Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend and avoided any issues with all of the storms that rolled through. We love rain here, but holy moly, it was a bit much. My thoughts go out to anyone impacted by the major flooding over the weekend.

More on the Sun Devils below, but first, huge congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury, who are heading to the WNBA Finals after ousting the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx last night. You can catch more about their win in the Quick Hits section below, but the best-of-seven series will kick off on Friday against either Indiana or Las Vegas.

Pretty cool note — Phoenix knocked off both teams who were in last year’s Finals: New York and Minnesota.

On to the show!

Sun Devils Re-Enter Top 25 After Win, Wildcats Struggle in Loss to Iowa State

The rest of the Big 12 had better take notice:

The Sun Devils are back on track.

ASU used a 10-point fourth quarter, as well as a suffocating second-half defense, to rally past No. 24 TCU for a 27-24 win on Friday. Kicker Jesus Gomez earned the ultimate redemption by nailing a 23-yarder to break a tie with 1:14 to play in the game, making amends for two missed field goals that looked very costly earlier in the game.

The Sun Devils defense then had one more trick up its sleeve, intercepting Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover to ice the game and kick off the party in Tempe.

Arizona State is 4-1, 2-0 in the Big 12, and cruising into its bye week before heading to Salt Lake City to face the Utes on Oct. 11.

Sun Devils Back in Top 25 as Leavitt/Tyson Continue to Click

The win earned Arizona State a little recognition on the national stage again, as it moved back into the Associated Press poll at No. 25. The Sun Devils rank 24th in the Coaches Poll.

• Offense clicked at the right time

The Horned Frogs were unbeaten, but also relatively untested, sans an 11 point win over SMU earlier this season. That in mind, it was nice to see quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson continue their domination. The former finished 27-of-39 for 291 yards and two touchdowns, while the latter caught both of those tuddies — ending the game with 126 reception yards.

Raleek Brown was perfectly complementary to the passing game, rushing 21 times for 134 yards while adding nine receptions for 50 yards.

• Defense stood tall when it mattered most

Gomez was on the struggle bus just days after being named the Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, but the defense did everything it could to keep the Sun Devils within striking range.

It worked, most notably in the fourth quarter after Gomez’s second missed boot of the day. First, the ASU defense held TCU to a punt on the ensuing drive, leading to a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass from (who else?) Leavitt to Tyson.

Just two plays later Prince Dorbah sacked Hoover and forced a fumble at the Horned Frog 15 yard line, setting up Gomez’s redemption kick. TCU had one more opportunity, but Martell Hughes put a stamp on the win by picking off Hoover.

• Early season loss not looking as bad

One more item of note – ASU’s loss to Mississippi State in Starkville doesn’t look nearly as bad now considering the Bulldogs took No. 15 Tennessee all the way into overtime before losing 41-34. It’s not going to help down the line, but at the same time, it’s clear MSU is on the level this season.

Wildcats Get Hard Dose of Reality in Ames

You know what’s crazy? Arizona wasn’t dominated, at least not in terms of the final stats. The Wildcats were only outgained 400-360 in Saturday’s 39-14 loss at No. 14 Iowa State, and only turned the ball over twice.

Even so, coach Brent Brennan and his team were humbled in Ames.

• Inability to finish costed Arizona dearly

I actually don’t think this needs much commentary — just take a look at this drive summary: Missed field goal, punt, punt, punt, interception, touchdown, and by that point, it was 22-7. From there, it was a turnover on downs, touchdown, punt, interception, turnover on downs, and end of game.

• Defense just did not make enough plays

The Wildcats defense did enough to keep Arizona in the game into the second half, but two Cyclone touchdowns in the third quarter put the game essentially out of reach. To be fair, though, the D wasn’t done any favors, as three of Iowa State’s five touchdown drives were 44 yards or less. Field position truly mattered in this one, and Arizona’s defense just wasn’t able to shift the momentum.

• The Wildcats have plenty of runway left

Playing a solid Cyclones squad on the road may have been a rude awakening, but it was also a really good experience for the Wildcats, and I believe it will pay dividends down the road. Arizona’a schedule is tough, but not unforgiving, and Saturday’s home matchup against a reeling Oklahoma State team is a great way to get back on track.

Rallying into the Finals: The Mercury rallied from a double-digit deficit yet again, besting the top-seeded Lynx 86-81 after outscoring Minnesota 31-13 in the game’s final quarter. Alyssa Thomas went off for 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while Satou Sabally added 21 points and six rebounds.

Phoenix returns to the Finals for the first time since 2021, and is seeking its first championship since 2014. It’ll face either Las Vegas or Indiana — who are playing in a decisive Game 5 tomorrow — beginning on Friday.

On Deck: I’ve got a very special week planned, and tomorrow we’ll take a look at the good, bad and ugly in a postmortem of the Diamondbacks’ season. Was the late-season rally enough for manager Torey Lovullo to win back the fans who had soured on him? Check out tomorrow’s issue to find out.

It’s Over: An up-and-down season ended with a 12-4 loss to the Padres yesterday, as the D-backs capped a season that started with playoff dreams by losing five straight. Somehow, some way the Diamondbacks found a way to hang in the playoff hunt, but the team’s 80 wins this season were nine fewer than last year’s squad, the lowest total since 2022.

It’s going to be a long offseason, so enjoy the playoffs for now — especially if the Dodgers lose.

Drawing it Up: Rising FC drew 3-3 against Oakland Roots on Saturday, marking the team’s fifth consecutive draw as it clings to a postseason spot in the USL Western Conference Table. Phoenix is in seventh place and three points ahead of ninth-place Orange County SC, so there’s little room for error moving forward.

Rising FC is back in action on Saturday, hosting New Mexico United.

Love our PHNX Mercury crew. On to the Finals!