TEMPE – As raindrops fell late in Arizona State’s recent Big 12 Conference game against West Virginia at Mountain America Stadium, the Sun Devils’ defense took the field with the team’s postseason hopes looking as dark and ominous as the clouds above.
West Virginia had scored touchdowns on its first two possessions in the fourth quarter and now was in position to stage a game-winning drive. Down 25-23, the Mountaineers’ offense took the field at their 25-yard-line with 2:44 to play and an opportunity to drive into field goal range and complete a double-digit comeback that would have crushed ASU’s Big 12 title hopes.
ASU cornerback Keith Abney II had other ideas.
After West Virginia had moved the ball to its 44-yard-line with 1:32 to go, Mountaineers freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. fired a pass for wide receiver Jeff Weimer. However, Abney anticipated the play and lunged in front of Weimer to snatch a game-sealing interception, securing the victory for the Sun Devils.
“It’s crazy (because) me and the quarterback made eye contact right before that,” Abney said. “So I knew it was coming. It was a great feeling.”
In a fourth quarter that featured numerous momentum swings, the play capped off an emphatic response from the Sun Devil defense, which stepped up in critical moments to lift Arizona State to its fifth one-score victory of the season.
While ASU played mostly sound defense, the Sun Devils surrendered a few costly explosive plays, including a 90-yard passing touchdown to sophomore running back Cyncir Bowers on third-and-27, which gave West Virginia its first lead since early in the second quarter.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham called the back-breaking touchdown the worst play he’s ever been a part of, which he quickly amended to the second-worst behind a Hail Mary pass he once lost on. As a result, the Sun Devils saw their 12-point lead evaporate in minutes.
Yet, the defense didn’t flinch.
The Sun Devils quickly regrouped and stopped Mountaineers running back Curtis Jones Jr. on the subsequent two-point conversion attempt. ASU’s offense made that pay off by driving into position for Jesus Gomez’s 49-yard field goal with 2:47 to play in the game, setting up Abney’s heroics on the final West Virginia drive.
“For our guys to bounce back and stop the two-point conversion, which allowed us to kick a field goal for the win instead of the tie, (it was) winning football,” Dillingham said. “Then they come back and get a stop to win, so (it was) really cool to see our guys respond in that setting.”
The Sun Devils tightened up in many of the contest’s biggest moments Saturday, stonewalling the Mountaineers short of the end zone twice from inside the 6-yard line. The pair of goal-line stands bought time for the ASU offense to find a rhythm and kept West Virginia off the board after long drives.
“Those are mentality plays,” senior linebacker Jordan Crook said. “When you’re back’s against the wall, it’s either they get in or they don’t. That’s just a mentality thing. I think everybody just bowed up on a few goal-line stops.”
Crook’s 14 tackles, 10 of which were solo stops, led a dominant ASU rushing defense that now ranks second in the Big 12 in rushing yards allowed per game (123.2). The Mountaineers entered Saturday off consecutive wins against Houston and Colorado in which they averaged 206.5 rushing yards.
They looked on pace to continue the trend after running for 30 yards on their opening drive. However, Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s unit quickly halted the West Virginia rushing attack, holding them to a mere 38 yards on the ground the rest of the game. The 68 total rushing yards was West Virginia’s second-lowest total this season.
It made life difficult for the Mountaineers on late downs and in short-yardage situations. They finished just 1 for 4 on fourth downs, contributing to a few galvanizing moments for the Sun Devils.
“I do think that created some momentum for us, just like it would have created momentum for them if it would have been 4 inches further,” Dillingham said, referring to the Sun Devils forcing a turnover-on-downs on the 1-yard line. “Big play by us, we stepped up in the biggest moment.”
The unit also rallied behind redshirt freshman cornerback Rodney Bimage Jr.
Bimage went down with an injury late in the third quarter, lying face down and flat on the ground after delivering a big hit. He was immediately surrounded by teammates who took a knee and anxiously looked on as ASU’s medical team attended to Bimage.
Bimage eventually got up with the assistance of the training staff, waved off the cart that had been brought onto the field to take him off and began to dance.
The moment lit a fire under his teammates.
“When I saw that, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s time to play,’” Crook said. “I think it kind of gave us a little boost. Just seeing him down there like that and then him being able to get up, not on his own feet, but he was able to walk. And you just (see him) smiling and dancing a little bit, so I think that kind of gave the team a little more boost (to) come out there and go make more plays.”
With the season winding down and the stakes of each regular season game continuing to rise as postseason implications loom, the group will need to play with the same looseness and confidence – especially in close games.
“In the biggest moments, people aren’t playing scared,” Dillingham said of his team. “They’re playing comfortable and free. … They’re excited to play in those moments, not dreading, ‘What if I make a mistake in those moments?’
“I think that’s the culture we’re trying to build, a culture (of) ‘have more fun working harder than anybody in the country.’”
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