Exactly a year ago, Arizona State football scraped its way to an ugly 24-21 victory over Southern Utah. In the 2024 season opener, it showed that 365 days can make an enormous difference, throttling the University of Wyoming 48-7.
Sun Devil head coach Kenny Dillingham couldn’t have scripted a better start for his team. On just the second play of the game, redshirt junior linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu perfectly read a hitch route and returned an interception for 29 yards and a touchdown.
“When you do your job and you execute, good things happen,” Fiaseu said.
Second-year defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s unit wasn’t satisfied with just one interception. Just a few plays later, Wyoming junior quarterback Evan Svoboda floated a ball over the middle on a third and long that was picked off by junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott. In a matter of minutes, ASU led 10-0
Elliott and Fiaseu transferred from New Mexico State and San Diego State, respectively, and Dillingham said one thing jumped to the front of both of their resumes in the portal.
“They were team captains on football teams that are traditionally really good or a team that overachieved at one of the highest levels that a team could overachieve last year, you want them on your football team,” he said.
To end the first quarter, the Maroon and Gold offense put together a punishing 10-play, 72-yard drive capped off by redshirt senior Decarlos Brooks’s 8-yard touchdown rush. The Sun Devils led 17-0 after just one quarter.
The “WildSkat” formation returned in the second quarter, as senior running back Cam Skattebo took a direct snap for a touchdown deep in Wyoming territory.
Skattebo had a very different night than he was used to last season. The do-it-all running back only had 11 rushes and one catch for 66 total yards and the touchdown. No punts, passes and only the one direct snap play meant the running back’s legs will be a little less tired going forward.
“I got taken out with eight minutes left in the third quarter. That’s a good feeling,” he said.
The 27-0 first half from the Sun Devils all but put a fork in the Cowboys. ASU outgained Wyoming by 188 yards in the half, while the Cowboys repeatedly set themselves back with 65 penalty yards.
Dillingham’s squad went for style points in the second half. A 21-point third quarter was ASU’s first since the 2022 opener against Northern Arizona.
Redshirt junior defensive end Justin Wodtly’s scoop-and-score of a backward pass by Wyoming helped Arizona State score its second defensive touchdown of the night in the third quarter. It marked the first time the Devils scored two defensive touchdowns in a game since 2015.
In his first start of his college career, redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt showed no fear. His poise in the pocket and nifty scrambling ability helped him tally 258 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 47 rushing yards.
“I actually wasn’t too nervous going into this game,” he said. “I didn’t do anything special tonight, just got the ball to my playmakers and let them make the plays and we had great results.”
The 48-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter was enough for Dillingham to pull Leavitt and give senior transfer Jeff Sims some reps under center to finish the game.
In 2023, Wyoming allowed just 143.7 rushing yards per game and 214.08 pass yards per game. The Sun Devils shattered these averages, totaling 258 passing yards and 241 yards on the ground.
“That’s a good football team,” Dillingham said about Wyoming. “We’ll look back at this in 12 or 11 weeks and be like whoa, this is a good football team.”
A year after a lot went wrong against a vastly inferior opponent, nearly everything went right for the Sun Devils. The game was a testament to the growth of the program that has occurred at warp speed in an era where players come and go faster than coaches can get to know them.
But with growth comes greater challenges. The Mississippi State Bulldogs, fresh off their own Week 1 dominant performance, come to Tempe next Saturday.
“We’ve never won a [game against an SEC opponent] in Arizona State history,” Dillingham said. “We need it loud for four quarters, all night long next Saturday.”
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