Sun Devils takes down Texas State

The Sun Devils are the defending Big 12 Conference Champions. That means they are the team that everyone circles on their schedules. Expectations for the 2025 version of the Sun Devils are off the chart for their fans. With that being said, any little “blip” on the radar gets magnified.

Every week in college football is a chance to improve upon the previous game results. There was concern about the slow starts the Sun Devils had in their first two games. Especially, the loss against a lesser talented team in Mississippi State. Arizona State did not look good against the Bulldogs in Starkville at all. The passing game with Sam Leavitt was non-existent. Leavitt only passed for 82 yards, so he was looking to get the passing game going against Texas State.

Offense made plays

Sam Leavitt got the ASU offense going by connecting with teammate Jordyn Tyson early in the second quarter for a touchdown. From there, the Sun Devil offense got rolling and it continued for the rest of the game. ASU finished off the Bobcats for a 34-15 win.

The Sun Devils started off sluggish once again. At the end of the first quarter the game was tied 3-3. However, from there Leavitt and Tyson sparked an aerial attack that left the sold-out crowd screaming for more. Leavitt got it started by scrambling around from the Bobcat rush going to his left. From there Leavitt contorted his body, taking off of the wrong foot, and almost looking like he was taking a step-back three point shot. The pass made it into the hands of Jordyn Tyson. Tyson jumped a Bobcat defender, but then toe danced down the sideline into the end zone for a Sun Devil touchdown.

Defense showed up

“We kind of had a miscommunication, but I knew JT was going to get to his spot,” Leavitt said. “I kind of lost my back and just made a play. I knew where he was going to be, got him the ball and he made a (great) play.”

From that point on the Sun Devils poured it on. Arizona State put 433 yards of offense on the board. Meanwhile, they also suffocated one of the nation’s best offenses.

The Sun Devil defense put the Texas State offense in a bind for the rest of the night. Texas State’s offense came into Mountain America Stadium averaging 47.5 points and 500 yards of offense in their first two games. However, the Bobcat offense only managed 303 yards on Saturday night.

“You have two choices: you can run at it (adversity) or you can run away from it,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Run through the storm, you get through it faster.”

Arizona State put some concerns to rest against Texas State, but the real challenge starts when Big 12 Conference play starts this weekend.

Michael J. Wilson

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