Takeaways: Sun Devils jump out to early lead, upset No. 16 Kansas State 24-14

That was a statement game. Picked to finish last in the Big 12 earlier this season, Arizona State football has had to fight off the negative narratives all season. Despite sprinting out to a 7-2 start, the Sun Devils entered Saturday’s game with one final narrative to squash.

‘Well, they might be good, but who have they even played?’

To answer that question, all ASU (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) did was march into Manhattan and beat No. 16 Kansas State (7-2, 4-3 Big 12) who is coming off of a bye and possess the strongest run defense in the conference. None of it made even a hint of a difference as ASU blitzed out to a 21-0 lead in just 20 minutes of game time, and held off the Wildcats comeback attempt for the 24-14 win.

Statement made. ASU will safely be placed in all of the rankings. Now, the only question left to answer is, how far can this team really go?

Here are three takeaways.

Leavitt and Tyson blossoming into elite pairing

For almost all of this season, most of the attention given to the Arizona State offense was focused on one person, and deservedly so. Senior running back Cameron Skattebo has been one of college football’s biggest stars in 2024 and has been the heart of the Sun Devil attack.

However, with Kansas State being the only team in the Big 12 to hold teams under 100 yards rushing per game at 99.4, the running game, and therefore Skattebo, was not going to be the way to win this football game. Although ASU did rush for 123 yards on the night, the way the Sun Devils moved the ball largely fell on the shoulders of true freshman Sam Leavitt.

He delivered.

Following a KSU interception on just the second play from scrimmage, Leavitt began ASU’s first drive with a 26-yard scramble to move into field goal range before four players later finding his favorite receiver wide open in the endzone. Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Tyson broke his defender’s ankles and came down with the easy 11-yard touchdown catch, and the Sun Devils were off and running.

Later in the first half, as the clock ticked over to the second quarter, Leavitt found his guy again. On second-and-nine, Leavitt unleashed a 30-yard rope down the seam. Then Tyson, who breezed past two defenders, including the safety, brought in the throw at the back of the end zone, dragging his back foot to stay in bounds and putting ASU up 14-0.

That would be Tyson’s final score of the day, but it was far from the end of his production. He finished with 12 catches for 176 yards and the two scores, cementing him and Leavitt as one of college football’s most dangerous duos. 

Tyson has largely Leavitt’s only receiving threat out wide. Entering Saturday Leavitt threw for 479 more yards and completed 33 more passes to Tyson then his second highest common receiving target, a gap that just grew larger during the game. 

To make things even more exciting, both players can return to Tempe next season, so even when Skattbeo departs for the NFL, ASU should still have their most dangerous passing combo to terrorize the Big 12 with for one more season. 

ASU Defense shines, forces three turnovers

At the beginning of his first season as defensive coordinator, ASU’s Brian Ward made a declaration. He wanted his team to force 30 turnovers. By the end of year one, the Sun Devils embarrassingly forced only nine turnovers in its 12 games. It was a large part of their defensive struggles. ASU struggled to gain possessions on any team they faced, and as the offense also struggled, the losses piled up. 

One year later, Ward didn’t make that type of prediction, and ASU still won’t reach that goal of 30 turnovers. But compared to last season, the Sun Devils have been much better about gaining those possessions, and it was no different Saturday night against KSU.

Two plays into the game, senior safety Shamari Simmons broke up a pass intended for senior wide receiver Jayce Brown, tipping the ball up in the air. Junior defensive back Xavion Alford then came diving under the ball, securing the catch and giving ASU an early momentum boost.

After the offense cashed in on that turnover, the Wildcats came back out to try and answer back. They gained one first down and had good field position on 3rd-and-1, a position that the Wildcats have thrived in all season. Entering Saturday,  KSU ranked third in the conference in rushing yards per game (208.8) and leading rusher junior running back DJ Giddens ranked fourth with 110.6 rushing yards per game.

With two attempts to gain one yard, the Wildcats just needed to lean on their strength and convert the down. However, two huge stuffs, one on Giddens and one on sophomore back Dylan Edwards, led to a turnover on downs, preventing the Wildcats from answering ASU’s first score.

By the end of the first half, ASU was up 21-0, and the Sun Devils held Kansas State to just 28 yards rushing at halftime. The Wildcats would eventually begin to move the ball in the second half, finishing with 154 rushing yards on the night, but it wasn’t enough to overcome ASU’s early lead.

ASU would finish with three turnovers on the night. In the second quarter following Tyson’s second touchdown, Simmons would show up for the second time, punching the ball out of Brown’s hands which was recovered by redshirt sophomore defensive back Javan Robinson.

Every time the Wildcats tried to answer in the first half, the Sun Devil defense held them, contributing to that early 21-0 lead just as much as the offense.

KSU would put together a bit of a comeback in the second half, leaning on that good run game, but Simmons wasn’t done with his night. With the game pretty much secured, KSU sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson tried to force a ball into the endzone. Simmons stepped in front, caught the ball, and iced the upset for ASU.

So, how far can this team really go?

This was the game everybody was waiting for. ASU’s only losses this season had come on the road against Texas Tech and Cincinnati. The Sun Devils are beasts at home and have yet to lose in Tempe, but a real team is able to win not just at home but on the road as well.

The Sun Devils did beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater two weeks ago, but the Cowboys are struggling this season. In order for ASU to enter the conversation of the top 25 and the Big 12’s elite, they would have to march into Manhattan and come out victorious over a team with the same aspirations as them and a whole bye week to get prepared.

ASU shook off all of those narratives about road struggles, coming out of the gate by punching the Wildcats in the mouth with 21 unanswered points and silencing Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The performance answered all questions remaining, and the Sun Devils will surely be safely inside the top 25 of both the AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings. Additionally, they also separate themselves in the Big 12 and push closer to a spot in the Big 12 Championship game.

Saturday’s win sets up an absolutely huge game with No. 6 BYU, who will come to Tempe next week. Assuming the Cougars defeat Kansas at home this week, ASU would still need some help even if they win next week. An additional loss for the Cougars or a second conference loss for Colorado would be required for an ASU Big 12 Championship game berth.

However, in just 10 games, ASU went from maybe scratching its way into a bowl game to maybe scratching its way into the College Football Playoff as a top-four seed. What a difference two-and-a-half months can make. 

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