Jake Fette does it all in first home start against Colorado

(Photo: Dominic Pasella/WCSN)

TEMPE — Jayden Daniels and Joey Yellen in 2019. Jaden Rashada in 2023.

On Saturday night, Jake Fette added his name to the list of Arizona State first-year quarterbacks to start a game in Tempe over the last seven years.

But Fette wasn’t the only first-year to throw the football against Colorado.

Running back Cardae Mack was a quarterback for Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas. He’s taken direct snaps all season, but ASU hadn’t asked him to show off his arm.

The call has always been in the Sun Devils’ playbook. Former running back Cam Skattebo threw 17 passes across two seasons under head coach Kenny Dillingham. And on ASU’s first pass attempt of the night, Mack threw an eight-yard pass to Fette on first down.

In the second quarter, Mack was given the option to either punch it in himself or throw it to Fette. It was fourth-and-goal at the Buffaloes’ 1-yard line. He had to throw on the move with just one foot on the ground and a defender closing in.

But as it turns out, the throwing motion never left him despite the position switch. Mack lofted it to a wide-open Fette in the left corner of the end zone.

In his first home start, Fette was a Swiss Army knife, throwing and catching passes while picking up yardage on the ground. That versatility gave the Sun Devils’ (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) offense a boost in their 20-10 win over Colorado (3-6, 1-5).

“All week they told me, ‘Be ready, he might throw it late,’” Fette said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know, he’s going to run it for a touchdown.’ Then it actually happened. I didn’t even know what to do. I’m just happy I caught it.”

The 1996 ASU team that went undefeated in the regular season and lost in the Rose Bowl was honored at halftime. Among the former Sun Devils who took part in the ceremony was Jake Plummer, who finished that year third in Heisman voting.

Before Fette, Plummer was the last ASU quarterback to throw and catch a pass in the same game. At Mountain America Stadium, he watched another Jake score the same way he once did.

“Great stat,” Dillingham said. “It looks like they’ve got something in common.”

In the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils went back to the same play on the Buffaloes’ 4-yard line. Colorado had adjusted, placing a defender in the area to take away the throw. But that didn’t stop Mack from trying it, and the play nearly ended in disaster.

Fette was, in a sense, playing quarterback, receiver and running back. On this play, he added defensive back to the list, knocking the ball out of sixth-year safety Ben Finneseth’s hands to prevent an interception.

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen again,” Dillingham said. “That one was kind of a little bit of a busted scenario. The throw wasn’t actually there.”

Through the air, Mack and Fette combined to complete 15 of 22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Mack’s 80 rushing yards were more than the Buffaloes’ team total of 64. While the explosive runs weren’t there, Mack still accounted for 106 of ASU’s 304 total yards.

Defenses will have to respect Fette’s quickness and elusiveness on the ground. Combined with Mack’s explosiveness, the Sun Devils have a rushing tandem capable of stressing defenses in multiple ways.

They swapped places in the backfield multiple times on Saturday. One thing they’ve never switched on, though, was their desire to play for ASU.

“They’ve been close since the recruiting process,” Dillingham said. “They were both committed to us for well over a year, taking no other visits.”

Fette showcased his downfield accuracy by throwing two perfectly placed deep passes in the first half, both along the right boundary with just one yard separating them.

The first went to fourth-year Omarion Miller on a 33-yard slot fade. It was the right read, as Miller had a one-on-one matchup. Second-year defensive back Cree Thomas — a Phoenix native — played it as well as he could, but Fette put the ball where Thomas couldn’t contest the catch.

Then, on third-and-14 just before the two-minute warning in the second quarter, Fette dropped one in the bucket to fourth-year receiver Reed Harris for a 34-yard touchdown. After being held to four receiving yards a week earlier, Harris returned to form with four catches for 103 yards.

“It’s really easy going to Reed Harris and Omarion Miller,” Fette said. “We see man coverage and we just want to throw a fade up to our guys. We trust them every day of the week and twice on Saturdays.”

Saturday added another name to the list of true freshman quarterbacks to start in Tempe. It also offered a glimpse of the names that could define the Sun Devils’ future.

“(Fette) did a good job controlling the game,” Dillingham said. “I think every game he’s going to grow.”