,” Dillingham said.

Dillingham also mentioned that the shift in intensity during the midweek practices is something that he will keep “forever.”

The performance against Texas Tech was one that Dillingham would certainly also like to keep forever, especially after the loss against Utah. It now offers ASU to regain control of their season’s destiny in an ever-tightening Big 12 standings.

“You have to self-correct when you realize that maybe you’ve miscalculated and are steering in the wrong direction,” Dillingham said. “That doesn’t mean you’re going in the wrong direction. That means you may be 5 degrees off right. Good programs don’t turn left or right. They turn a little bit.”