(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)
One look at the stat sheet from Arizona State’s matchup on the road versus Baylor, and it’s not hard to see how the numbers don’t seem to add up. Despite the Sun Devils leading in almost every statistical category including having 115 more yards of offense and out possessing the Bears by over 13 minutes, the contest still came down to the very last second.
What truly ended up turning the tide was the play-making ability of ASU’s defense, forcing three turnovers against one of the premier offenses of the Big 12 as Arizona State (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) snuck past Baylor (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) on Saturday.
“A game that you’re up 3-0 in the turnover battle should not come down to a game-winning kick,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “But they don’t look at that in the end. They look at wins and they look at losses.”
ASU’s fourth-worst defense in the conference going toe-to-toe with the 14th-best total offense in the country appeared to be a severe mismatch on paper. Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson held the reins to the fourth-best passing offense in all of college football, coming into the game with over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing to dynamic receivers like Ashtyn Hawkins and Josh Cameron. Not to mention Big 12 rushing attempts and yards leader Bryson Washington adding another dimension to the Bears’ offensive flair.
Against such a potent squad, it’s imperative for a defense to do whatever it can to force and capitalize on errors. ASU got off to a rough start in that department this season by not recording a turnover through the first two games before bouncing back with two forced fumbles against Texas State last week.
However, it only took 46 seconds for the Sun Devils defense to send the message that Saturday night would be a performance to remember. On the third play of the opening drive for Baylor, Cameron caught a screen pass that advanced nearly 15 yards until senior safety and Purdue transfer Kyndrich Breedlove snuck behind him and punched the ball out. Sophomore safety Adrian “Boogie” Wilson fell on top of it for the recovery, reversing the momentum of the game in one fell swoop.
“Practice how you play,” junior defensive back Keith Abney II said. “We preach that at practice, running to the ball, everybody taking shots at the ball, and shoutout Breedlove. He punched the ball on the first drive, and it’s just crazy how when you practice like that every day, things just come to nature.”
Later on with both teams in a 10-10 stalemate and ASU punting on its first possession in the second half, Cameron’s number would be called again. Robertson found the wideout on a quick slant pass to convert on short yardage where he would be met with three different Sun Devil defenders. This time, Wilson made himself the catalyst when he slapped the ball out of Cameron’s hands just as he was gaining possession. Senior linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu quickly fell on it, and despite the initial call on the field saying it was an incomplete pass, further review changed it to ASU’s second fumble recovery on the night.
Unlike the first two turnovers where the Sun Devils’ defense made plays happen themselves, the third and final takeaway came from taking advantage of poor execution. Four plays into another Bears offensive possession at their own 30 yard line, Robertson tried to find Cameron on a curl route but aired the pass a bit too far to the right.
ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward had his unit deployed into man coverage for most of the first three quarters before transitioning back into the zone coverage he’s relied on throughout his tenure. As a result, Abney was put in the perfect position to dive towards the pass to record the first interception of the 2025 season for ASU.
“When we was pressing a lot and they really couldn’t get on top of us, we just made an adjustment,” Abney said. “We started played off and we just knew them guys weren’t going to really run past us, and they was just going to sit it down at the sticks. So I just trusted what coach told me. Coach Ward put me in a position to make that play and I just executed.”
The ironic twist in all of this is that despite gaining three turnovers, two of which happened on Baylor’s side of the field, the Sun Devils hardly capitalized on offense. Breedlove’s forced fumble and Abney’s interception were both followed up with field goals inside the 20-yard-line while Wilson’s forced fumble resulted in a turnover on downs in a 4th-and-1 situation.
On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine how differently the game could have played out if both teams fought on an equal playing field. The spectacular effort from the defense helped keep the ball out of Robertson’s hands, let ASU chew as much clock as possible, and put up six points that proved to be vital by the time Jesus Gomez booted the game-winning field goal as time expired.
“They had 13, 14 possession in their last couple games, and you can’t play that team in 14 possessions with how many shots they take, how explosive they are,” Dillingham said. “Eventually, those things are going to hit. Eventually, they’re going to call double moves. They’re going to loosen you up. They’re going to call their shots. They’re going to hit. So, we were trying to keep this a low possession game.”
