Sun Devils Comeback to take out TCU

Every week in college football is something different. College football fans mental health is a week to week issue as well with their teams. Being someone that covers the Arizona State Sun Devils on a weekly basis the amount of deep breaths, head scratching, and emotional ups and downs are too numerous to count.

Saturday night in Tempe was one of those instances where ASU fans were exposed to frustration and happiness almost minute by minute. Arizona State forged a furious comeback to win 27-24 over a good TCU squad.

Once the severe thunderstorms cleared the area it almost seemed like TCU was more ready to play than the Sun Devils. Arizona State has had a problem with starting slow. To dominate in the Big 12 Conference you can’t make sluggish play a characteristic of your team. With the exception of the Mississippi State game slow starts have not come back to bite the Sun Devils.

Yet.

With about 6:34 left in the first half the Sun Devils got themselves in a 17-0 deficit. The sold out “black out” crowd was getting frustrated and you could hear a few boo’s from the Sun Devil faithful. Then it happened. Again.

The Come Back

Within a span of about 90 seconds the momentum of the game was reversed by Sam Leavitt. The Sun Devil quarterback threw a 57 yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Tyson. Immediately, that got the fans back into the game and it got the team emotionally back into the game.

“Down 17-0, things just weren’t going our way,” Leavitt said. “We’re a really tough team and we just compete.”

The toughness and grit that this Sun Devil exhibits was on full display on Friday night against TCU. Many of the fans were checking their heart rates during this Sun Devil come back. However, Arizona State players kept their cool. Down 17-7, the Sun Devils scored on a Sam Leavitt 8 yard run with just under two minutes left. Now, we had a game.

Going into the locker room only down 17-14 at halftime was something that Sun Devils could better deal with.

“Some people, in the biggest moments are the best,” Dillingham said speaking about Leavitt.

Special teams troubles

It was not a good overall game for the Sun Devil special teams.

Arizona State running back, Raleek Brown, failed to field a punt which pinned ASU deep in their own territory. Sun Devil punter, Matthew McKenzie, gave TCU a short field when he only punted the ball 26 yards which led to a Horned Frog touchdown. Jesus Gomez, the Sun Devil kicker, had missed a 46 yard field goal as well.

Gomez, also had some success, by hitting a 26 yard field goal to tie the game with seven minutes left in the third quarter. Jesus Gomez also hit a 23 yard field goal with 1:14 left on the clock. In the big moment, Gomez showed he can come through in the biggest moments.

TCU had their chances

The Horned Frogs certainly had their chances to win this game. TCU turned the Sun Devils over on downs twice in the fourth quarter, had the lead in the fourth quarter, but still could not finish off Arizona State.

“We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said.

Yes, you did Coach Dykes. You had this game in hand and your team let it slip away.

Michael J. Wilson-The Daily Waiver

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