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    • Arizona State’s stunning upset of Utah was thrust into the national spotlight
    Washington

    Arizona State’s stunning upset of Utah was thrust into the national spotlight

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    The Arizona State football team had a chance to record this decisive victory in the fledgling Kenny Dillingham era. The opponent, No. 16 Utah, was picked by most as the favorite in the Big 12. A program that the young coach says he admires and strives for.

    A national stage. ESPN.

    A game on Friday evening. The only game that runs.

    The Sun Devils seized the opportunity and walked away with an impressive 27:19 victory in front of 45,310 spectators at Mountain America Stadium.

    Many in the packed student section stormed the field after the final second expired. Taking center stage was senior linebacker Caleb McCullough, the unlikely hero interviewed by ESPN. Fireworks were going off the entire time.

    There hadn’t been a scene like this in Tempe since the Sun Devils – led by absolute freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels – defeated then-No. 6 Oregon in the second-to-last game of the 2019 season. But that was a bigger win considering where the program was when Dillingham took over less than two years ago.

    The program was a mess. The cloud of the previous regime’s NCAA investigations still loomed. Bowl ban. Discounts on scholarships. Recruitment restrictions. Then a multitude of injuries. All in all, he went 3-9 in his first season.

    Now Arizona State is 5-1 and could be bowl eligible before the end of the month. This is a significant turnaround in a very short period of time.

    All of this was predicted by the team finishing last in the 16-team Big 12. Dillingham joked about these preseason predictions when he met with the media after the win against Utah. He emphasized that the team’s win rate is 4.5. He asked whoever bet the over to take everything they won and put it back into the NIL collective.

    “It was absolute chaos,” Dillingham said of the on-field celebration that followed. “I shook the coach’s hand and then there were thousands of people on the field swarming around us. It was great. This is what college sports are all about. This is what Activate the Valley is all about. That’s what coming to college is all about.”

    Dillingham enjoyed the praise as he talked about the win, but also said it was just one game. And one thing he admires about the Pac-12 turned Big 12 opponent is the consistency it has maintained over the two decades under coach Kyle Whittingham.

    “The biggest thing today is when you look at the rushing stats, we ran the ball well,” Dillingham said. “We properly stopped the run against a program, not a team, a program that is their identity. I’d like to say that this one win gets us to this level and gives us this consistency, but that’s not the case. It just shows that we are on the right track. It shows that what we are doing is working, but it takes a lot of commitment to build what they have built.”

    Dillingham has cited his team’s work ethic and selflessness as key differences from last season, when they couldn’t overcome adversity. It has done well this season.

    ASU not only faced Utah, but also played on a short week on Friday – against a team that had the previous week off.

    ASU’s top two defenders, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and defensive end Clayton Smith, were spectators in the first half after receiving targeting calls in the second half of last week’s win over Kansas.

    Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt injured his ribs early in the second quarter while rushing for an 8-yard gain that brought the ball to the Utah 2. He was on the ground for several minutes and eventually left the game in the hands of backup Jeff Sims.

    Leavitt returned in the second half but did not appear to be at full strength and was hesitant to run the ball.

    Utah took a 16-13 lead with 3:19 left in the third, but ASU responded with a score of its own.

    Later, the Sun Devils failed to reach their own 28 points with a four-and-1. The defense responded by conceding just one field goal, cutting their lead to 20-19 with 5:42 left.

    ASU answered again – this time with a 75-yard drive with 3:09 left to score the game-winning points. Cam Skattebo was once again the central figure. Fittingly, it was his 47-yard drive that capped the game.

    The defense held up again as McCullough sealed the deal with his second interception of the night.

    This time Always Something University prevailed.

    When the national rankings are released again on Monday, don’t be surprised if ASU breaks through. It served its purpose and dethroned the juggernaut while the entire country watched.

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    Madoc Meredith
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