Sun Devils looking for deja vu against a familiar opponent in Texas State

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)

As the Arizona State football team looks to rekindle its magic from a flame that burst them into its first Big 12 championship from a year ago, there are few better times for the wick to be relit than against the Texas State Bobcats.

A year ago, ASU (1-1) showdown against Texas State (2-0) was the first ignition for redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt’s potential on the national scene. On a Thursday night game, Leavitt bounced back from a frustrating performance against Mississippi State, to throw for 246 yards and a touchdown.

2025 repeats the same script for Leavitt and ASU, however, this time they look to rebound from their week two upset against Mississippi State.

Texas State isn’t going to be an easy walkover for the Sun Devils, which they experienced a year ago. Down 21-7 in the second quarter, ASU didn’t take the lead until the the 6:29 mark of the fourth quarter.

Leavitt was instrumental in last year’s comeback, throwing for a touchdown and running for another, after falling down 14 points. That came after a game where Leavitt only threw for 69 yards. Now Leavitt looks to bounce back after only throwing for 82 yards a week ago.

“I know if we play our best football, the wins will naturally come,” head coach Dillingham said. “If you chase wins constantly, you’re going to lose focus and spiral out of control.”

The Sun Devils will need to play their best football, something not quite seen through the opening two games. A key to unlocking their best football is easier said than done; get more receivers involved.

So far this season, Leavitt has targeted wide receivers for 40 of his 61 passing attempts. Of those 40, only 20 have been completed, with 18 landing in the hands of redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson and redshirt senior Malik McClain catching the remaining pair.

“In fall camp, we had more guys involved at the time,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “[I] got to do a better job myself getting more guys involved. That’s simple.”

Saturday’s game also doubles as a homecoming for four Bobcats, all of which formerly plied their trade in Tempe. Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Kyran Bourda didn’t see action in his two years with ASU, before moving to San Marcos for the 2025 season. Redshirt sophomore J.P. Deeter spent a single season under Kenny Dillingham, appearing in 12 games in 2024.

“They recruit a very similar talent pool that we do, so they got a lot of players that our guys are familiar with,” Dillingham said. “They got guys from our team that are there, with Bourda and J.P. Deeter, who are two awesome kids that I’m wishing them nothing but success.”

Texas State also has redshirt senior defensive back DJ Taylor, who played 25 games for ASU from 2020 to 2022. Taylor departed after 2022, and spent the last two years at Cincinnati. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Ezra Dotson-Oyetade spent his freshman year in 2021 with the Sun Devils as well, but didn’t play in a game, and then transferred to TCU for a pair of seasons.

Last week’s loss in Starkville rang ASU with a wake-up call; that it needs to find some momentum ahead of Big 12 play to make a run for a second straight conference championship. Saturday’s game offers a chance for the Sun Devils to ring the rest of the country to let them know that last week will not become a trend.

“We need to face adversity before conference play. We need to have our backs against the wall before conference play, before they all count,” Dillingham said. “Conference play is when everything starts to count…we’re going to find out what we’re made of.”