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Gary Danielson reacts to Duke TE Landen King's ejection for spitting, questions referees' decision

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz12/31/25NickSchultz_7

Just before halftime of Wednesday’s Sun Bowl, Duke tight end Landen King was ejected for spitting. However, CBS analyst Gary Danielson questioned that decision after seeing the replay.

CBS’ cameras appeared to show King spitting at the ground after a back-and-forth with an Arizona State player. The incident occurred right in front of the official, which led to the flag and subsequent ejection.

However, after looking at the video, Danielson wondered if it warranted ejection since King appeared to spit at the ground.

“He spit on the ground, did he not? … That’s an ejection?” Danielson said.

After play-by-play commentator Brad Nessler said he wondered if King spit in the Arizona State player’s face, Danielson said he would have understood the ejection if that was the case. But the replay showed something different.

“That did not happen,” Danielson replied. “That gives you a different feel for the incident, doesn’t it? Maybe it is an automatic ejection, but it’s not like spitting in somebody’s face. We don’t want to be too tough on him.”

The incident occurred after a Duke rushing touchdown, which put the Blue Devils ahead 28-21 with 1:50 to go in the second quarter. Arizona State then added a field goal to make it a four-point deficit heading into the locker room.

However, despite the lead, Duke coach Manny Diaz wasn’t happy with how things unfolded late in the first half. He called out his team’s reaction to the feistiness of the opening two quarters.

“It takes emotional toughness,” Diaz told CBS’ Jenny Dell. “We’re disappointed in our reaction. Everybody’s got to do a better job keeping control of the game.”

Both the Duke and Arizona State offenses were on full display through the first half of the Sun Bowl. The Blue Devils took a 28-24 lead into halftime as quarterback Darian Mensah led the charge. He went 15 of 25 for 216 yards and three touchdowns through two quarters.

On the Arizona State side, quarterback Jeff Sims got it done with both his arm and his legs. He went 15 of 21 for 191 yards and a touchdown while leading the Sun Devils with six carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Both Duke and Arizona State entered Wednesday’s game with eight wins. The Sun Devils went 8-4 during the regular season while the Blue Devils went 8-5, including a victory over Virginia in the ACC Championship.