Sun Devils Overcome Fourth Quarter Madness In Rare Road Conference-Opener Win

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)

Regardless of the league Arizona State football has called home, conference openers have rarely gone its way. That’s been especially true when those games have come on the road.

From 1978 to 2023, ASU went 5-13-1 when its first conference game of the season was played on the road. During that span, the Sun Devils were a member of the Pac-10, which later became the Pac-12. Even in 2024 when ASU won the Big 12 in its first season in the league, the trend held with a 30-22 road loss to Texas Tech.

On Saturday night, the Sun Devils looked to reverse decades of misfortune against Baylor, a team they hadn’t faced since 1990. ASU won that game 34-14 — Baylor’s largest loss that season. While Saturday’s matchup was far more competitive, the Sun Devils (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) edged the Bears (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) 27–24 to take a 2-0 lead in the all-time series.

“To be able to come on the road and get this win is absolutely critical,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “This team competes to win the Big 12 every year.”

Through three quarters, ASU and Baylor were locked in a low-scoring affair, combining for just 23 points with the Sun Devils leading 13–10. Before the Bears’ opening drive in the fourth, redshirt senior kicker Jesus Gomez extended the lead to 16–10 with a field goal. With 12 minutes left, Baylor faced fourth-and-short on its own 33 — ASU had a chance to deliver a back-breaker.

Instead, the Sun Devils gave redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson time to scan from left to right, finding senior tight end Michael Trigg for a 16-yard catch-and-run. Later in the drive, ASU had another chance to get Baylor off the field on fourth-and-short, but redshirt sophomore Bryson Washington broke free for a 41-yard run to the 1-yard line. With about nine minutes remaining, Trigg stretched across the goal line to give the Bears a 17–16 lead.

“Those are the plays in the game that go unseen but they’re drastic when you look at points,” Dillingham said. “Those two fourth downs are seven points for them.”

After ASU’s first two plays of the drive combined for a loss of three yards, it looked like the game was slipping away. Then, on third-and-long, redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt hit fellow sophomore Derek Eusebio on a seam route over the middle for a 61-yard gain.

A few plays later, Leavitt looked redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson’s way twice — once for the touchdown, once for the two-point conversion. Tyson came through both times, putting the Sun Devils up 24-17.

“You want guys who play their best in the biggest moments,” Dillingham said. “Our quarterback, our O-line, Derek Eusebio, JT, everybody played their best in the biggest minutes.”

As the clock dipped under three minutes, junior defensive lineman C.J. Fite’s sack was squandered when Baylor converted on third-and-17. Moments later, Robertson lofted a pass over senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott to Trigg, who took it from the 20 to the end zone for his second touchdown of the night — and the quarter.

Then came the two-minute drill. Facing third-and-four at ASU’s 44, Leavitt completed a pass to Tyson that came up a yard short. However, junior defensive back DJ Coleman hit Tyson after he was down — drawing a 15-yard penalty that pushed the Sun Devils into Bear territory.

From there, ASU gained 12 more yards to set Gomez up for a 43-yard field goal. As the clock hit triple zeros, his kick split the uprights. The Sun Devils walked off with a 27–24 win. Both teams scored 14 points in the fourth quarter — more than either team had through three.

“Find ways to win in this league. You got to find ways to win,” Dillingham said. “We’ll never win like that again. That exact same way. Gotta find another way.”

Despite ASU dominating the turnover margin 3–0, the game still came down to the wire. This was due to the Sun Devils’ red zone offense struggling, coming away with just two touchdowns on six trips.

Since 2024, ASU is now 12–0 when winning the turnover battle. Saturday’s win kept that streak alive and marked a rare success in a road conference opener. The league may be new, but the challenge remains familiar.

“A game that you’re up 3–0 in the turnover battle should not come down to a game-winning kick,” Dillingham said. “But you know what? They don’t look at that at the end. They look at wins.”