(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)
Moments after his throw to senior wideout Malik McClain on third-and-10 early in the fourth quarter fell incomplete, Arizona State redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt picked himself off the ground, solemnly and gingerly making his way toward the sideline. At that point, the Sun Devils trailed Texas Tech, 27-16, and a comeback seemed like a shot in the dark. Throughout the entire day, they’d only scored on three of their nine previous drives, leaving much to be desired on the offensive side of the ball.
Playing catch-up for the majority of the game — the Red Raiders scored two touchdowns in the game’s first eight minutes and never relinquished the lead — forced Leavitt to air it out often, as he notched career-highs in attempts (38), completions (22) and passing yards (282).
And yet, it wasn’t close to the best performance of his career. In the Sun Devils (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) 30-22 defeat to the Red Raiders (3-1, 1-0 Big 12), Leavitt threw a pick and was held without a passing touchdown. Perhaps it was the hostile crowd of 58,795 tortilla-throwing fans, by far the most he’s seen in his short collegiate career. Maybe it was Texas Tech’s rejuvenated defense showing looks and formations he’s never faced before.
No matter the reason, one thing is for certain: Leavitt didn’t do enough to get the win in ASU’s inaugural Big 12 game.
“First, really, game on the road for a freshman starter,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “He missed a couple throws that I know he can make, and then he made a couple throws that we have to make for him… That’s one of the harder parts when you’re young, is sometimes you’ve never seen what you’re going verse, other than two-and-a-half days of practice.”
One of Leavitt’s first deep balls ultimately set the tone for how the rest of the game would go. On 3rd-and-21 from ASU’s own 14-yard line with five minutes elapsed in the opening quarter, the Oregon native launched a ball down the sidelines intended for redshirt junior tight end Chamon Metayer. Instead, Texas Tech senior safety C.J. Baskerville came away with the football, ending the Sun Devils’ opening drive with an interception.
That pick didn’t stop Leavitt from taking shots. He looked far more comfortable on the Sun Devils’ next series, drawing two defensive penalties — including pass interference on another deep ball to Metayer — that resulted in 20 yards and a pair of first downs. However, ASU came up empty, with the Red Raiders making a fourth-down stop despite ASU moving the ball to Texas Tech’s 14-yard line.
At times throughout the game, Leavitt made the right play. He recorded the Sun Devils’ first touchdown of the game on a one-yard keeper but also accounted for 60 passing yards on the scoring drive late in the second quarter. There were also instances where Leavitt made the correct decision yet wasn’t rewarded.
A perfect example of this came early in the third quarter, one play after he overthrew graduate wide receiver Melquan Stovall on a home run pass. Leavitt went deep again and put a ball into the wheelhouse of senior wideout Jake Smith, who failed to make the grab.
“I thought it was a pretty good throw,” Dillingham said. “We were just off a little bit.”
Even with his team trailing by 14 late in the third quarter, Leavitt continued to remain undeterred. He kicked off the drive with an 11-yard scramble before passing short to senior running back Cameron Skattebo and letting him do the rest en route to a 66-yard reception. The senior then punched in a three-yard touchdown, and despite missing the extra point, ASU trailed Texas Tech by one score with over 18 minutes left to play.
But the Sun Devils didn’t score again until it was too late. A quick three-and-out was followed by an impressive drive that saw Leavitt go 4-for-9 for 42 yards, but it ended when he threw three straight incompletions to turn it over on downs. While Skattebo scored again with just over a minute to play in the game, it was too little and too late — Leavitt had experienced his first loss as a starting quarterback.
The silver lining? ASU will now head back to Tempe for an extended period of rest with a bye week up next, providing ample time for a physical and mental reset, its signal-caller being no exception. It’s a clean slate the Sun Devils will need to maximize, as they welcome a Kansas squad that is 1-3 and will have played in five consecutive weeks.
“We’ve got to focus on one game at a time,” Skattebo said. “We get (Leavitt’s) head cleared of these last four games, no matter wins or losses, and we start fresh after the bye week… He’s a ball player, he can make plays. He knows how to play football, he’s one of the smartest guys on the team… One loss is not a big deal.”
