TEMPE – Few things faze Arizona State freshman quarterback Jake Fette.
He didn’t bat an eye when the ASU coach Kenny Dillingham called on him to make an impromptu appearance against Kansas State, in which he led the Sun Devils to a fourth-quarter comeback win.
Fette didn’t flinch either in his first start on the road in Provo in front of 62,000 screaming BYU fans.
But having to line up at wide receiver? That made ASU’s young signal-caller a little nervous.
Yet, as he stood wide-open in the end zone, with a swarm of white jerseys closing in on freshman running back Cardae Mack, Fette had to make a play at wideout.
And, like many of the early tests the first-year quarterback has faced, he passed with flying colors, calmly snagging a 1-yard touchdown grab on fourth-and-goal.
Fette chuckled in his postgame press conference appearance as he reminisced about experiencing another first playing college football. In this case, it was his first touchdown reception.
“All week they told me to be ready,” Fette said. “He might throw it late, and I was like, ‘I don’t know. He’s going to just run it for a touchdown,’ and then it actually happened. I just didn’t even know what to do. I’m just glad I caught it.”
Arizona State (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) couldn’t generate much offense in a 20-10 win over the Colorado Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium.
However, in his first home start, Fette never got rattled. Instead, he showed flashes of excellence, throwing for 187 yards and one touchdown, in addition to the one he caught as a receiver.
The El Paso, Texas native has been thrust into the spotlight in the past few weeks, jumping on the depth chart from the team’s third-string quarterback to its starter.
So far, Dillingham has been impressed by the maturity that his freshman has displayed. It’s rare for a 19-year-old first-year player to possess, and it proved especially apparent in the Sun Devils’ win over the Buffs.
“He did a good job controlling the game once again,” Dillingham said. “No penalties, no procedural issues, no 40-second clocks, no missed shifts, or I’m motioning the wrong guy, like a very veteran-like operation for a young buck.”
Even when Fette has misstepped or made the wrong read, he quickly acknowledged his mistake. Although Dillingham enjoys the accountability, it’s reached the point where he sometimes feels the need to pull back on his young quarterback.
“He took a sack on a first and 10, and I could hear him on the sideline. He’s like, ‘my fault,’” Dillingham said. “I’m like, settle down. Next play. I love that, but like it’s all good.”
While Fette’s game-managing skills once again proved to be strong, particularly for a freshman, he unlocked a much more intriguing aspect of his game on Saturday night, hitting a few explosive plays to ASU wide receivers down the field.
On a third-and-long before the half, Fette uncorked a deep ball down the sideline, dropping a perfectly placed pass over the shoulder of senior wideout Reed Harris, who hauled it in for a 34-yard touchdown.
The highlight play, one of a few on the night for ASU’s signal caller, provided a glimpse into what his ceiling could look like in a maroon and gold jersey.
“Last week at BYU, I threw a bunch of those that I didn’t complete,” Fette said. “Seeing some that were caught today really boosted my confidence.”
Since Fette has taken over as the starter, Dillingham has remained adamant about protecting his freshman by heavily leaning on the run game on early downs. It’s been an approach that has somewhat worked for the Arizona State offense, with Mack eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark in three of ASU’s last five games.
Yet, after his strong outing against Colorado, ASU’s coach acknowledged that the coaching staff has to entrust Fette to do more on first and second down.
“We (have) got to be a little bit more aggressive on our early downs,” Dillingham said. “We were running the ball and being efficient early that got a 17-point lead. (Then) my human nature kicks in. So we got to be a little bit more aggressive on earlier downs and give him the opportunities to throw.”
Fette’s mobility also became more of a factor in the Sun Devils’ win over the Buffs. ASU called more quarterback-designed run plays, incorporating his legs into the Maroon and Gold’s balanced offensive attack.
It’s an offense that will continue to evolve as Fette develops more confidence under center. After all, even just developing a confident voice in the huddle has taken some adjusting to for the 19-year-old quarterback.
“As a starting quarterback, you can’t just stand back there and be all quiet,” Fette said. “You have to lead the offensive unit, and I think I’ve been trying to build on that in the few games I’ve been playing.”
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