Under the primetime lights, Arizona State showed the nation what they’ve spent months building.
The Sun Devils went on the road and picked up their second win over a top-20 opponent this season (No.16 Utah) by defeating No. 16 Kansas State 24-14.
The first half saw pure domination on the part of the Sun Devils in every phase of the game.
ASU’s offense got off to a roaring start, scoring touchdowns on three of their first four drives.
The blossoming connection between starting quarterback redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt and redshirt sophomore receiver Jordan Tyson headlined an aerial attack that took control early.
On ASU’s first drive, the duo connected for an 11-yard passing touchdown. Then, on the very next drive, Leavitt once again found his leading receiver deep for a 30-yard touchdown to extend the Sun Devil lead to 14-0.
The pair of scores gives Tyson an impressive eight touchdowns across his last six games.
The connection showed no signs of slowing. Tyson finished with a staggering 176 receiving yards on 12 receptions–career highs in both categories–to pair with his two touchdowns.
On the other hand, Leavitt put together another solid performance on the road. He finished with 275 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
JORDYN TYSON, HIM 😈
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) November 17, 2024
📺 ESPN
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Defensively, the maroon and gold jumped on the Wildcats quickly.
On just the second play of the game, redshirt sophomore cornerback Javan Robinson intercepted KSU sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson off a tip by graduate senior safety Shamari Simmons.
But the turnovers didn’t stop there. Forcing takeaways continued to be a theme for Sparky’s defense throughout the night.
Later in the half, Robinson and Simmons again teamed up to turn the Wildcats over. Simmons punched loose a fumble that Robinson scooped up for the defense’s second takeaway of the night.
Late in the second quarter, ASU even managed a goal-line stand to hold KSU out of the end zone. On the next play, K-State botched the snap and missed a field goal to complete ASU’s first-half shutout.
After 30 minutes, Arizona State held a resounding 21-0 lead.
But the second half proved to be a different story.
Kansas State held the ASU offense in check. The Sun Devils mustered to just three points in the second half and could not find the same rhythm offensively.
Meanwhile, the Wildcat offense found its stride. Johnson and redshirt freshman running back Joe Jackson found paydirt on the ground to make the score 24-14.
With the game snowballing in Kansas State’s favor, it felt like the Sun Devils might let one slip away on the road. But as they’ve done time and time again this season, they found a way to close it out late to secure their biggest win of the season.
For the third time in the night, Simmons had his hands on a Sun Devil turnover. But this time he got the credit in the stat sheet, as the safety intercepted Johnson on the goal line to end the Wildcat’s comeback hopes.
Following a day of chaos around the Big 12, head coach Kenny Dillingham’s squad now sets its sights on what once seemed like lofty postseason aspirations: a trip to the Big 12 championship.
It all starts next week, as the Sun Devils gear up for arguably their most important game of the season next Saturday. ASU will close out its home schedule against BYU at 1:30 p.m. MST in a game with massive postseason implications.
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