TEMPE – Arizona State safety Martell Hughes sent Mountain America Stadium into a frenzy Saturday when he intercepted Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond in the third quarter, giving the Sun Devils a two-point lead and prime field position at the Red Raiders’ 21-yard line.
But moments later, the rumbling of cheers from 54,177 fans was reduced to a nervous hum.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt had just connected with tight end Chamon Metayer for 12 yards and a first down, but the crowd’s attention quickly diverted to a figure in the back of the end zone.
ASU star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson lay writhing in pain, clenching his right hamstring.
The whistle sounded and coach Kenny Dillingham raced to the near end line corner along with two athletic trainers. Eventually, wide receiver Malik McClain and guard Jimeto Obigbo caught up.
Dozens of media members stationed nearby hit “record” on their cameras or began quickly typing in social media drafts to capture what appeared to be a devastating moment.
In a season already plagued by injuries, this one had the potential to be ASU’s worst of them all.
Tyson eventually left the field with some assistance, hobbling as he grimaced and looked toward the sky, the student section holding its breath.
But Dillingham resisted a smirk and flashed the anxious students a wink as if he knew something they didn’t.
Turned out he did, but not before the intrigue continued.
First, Texas Tech’s defense stuffed running back Raleek Brown at the line of scrimmage, then the Red Raiders sacked Leavitt.
It set up a third-down situation at the Texas Tech 16-yard line.
The offense clustered as they listened to the play call from Leavitt, only now there was a familiar face in the huddle again. Tyson, grabbing his toes to stretch his leg, returned to action without entering the medical tent.
Chants of “Jor-dyn Ty-son” echoed throughout the stadium as he lined up wide on the short side of the field. Brown validated the newfound energy with a 12-yard pick up.
That still left the Sun Devils in a fourth-and-goal situation at the 4-yard-line. A Red Raiders roughing the passer penalty bailed ASU out, but the Sun Devils soon found themselves in another third-and-goal situation at the 2 with Tyson looking more like a decoy than the guy who would win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Leavitt lined up in the shotgun from an empty backfield. He found his first read untouched on the goal line for the score. It was Tyson, of course.
Tyson smiled and danced, still reaching for his hammy, after he scored a touchdown in the same end zone in which he had winced in pain just three minutes earlier.
“He’s a fighter. He’s a competitor,” Dillingham said. “I think that’s what our team’s built off of is people who will fight and you’ll win a lot of games with people who will fight.”
It was the eighth time Leavitt and Tyson have connected for a touchdown this season, tied for the second most in the nation. And it provided a huge momentum change in a game the Sun Devils went on to win 26-22 over the then-seventh-ranked Red Raiders.
Through injury and red zone struggles, the Leavitt-Tyson relationship is the catalyst for the offense. And it had another impact on the Sun Devils’ game-winning drive with less than two minutes left to play.
With 1:05 remaining in the game, ASU down 22-19 and in a fourth-down-and-2 pickle, Leavitt was flushed out to his right. He found the limping, grass-stained Tyson, who had found a gap behind a defender, for a 33-yard gain.
On the next play, Leavitt hit Tyson for an 8-yard gain, then Tyson drew a pass inference call on Texas Tech’s Brice Pollock that gave the Sun Devils a first down at the 2. After a Leavitt gain of 1, Brown plowed into the end zone with 34 seconds to play for the game-winning score.
“It’s just a testament to the way (Tyson) and Sam work,” Dillingham said “They work, they care, they prepare, they do everything they can to get on the field. JT is probably going to be up here at the crack of dawn tomorrow in the ice tub. That’s what they do.”
Leavitt said it was just another episode in his long-running series of competitive moments with Tyson.
“Me and JT are always competing in everything,” Leavitt said. “I’m at the house and I got a mini football and I’m taping this cardboard box with a target in my house playing against all my buddies.”
Now, ASU hopes that the ice tub does wonders as Tyson is “pretty sure” he pulled his hamstring. Thirty players were listed on the Big 12-mandated injury report with nearly half “out” before Texas Tech.
The Sun Devils can’t afford another injury, especially of this magnitude, but Dillingham remains positive.
“I think anytime you have a win like this, it rejuvenates your program, especially after the embarrassment of (the Utah loss), it can definitely put you in the right direction,” he said.
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