Kenny Dillingham set to face familiar coaching foes against Baylor

(Photo: Jack Simon/WCSN)

When Arizona State and Baylor faced off in Waco last season, the two teams were never separated by more than a score.

The contest came down to the final seconds, where fifth-year kicker Jesus Gomez nailed a 43-yard game-winning field goal to propel the Sun Devils to a 27-24 victory and a 3-1 record.

A year later, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham is ready for another battle against the Bears this Saturday.

“They stoned us last year for most of the game,” Dillingham said. “We were in a dog fight.”

Neither roster resembles that of ASU and Baylor’s previous meeting. Both teams lost their leading passers, rushers, receivers and tacklers from a year ago. This installment, under the lights of Mountain America Stadium, will look entirely different.

Nearly the only remnants of last season’s matchup are the coaches. This will only be ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham and Baylor head coach Dave Aranda’s second meeting, but Dillingham has battled both of Baylor’s coordinators before.

Baylor defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman is in his first season with the Bears after spending the previous six in the same role at Kansas State.

In 2024, Dillingham faced Klanderman’s Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas, where the Sun Devils came away with a 24-14 victory. In the game, third-year wide receiver Jordyn Tyson went for a career-high 176 yards and two touchdowns.

So far this season, Klanderman has coached a defensive unit that has racked up 15 sacks in four games, a mark tied for third in the nation.

The Sun Devils have struggled to protect third-year quarterback Cutter Boley through three games. Now, with an inconsistent offensive line facing one of the nation’s best pass rushes, all eyes will be on ASU’s front five, and if the unit gives Boley time to breathe

“You can’t keep your eyes downfield if you’re getting hit,” Dillingham said. “That’s something that we have to do better at. We have to protect (Boley). I have to put guys in better positions to protect him.”

Dillingham also reminisced during his weekly press conference on a past battle with Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Dillingham might’ve gotten the better of Spavital last season, but he came out on the losing end when the two faced each other in 2023 – Dillingham’s first season at ASU – when Spavital was leading Cal’s offense.

The Golden Bears came out on top in the 24-21 affair, highlighted by their second-year running back Jadyn Ott rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown.

The run game might have been what propelled Spavital’s offense over ASU in 2023, but Dillingham was more concerned with how Baylor could beat the Sun Devils through the air.

“He’s going to want to throw the football down the field,” Dillingham said. “One thing that’s a glaring thing that shows up is all their double moves. If you look at their touchdowns… it’s like a double move touchdown tape.”

Dillingham also noted that he doesn’t necessarily know what to expect from Baylor’s quarterback play on Saturday. Third-year Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway played the Bears’ first game at Auburn and their most recent game against Colorado, but was sidelined for weeks two and three due to an ankle injury.

During his absence, Lagway was replaced by third-year quarterback Nate Bennett.

The two bring completely opposing skillsets to the Bears’ offense.

Lagway is the flashier prospect, touting elite-level arm talent and high-end athletic upside, while Bennett brings more consistency in short-to-medium level throws.

“You have to look at them in two separate offenses,” Dillingham said. “The offenses that they’ve played with (Lagway) and the offenses they’ve played without him and see if there’s any differences.”

Dillingham has faced Aranda, Klanderman and Spavital before, but now he gets the chance to go against all three at once.

Dillingham pointed to the home crowd as the biggest factor he believes could give the Sun Devils an advantage. Each of the previous matchups came on the road. On Saturday, ASU returns to Mountain America Stadium, where it has posted an 11-2 record since 2024.

“I love playing at home,” Dillingham said. “I love running out of the tunnel and seeing 12,000 students… To me, there’s not many better things than to run out of that tunnel in a night game, against a conference opponent, with a sold-out crowd, with the fireworks rocking and the sky lit up. There’s nothing like it.”