TEMPE – With 405 yards of total offense, Jeff Sims, Arizona State’s sixth-year quarterback, willed the Sun Devils to a victory over Iowa State in a game that kept their slim Big 12 Championship hopes alive.
“He is everything that is right about college football,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said Monday.
The effort earned Sims the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Week, and the team’s overall performance inspired Dillingham to give the Suns Devils the week off.
On the heels of a loss to Houston and a season-ending surgery for star quarterback Sam Leavitt, the Sun Devils Saturday turned to Sims, who had lost in a blowout in his only other start of the season at Utah.
With 177 yards through the air and another 228 on the ground, Sims put together a career performance as ASU improved to 6-3 and qualified for a postseason bowl game.
Sims broke the ASU record for quarterback rushing yards in a single game while becoming the first Big 12 quarterback to throw for at least 175 yards while rushing for at least 200 since Texas quarterback Vince Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
The performance earned him numerous awards, although he did not do it all himself. For the first time this season, the Sun Devils’ offensive line won the Big 12’s Beef of the Week award, which goes to the conference’s most outstanding offensive line.
As a team, ASU ran for nearly 300 yards and Sims was not sacked.
Sun Devils tight end Chamon Metayer and wide receiver Jalen Moss also made big plays through the air. Metayer gave Sims a safety net over the middle all day, while Moss finally showcased his big-play ability on a deep over route to set up ASU’s first touchdown.
Metayer caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown, while Moss hauled in three passes for 51 yards.
After the victory, Dillingham decided to give his team a week off during their bye week. The Sun Devils return to action Nov. 15 when they host West Virginia.
“(The players) are off till next Sunday,” Dillingham said. “This has been an emotional season, physically and mentally. These guys need to get away and come back ready for a three-game stretch where we can accomplish anything we want to accomplish.”
Dillingham is hopeful that edge rusher Prince Dorbah and linebacker Tate Romney will return from injuries against West Virginia.
Dillingham also said that wide receiver Jordyn Tyson could return on Nov. 22 when the Sun Devils visit Colorado. Meanwhile, safety Xavion Alford also is working toward returning to the lineup. On the flip side, Dillingham said running back Kyson Brown might be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
While players will still be lifting, getting treatment and rehabbing injuries during the bye week, Dillingham wants his team to “let go.” The Sun Devils have been on a rollercoaster of emotions all season and have been hit hard by the injury bug.
And through the first nine weeks, Arizona State has faced a grueling schedule. The collective winning percentage of its opponents is 64.46% (51-28), while eight of nine have a record above the .500 mark.
On paper, the path gets easier the rest of the way out.
With West Virginia, Colorado and the University of Arizona left on ASU’s schedule, its participation in the Big 12 Championship is still possible, especially with key contributors potentially returning to the lineup. In a conference where nothing can be penciled in early, a window back to the College Football Playoff is open.
Barely.
Sitting at 4-2 through conference play, time remains for ASU to build on the momentum of the Iowa State victory. However, the Sun Devils have been here before this season. They beat a nationally ranked TCU team only to stumble at Utah. They bounced back to stun Texas Tech, then lost to Houston.
Now they’ve rebounded again, this time with the big win in Ames, Iowa.
“When the glass is empty, we fill it back up, Dillingham said. “Hopefully, we don’t empty it out again.”
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