Notebook: Upset win over No. 16 Utah proves program’s progress

(Photo credit: Marina Williams/WCSN)

TEMPE — Less than a year ago, Arizona State football went into Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City and got blown out 55-3 by then No. 18 Utah.

Three different Sun Devils recorded a pass attempt to total just 40 yards. ASU averaged just 1.5 yards per attempt on the ground, and even running back Cam Skattebo couldn’t muster more than 31 yards the entire game. It was ASU’s worst offensive performance since 1946.

Even without redshirt senior quarterback Cam Rising, the Utes still torched ASU for four passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, in the ground game, the Utes had their way, going for 352 total yards and three touchdowns.

Even with both teams entering Friday’s contest at 4-1, with one year between these two games it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect the same again.

But that wasn’t the case.

Playing against each other as members of the Big 12 for the first time, ASU flipped the script. The Sun Devils (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) put a stop to the top-ranked team and shocked the college football world, upsetting No. 16 Utah (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) 27-19.

“Last year’s Utah game was interesting, to say the least,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said postgame Friday. “Definitely was not fun by any means, but it’s a testament, once again, to our guys in terms of just putting in the work. You can’t shortcut it. The work is the work. There’s not a secret potion or a secret formula to have success. If you want to achieve something, you have to care about it, and you have to put in the work.”

Leavitt’s Resiliency Defines Win

Saturday, redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt got off to a strong start. He found his rhythm early and finished the first quarter with 76 passing yards and 18 rush yards. The Sun Devils hadn’t been able to find any points, but Leavitt drove the offense inside the red zone within the first four minutes of the second quarter.

On second-and-9, Leavitt took the snap, stretched the ball to his left and waited for senior running back Cam Skattebo to take the ball. The problem was that Skattebo wasn’t there. Adjusting to the situation at hand, Leavitt opted to tuck the ball and run it himself. He picked up eight yards on the play, making something out of nothing, but the cheers quickly turned to concern. Leavitt took a hard shot to the ribs and stayed down on the field. He eventually got up and walked to the medical tent on the sideline before heading back to the locker room.

“I got hit in the ribs, started to spasm and couldn’t really breathe,” Leavitt said. “But, I mean, I was just fired up. … I wasn’t really too worried about the pain. I was just sad I couldn’t put on for the team. So, once I got up and got the strength to get up, I told our team, ‘Y’all better go put this one in.’”

In Leavitt’s absence senior quarterback Jeff Sims did just that. Following a trio of rushes by Skattebo, Sims took it upon himself to cover the final two yards and punch it in for six points.

Leavitt didn’t return until the final play of the first half – a quarterback kneel. Coming back out in the second half, Leavitt still wasn’t himself, completing one of four pass attempts for four yards in ASU’s first two drives of the half. With just three minutes remaining in the third quarter, he found his rhythm again.

Leavitt started a Sun Devil drive with a shot over the middle to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jordyn Tyson for 22 yards. Two plays later, Leavitt hit redshirt junior tight end Chamon Metayer for eight yards, setting the stage for Skattebo’s 50-yard touchdown run to give ASU the lead back.

In the fourth quarter, Leavitt only threw one pass attempt, a momentous 21-yard over-the-shoulder completion to Skattebo to keep ASU’s game-sealing drive alive on third-and-6.

“When we’re just walking through stuff, I’ll just kind of pop it over his shoulder pad and he’ll catch it,” Skattebo said. “We probably got 50 of those all week, which is a lot for a running back. … That’s just a situation where it’s not like we ever said he was supposed to get the ball right there. He just uncovered and went and I found him.”

Leavitt finished the game with 154 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception thanks to his 11 completions on 18 attempts.

Program’s Progress

Saturday’s win meant a lot for ASU as a program. The Sun Devils had nothing go their way the last time they faced the Utes. Even coming into this season, many people counted them out. In the official Big 12 Preseason Poll voted on by the media, ASU was picked dead last at 16. The Utes were picked to finish first.

Instead of the momentum-crushing loss for ASU, with the Utes in town, the Sun Devils pulled out the biggest win of Dillingham’s career up to this point.

“I wish I could say it’s like, ‘Oh, great coaching.’ It’s not,” Dillingham said. “It’s these guys belief. It’s these guys, the work that they’ve put in all offseason. It’s the work they put in throughout the week. … I get to stand up here and people get to say ‘Dilly’ and all the cool things, but this is really all about our players. They’re the ones who have changed this place. They’re the ones who are putting in the work. They’re the ones that believe, and it’s all about them.”

Dillingham also took the time to acknowledge that the result on the field doesn’t happen without the support in the stands and the athletic office.

Dillingham highlighted the investment that Athletic Director Graham Rossini has put into the program. Attention put toward every part of the staff, from recruiters to assistant coaches to strength and conditioning personnel has ASU “trending in the right direction” according to Dillingham.

Furthermore, Dillingham’s campaign to activate the Valley has brought ASU students out to games in droves. Despite the upcoming long weekend, students still packed the inferno for the school’s highest-ever fall break attendance at 8,945. They’re also on track for their highest-average student attendance, currently sitting at 10,273 students a game. After the win, students flooded the field, rushing to celebrate with their fellow Sun Devils.

“Chaos, absolute chaos,” Dillingham said of the postgame field storming. “All of a sudden I was shaking [Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham’s] hand, and then there was thousands of people on the field swarming around us. … That’s what college sports is about. That’s what activating the valley is about. … You remember moments like this. Not just our players, but the fans, the students, they remember these moments. And I think that’s the fun part about college football.”

The win is a catalyst, not only for the rest of the season but for the program moving forward. Dillingham and company showcased their identity to fans, media and potential recruits. Saturday night, the Sun Devils proved they’re worth the investment Rossini has given them and the backing the fans have provided.

Things are changing for Sun Devil football.

“The power in this school, the power in this city, is in numbers. And if we can unite, if we can come together, this can be one of the best environments in college football. We can do something here that people have thought should be done for a long time. We can get it accomplished. It’s going to take some time. It’s not going to happen overnight. There’s going to be more failures this year than people want, but that’s part of the build.”