(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)
Arizona State football fans watched their phone screens light up on Oct. 9 with notifications delivering bad news. As the blurbs were read, shock spread across thousands of faces digesting the information.
ASU’s starting quarterback, redshirt sophomore Sam Leavitt, was listed on the Big 12 Conference’s mandated availability report as “doubtful” for the Sun Devils matchup against Utah last Saturday night.
Twenty-four hours later, it was confirmed that he would be sitting out against the Utes.
It all happened so fast, and with secrecy shrouding the circumstances. ASU fans didn’t know what was wrong with Leavitt until he walked onto the field at Rice–Eccles Stadium sporting a walking boot on his right foot. A visual that only made online chatter worse.
With Leavitt – the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – sidelined, the Sun Devils floundered. It was an all-around ugly 42-10 loss, but it was hard to look past redshirt senior backup QB Jeff Sims completing just 18-of-38 passing attempts for 124 yards. The short notice of his start and the cold, rainy environment of Salt Lake City certainly didn’t help, but the facts are the facts.
As the new week began and Saturday afternoon’s matchup against No. 7 Texas Tech was circled on the calendar, the question on everyone’s mind was whether or not Leavitt could compete. It was a question that ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham didn’t have a clear answer for at the start of the week.
“There’s no gamesmanship here,” Dillingham said during his Monday press conference. “The reality is he’s day-to-day. We’re going to find out when we move him around on Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice if he’s good enough to go Saturday.”
As the week has progressed, the news had taken a positive spin, Leavitt was listed as “probable” on Wednesday’s availability report, and he stayed in the same spot on Thursday. The Red Raiders are dealing with QB uncertainty of their own, but their across-the-board talent makes them a challenge no matter who is under center, heightening the importance of a healthy Leavitt.
“I feel really good about Sam and where he’s at,” Dillingham said after Wednesday’s practice.
Leavitt has been stellar since arriving in Tempe. Across 18 games, he’s completed 62.1% of his passes, thrown for 3,924 yards and 32 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. When Sims has been at the helm of the offense, ASU’s production takes a notable dip.
Sims has completed just 49.2% of his passes in his two years wearing maroon and gold, and in his two starts has led ASU to score just 24 points. Granted, the sample size is extremely small, but the statistics are not kind to Sims. Still, if Leavitt’s condition were to suddenly worsen, Dillingham has complete confidence in the veteran.
“Jeff threw the ball where it should go (against Utah),” Dillingham said Monday. “A few times, the ball was probably overthrown or something like that. But for the most part, I thought he played really, really well. He didn’t take early down sacks when we were in real offense … even through all the negative, there are some positives.”
One thing that makes Sims and Leavitt similar is their dual-threat ability. Sims has rushed for 1,530 yards on 367 attempts across his six-year career. The ASU duo also shares the skill with TTU redshirt freshman QB Will Hammond, who will almost certainly be the man in the pocket if redshirt senior starter Behren Morton isn’t available.
Morton – a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award nominee as a junior – has been one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 this season. His 68.4 completion percentage is third in the conference, and his 175.6 passing efficiency is second in the conference and eighth nationally. His presence is a major reason for the Red Raiders’ 6-0 start. However, during the run of success, he’s battled injury after injury.
Week 1 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, it was an issue with his leg, Week 4 against Utah, it was his neck and Week 7 – last week – against Kansas, it was his right ankle after he was sacked, leading to him being listed as “questionable” on this week’s availability report.
If Morton is able to play, the danger is obvious, but if he’s forced to sit out, TTU isn’t any less treacherous with Hammond – who has come in for Morton when he’s been injured – as the captain of the ship.
“He (Hammond) 100% is their future,” Dillingham said. “He’s a phenomenal player. He can make all the throws, you saw him do that at the end of the Utah game. You could see him scramble, make plays with his legs. He can really do it all. He’s a heck of a player and he’s only getting better.”
Hammond showed out against Utah after entering the game early in the third quarter in relief of Morton. He completed 13-of-16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 61 yards on eight attempts for good measure, extending a 10-3 lead into a 34-10 victory.
It didn’t go quite as well against Kansas, throwing an interception and completing just 48.3% of his passes. Still, his ability to make plays with his legs makes him a scary proposition for an ASU team that just let Utah QB junior Devon Dampier rush for 120 yards.
If Hammond starts, or even enters the game later on, the Sun Devils will be hungry to prove that Utah was a fluke defensive performance.
“We’ve been one of the best run defenses in the country for a year and a half,” Dillingham said about his unit that allowed just 1,972 rushing yards in its 19 games before Utah. “That’s our culture. If we’re going to let one game dictate our culture, I don’t know what we’re doing.”
On the surface, Saturday’s game might feel like a must-win. The Sun Devils are coming off a tough loss and another one drops them to 2-2 in conference play. The reality, though, is that a loss gives them the same start they had last season, where they went on to win the Big 12 Championship.
Of course, teams never want to lose. ASU will try its hardest to win, and with a tough schedule ahead, it’s arguable that a loss dropping it to 2-2 could be more detrimental this year than it was last year.
Dillingham isn’t overthinking or overcomplicating things, though. He’s treating this week like he would any other. He said on Wednesday that the team will have one plan for TTU, no matter who starts. There will be slight differences, but he doesn’t want to overcomplicate things for his team. He’s just looking forward to the battle and hoping to come out on top.
“Every game is the most important game every time you play it,” Dillingham said. “Some days they’re going to get you. Some days you’re going to get them. … This is an absolutely phenomenal football team, and it’s a great challenge for us to play them.”
