Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo celebrates after his first score in this year’s Territorial Cup game in Tucson Saturday. Skattebo went on to score two more times in what has been a career year for him. (Photo by Spencer Barnes/Cronkite News)
With the win this past weekend, defensive back Latterance Welch and the Sun Devils clinched a spot in the Big-12 Conference championship Saturday in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Spencer Barnes/Cronkite News)
TUCSON – After a disappointing Territorial Cup result in Kenny Dillingham’s first season at the helm, Arizona State found redemption in dominant fashion Saturday in Tucson.
Posting their first 10-win season since 2014, the Sun Devils secured a trip to the Big 12 championship game against Iowa State at AT&T Stadium in Dallas with a 49-7 win over the Arizona Wildcats, but the victory came with a significant loss.
Dillingham said Monday that wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is “out indefinitely” after he exited in the second half due to injury. Tyson, a key player for the Sun Devils offense this season with 75 catches for 1,101 yards, finished the game against Arizona with eight receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.
He came out of the visitor’s locker room in a sling and appeared distraught until a smile appeared across his face after learning that redshirt freshman walk-on Derek Eusebio scored his first career touchdown while he received treatment.
“It’s time to move some people around,” Dillingham said about Tyson’s injury. “Time to get more people on the field, (and) create probably a little bit more balance offensively.”
Jordyn Tyson emerged from the locker room in a sling, initially in tears.
But when he found out from his teammates that walk-on WR Derek Eusebio had his first career catch and touchdown, his facial expression immediately changed.@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/BbvBhwBgoJ
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) November 30, 2024
Cam Skattebo, regarded as one of the best running backs in the country this season, won the 2024 Bob Moran Award MVP after carrying the ball 21 times for 177 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
He ended the regular season with 1,398 yards on 247 carries, 17 touchdowns and praise from former Alabama coach and ESPN College GameDay analyst Nick Saban.
Nick Saban: “That Cam Skattebo guy. That’s got to be my favorite player in college football.” pic.twitter.com/cJaVS7TjTs
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) November 30, 2024
“It means a lot, but I want to be this guy’s favorite player,” Skattebo said about Saban’s comments while hugging Dillingham. “He’s one of the best of all time, but I’m here in the present. I’m ready to win a Big 12 championship, and I’m here for this coach.”
Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt totaled 2,444 passing yards as a redshirt freshman after throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns with a season-high completion percentage of 77.3% (17-for-22) in Saturday’s win.
Leavitt was pleased by the support of Sun Devil fans who made the trip to Tucson during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in his Territorial Cup debut.
“I feel like our fans were way louder than theirs,” Leavitt said. “I think probably because, you know, we had better plays than them.”
ASU fans invade the U of A’s student section (ZONAZOO) and are chanting “A-S-U, “A-S-U”
ASU leading 42-7 pic.twitter.com/V7lHgEt0iT
— Thomas Forbes (@AnnouncerForbes) November 30, 2024
ASU’s defense was just as impressive as the offense, pitching a shutout into the third quarter. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, one of the nation’s top wide receivers, scored the Wildcats’ lone touchdown but ended the game with only 68 receiving yards. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita struggled in the pocket with only 126 passing yards on 14-for-29 passing.
“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever been apart of from a team,” Dillingham said. “This is a very very unique and special football team that we have here.”
As the Sun Devils turn their attention to a potential conference title, Dillingham acknowledged the work the program put in after a 3-9 season in 2023 and an excruciating defeat in Tempe against the Wildcats to end the year. Entering this season, ASU was picked to finish in last place in its Big 12 debut.
“We’ve never focused on when people said we were bad,” Dillingham said. “We didn’t let all that stuff blind us from what we believe we can accomplish.”
The hard work paid off. The Sun Devils were the only Big 12 team to go undefeated at home (6-0), got the program’s first win against an SEC team (Mississippi State) and finished in a three-way tie for first place with BYU and Iowa State, their Big 12 Conference championship foe.
Immediately after the game ended, Sun Devils junior defensive lineman Jacob Rich Kongaika planted a pitchfork in the middle of the field before Arizona players confronted him and coaches diffused the situation. Kongaika played the last two seasons for the Wildcats before transferring to Arizona State.
ASU plants the fork in Arizona Stadium 😈🔱@ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/F1sU4qJugA
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024
Similar scuffles occurred across college football during rivalry week, including a fight between Michigan and Ohio State and North Carolina State and North Carolina. In Ohio, a Michigan player attempted to plant their team’s flag in the middle of Ohio State’s field after pulling off a 13-10 upset win. In North Carolina, a Wolfpack player started a brawl after trying to plant their team’s flag on UNC’s field.
Iowa State (10-2) enters Saturday’s championship clash coming off a 29-21 victory over Kansas State. The Cyclones face injury woes of their own, along with the Sun Devils. Cyclones tight ends Ben Brahmer and Tyler Moore have not played in the last couple of games and it is unknown what their status will be leading up to the Big 12 championship game.
“We don’t care about what the outside world says,” ASU defensive back Xavion Alford said. “We know what work we put in, and then on Saturday that’s our day to come out and show the world.”
