ASU squeaks out 25-23 win over West Virginia to keep conference title hopes alive

(Photo: Ashanti Thompson/ WCSN)

TEMPE — It’s a picture that’s become all too familiar throughout this season of Arizona State football. Nearly four quarters of pulling ahead yet never truly putting games away leads to a frequent result. A one-score contest with only a few minutes remaining at Mountain America Stadium while thousands of fans collectively hold their breath.

Seven weeks ago, it took a strip-sack and game-sealing interception to take down No. 24 TCU. Three weeks after that, a last-second touchdown on the goal line helped pull off the upset over No. 7 Texas Tech.

Flash forward to now, the newest miraculous finish for ASU (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) came in the form of a 49-yard field goal followed up by junior defensive back Keith Abney II diving to pick off an errant pass for a 25-23 defeat of West Virginia (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) that keeps the team’s hopes of a conference title alive.

“Some people find ways to win, some people find ways to lose,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “There’s so many ways to be successful in football and life. Some people like controversy, some people hate it. Did you get it done or not? And our guys get it done.”

Another excellent outing under center from senior quarterback Jeff Sims saw him prove the dual-threat aspect of his game. Coming off a game against Iowa State two weeks ago where the signal caller set the school record for rushing yards in a single game by a quarterback, most of his production versus the Mountaineers instead came through the air.

Sims’ 19 completions on 28 attempts resulted in 207 yards and three passing touchdowns; two feats that he hadn’t achieved since his 2021 and 2022 campaigns at Georgia Tech. This time around, the quarterback earned his first win as a starter at Mountain America Stadium.

“The plus-one runs were not nearly as productive when we called them at the end there,” Dillingham said. “We had one big one this week because the scheme is different. The scheme this week made him have to throw quick versus pressure teams. And he went out there and did that. I think that’s why I say I got a lot of confidence in Jeff.”

In addition, Sims excelled at spreading the ball around to multiple pass catchers with junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson being ruled out for a third straight game.

The main benefactor of the revamped passing attack was sophomore wide receiver Derek Eusebio. Beforehand, the Plano, Texas native hadn’t scored a touchdown since the Territorial Cup last season and hadn’t recorded more than two receptions in a single game in his collegiate career. His six receptions for 74 yards, including turning a screen pass into a 19-yard dash to the end zone, capped off a career-best performance where he filled a desperately needed role for the Sun Devils’ offense.

Eusebio also owes a major thanks to senior tight end Chamon Metayer who laid down a perfect block to allow him to score untouched. Metayer himself scored ASU’s first touchdown of the game on a six-yard RPO quick pass to make it three straight games with at least one receiving score.

“Chamon’s a Sunday player as well,” Dillingham said. “I’ve been singing his praises for a year. He blocks people, catches the ball. He’s physical. He’s one of the smartest kids on the team. He works hard. He’s a good person. I don’t know what else people want.”

After giving up an early field goal and being outgained 114 to 29 in the total yards department towards the beginning of the second quarter, the Sun Devils’ offense rattled off 15 unanswered points thanks to the efforts of Eusebio, Metayer, and recently promoted special teams coach Jack Nudo.

ASU lined up for what appeared to be the team’s second extra point attempt of the game until redshirt senior kicker Jesus Gomez caught a direct snap and threw a pass to senior tight end Cameron Harpole in the corner of the end zone to tack on two more.

“That was Coach Nudo, that had nothing to do with me,” Dillingham said. “Coach Nudo saw something on tape, and he said, ‘I think we can get a free point like going for two’.”

“It made the trade off to where they would always be trailing, they could never kick a field goal to get back in the game at that point. So we felt it was worth it.”

The machine appeared to be humming right along the moment Sims found junior running back Raleek Brown for a 44-yard passing touchdown to go up 22-10 ahead of halftime. However, the Sun Devils wouldn’t add to the scoreboard again until there were three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Three previous drives that amounted to a turnover on downs off a fumble, a blocked 46-yard field goal, and a punt after four plays put the game’s outcome in the hands of the defense.

On one hand, ASU held the Mountaineers to just 68 yards on 39 rushing attempts and kept them out of the end zone when inside the 10-yard line on two different occasions.

“I would say those plays, like goal line plays like that, those are mentality plays,” senior linebacker Jordan Crook said. “When your back against the wall, it’s either they get in or they don’t.”

What ended up taking the affair down to the wire was the unit’s struggles in preventing explosive plays.

In his third career start, freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. threw for 353 yards; two plays in particular accounted for 47% of that total. Immediately after ASU’s extra point trickery, senior wide receiver Jeff Weimer timed his route perfectly to create a wide open window downfield and end up with a 75-yard score.

The latter became what Dillingham called “the craziest play I’ve probably ever been a part of” when a third-and-27 situation mid-fourth quarter evolved from a short dump-off pass to sophomore running back Cyncir Bowers breaking free and outmaneuvering defenders 90 yards to hand the Mountaineers the lead.

Following Gomez booting a 49-yard field goal to simultaneously jump back in front by two and whittle the clock down to three minutes remaining, the Sun Devils’ defense put aside its shortcomings to get the job done in a scenario that has become an area of expertise.

“We’ve been in situations like this before where it’s come down to the wire,” Crook said. “It’s nothing new. Just going back out there, going back to the fundamentals, and playing harder and executing. I think that’s what it comes down to. I mean, it’s not like a big ra-ra speech where we get in there. It’s just a matter of going up there and making it happen.”

It eventually came down to a fourth-and-four in West Virginia territory. Abney, a season-long x-factor in the secondary who has proven to be one of the conference’s top defensive backs, called his shot right before snagging the interception that sealed the victory for ASU.

“Me and the quarterback made eye contact right before that,” Abney said. “I kinda knew it was coming for real, and then it was a great feeling.”

The win gives ASU its fifth by one-score this season, and most importantly, keeps the team’s chances at returning to Arlington, Texas afloat for another week. Cross-state rival Arizona did the Sun Devils a favor by defeating No. 25 Cincinnati earlier in the day, and the result of No. 12 BYU’s game against TCU late Saturday night will also heavily impact ASU’s odds.

What will not change over the next two weeks is that the Sun Devils have to continue the pursuit of winning their remaining games versus Colorado and Arizona. The pension of playing with fire consistently is a risky game to play week in, week out, but ASU’s ability to close it out when it matters is also the reason why its postseason aspirations are still visible.

“They’re excited to play in those moments, not dreading ‘what if I make a mistake in those moments,” Dillingham said. “I think that’s the culture we’re trying to build, have more fun and work harder than anybody in the country.”