Arizona State football is 2024's best Valley sports story

TUCSON — Chants of “Ken-ny, Ken-ny, Ken-ny” rained down from the stands as Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham waded through a crowd of players, parents, media and staff on his way to the Sun Devils locker room at Arizona Stadium.

ASU athletic director Graham Rossini stood in a perfect path between the field and the tunnel, greeting players and coaches with a handshake, like a proud father in a wedding reception line.

A full fifteen minutes after the Territorial Cup had been raised and the Sun Devils had made their way into the bowels of this 96-year-old facility, running back Cam Skattebo remained on the field, signing autographs, taking selfies with fans and chatting with every one who had made their way to the wall that separates the gladiators from the commoners.

“That’s why I play football,” Skattebo said. “I play to win football games and put smiles on people’s faces.”

Skattebo and the Sun Devils produced a lot of smiles with a 49-7 beatdown of archival Arizona in the 98th Duel in the Desert on Saturday in Tucson.

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All the worries that this game created for a fan base conditioned to disappointment were quickly dispelled when ASU took the field. The Sun Devils marched 75 yards on nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on the game’s opening drive. They went 73 yards on five plays to take a 14-0 lead on their second drive. They went 80 yards on six plays to take a 21-0 lead on their third drive. 

And on it went.

Arizona could not stop the Sun Devils offense while the Wildcats’ best offensive plays were a soft, first-quarter pass interference call against ASU and a long kickoff return that set up a missed Arizona field goal from 55 yards — after a penalty negated a 50-yard field goal.

At one point late in the first half, Arizona had more yards via ASU penalties than it had via its offense.

“Our fans were way louder than them,” ASU QB Sam Leavitt quipped. “Probably because we had more good plays.”

So much so that when halftime arrived, ASU had a 35-0 lead and the out-of-town scoreboard watching began.

The Sun Devils were simply dominant in this game. Leavitt completed 17 of 22 passes for 291 yards and three TDs. Jordyn Tyson caught eight balls for 143 yards and a TD, and Skattebo won the Bob Moran award as game MVP after rushing 21 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

“Our guys played their best game of football on the most important game of the year and it was great to see,” Dillingham said.

The only downer was Tyson leaving the game and later sporting a sling on his left arm for what appeared to be either a shoulder or clavicle injury whose severity was not known after the game.

With the win, and by virtue of TCU’s win against Cincinnati, the Sun Devils (10-2) punched their ticket to the Big 12 title game on Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. ASU was still awaiting word on its opponent as Big 12 action played out through the night, capped by the BYU-Houston game that started at 8:15.

“Like I told our guys, ‘We’re gonna play another game,'” Dillingham said. “That’s all we can control.”

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The fact that he could even tell his players such a thing is a stunning about-face for a program that was staring at NCAA sanctions and a long rebuild in the wake of the Herm Edwards era. Equally stunning was the contrast between the programs in this game — as stark as it has been at any point in this rivalry’s long history.

Arizona was supposed to be a dark horse contender for the Big 12 title with 13 starters returning at key positions. Instead, the Wildcats went from 10 wins last season to four wins this season. The group that took the field on Saturday look disorganized, undisciplined and disinterested.

It’s fair to say that Arizona embarrassed itself on Saturday — a fact that could lead to a quick coaching change. A program that sat where this program sat last season can’t fall off this fast.

“They got after us in every way today,” Wildcats coach Brent Brennan said. “With what this game means to everyone here, everyone in this town and this state, for us to be so unproductive is soul-crushing.”

As quick as Arizona’s descent has been, ASU has matched it with a stunningly rapid ascent. The Sun Devils won three games last season. In the preseason Big 12 media poll, they were picked to finish 16th in the 16-team conference.

This was supposed to be a slow build back to respectability. Instead, Dillingham has engineered the biggest single-season improvement in the program’s history (currently seven wins better), and has the program on the cusp of a Big 12 title in ASU’s first season in the conference.

With a win in that title game, ASU would also take part in the first 12-team college football playoff.

“It’s remarkable the turnaround that those guys and the leadership in that group has been able to do in one year,” said Dillingham with a smile. “Unique, goofy — a group of misfits that somehow came together and are accomplishing things that are special.”

Top photo of ASU QB Sam Leavitt and tight end Chamon Metayer via Danielle Cortez, PHNX Sports

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