A standout performance from Sun Devil kicker produces a bag of mixed goods

Senior kicker Jesus Gomez inked his name in the Sun Devil scrapbooks for his heroic 43-yard game-winning field goal as the clock hit all zeros against Baylor last Saturday. Arizona State got out of Waco in a nerve-racking 27-24 victory, but didn’t leave the matchup unscathed. 

Although ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham had plenty of praise for Gomez, who converted on all four of his field goal attempts and won the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week award, Dillingham wasn’t shy in his frustration during his Monday press conference because his offense failed to capitalize on lengthy drives in and around the end zone. 

“I’ve been happy with how we’re playing,” Dillingham claimed Monday. “We just gotta finish drives in the red zone, and we gotta start as a staff finding ways to finish drives in the red zone. 

“We kick field goals at a high rate; we’re struggling with now in short yardage, so we get to short yardage down there, then we’re probably going to kick more field goals than we have in the past. We kicked four field goals. It pains me to say it out loud. That’s usually not a recipe for success.” 

Having to settle for three on numerous occasions is not a recipe for success; however, ASU showed signs of life on offense, building productive drives against the Bears. Led by sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, the Sun Devils produced 400 yards of total offense and four drives of 10 plays or more. 

Leavitt’s production, particularly in the second half when ASU put up 17 points, was spectacular. Earning 163 of his 221 passing yards in the final 30 minutes and 62 yards on the ground to net 283 total yards on the day. 

“When it comes to quarterbacks, a lot of people look at stats,” Dillingham noted. “Sam played one of his best games since he’s been here. You complete one or two of those balls downfield, and now you’re talking. He had 330 (passing yards), and the narrative completely changes. When you start connecting on those deep balls, that’s how narratives change at quarterback.” 

Leavitt would get almost half of his 163 second-half yards over the air from the deep ball. Sophomore and former walk-on wide receiver Derek Eusebio had his most crucial day for the Maroon and Gold. When the Sun Devils needed a spark after trailing 17-16 in the fourth quarter, he caught a 61-yard bomb with eight minutes to play, leading to a pendulum-swinging touchdown. 

Euesebio’s production continued with two jet sweep handoffs, and his steady play earned him 89 yards of total offense and a team-leading 78 receiving yards. 

“Let’s underthink the coaching and overthink the player,” Dillingham said, giving Eusebio more time on the field. “You can trust him. At the end of the day, I want people to pay as hard as they can possibly play and we can trust to be where they’re supposed to be … he does everything right.” 

Eusebio leading the way over the air means junior Jordyn Tyson wasn’t the spectacle in the wide receiver room, his six receptions for 43 yards the least he’s had since Week 4 of 2024. However, when the Sun Devils needed a breakthrough, Tyson scored the touchdown that regained the lead. No matter the momentum, Dillingham noted his confidence in his offense.  

“I got confidence that when our offense is on the field at the end of the game, they are going to get it done,” Dillingham said. 

When ASU’s passing game hasn’t been in top form, the run game has held them afloat, most notably in the second half when two running backs had over 100 yards each. Against Baylor, however, the three key running backs —junior Raleek Brown, junior Kyson Brown, and senior Kanye Udoh —combined for just 107 yards on the ground. 

“We were bouncing runs too wide,” Dillingham added. “We weren’t getting vertical enough. I think it’s a combination of a couple of things. I thought we could’ve done some things better as a staff.” 

On the other side of the ball, the Sun Devils had a game to remember; the secondary unit forced three turnovers against the Bears. Senior safeties Kyndrich Breedlove and Myles Rowser forced fumbles, and junior cornerback Keith Abney II added an interception to the mix as well. 

Even without the aid of two critical players in the safeties, senior Xavion Alford and sophomore Montana Warren, ASU had no trouble maximizing its chances to cause havoc. 

“Every three games, we want to be completely different,” Dillingham mentioned about secondary coverages. “Every game we try to look different and be different, so hopefully we come out this week (looking different). 

The Sun Devils certainly have a test coming to town; they face their first-ranked opponent of the season in No.24 TCU (3-0). The undefeated Horned Frogs are coming off a double-digit victory over SMU in the Dallas versus Fort Worth clash. 

TCU’s hot start to the year is in large part due to the play of junior quarterback Josh Hoover. The 6-foot-2 signal caller has notched 1,000 passing yards on the dot and 11 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Hoover leads an explosive offense that’s averaging over 41 points per game, the third-highest mark in the conference. 

“He’s a really good football player,” Dillingham said on Hooever. “He can extend plays, make throws in the pocket, and they have weapons outside. They are very creative anytime that the quarterback is a dynamic player, which he is, we gotta find a way to contain him.” 

Unlike Baylor, however, the Horned Frogs’ defense has been stout, allowing just 19.7 points per game, but they do allow a lot of yards, giving up 353 a game, and 246 of that comes over the air, which is the worst figure in the Big 12. 

Still, with a short week, ASU has its hands full with a fierce opponent on the way, and for Dillingham, utilizing the home crowd at Mountain America Stadium that’s sold out for the first two games of the year will be vital to success. 

“This is going to be one of the critical games of our season,” Dillingham proclaimed. “I said it from dating back to when the schedule came out, we have an excellent TCU team with a really good quarterback coming in on a Friday night.”

On the injury front, Dillingham said Kyson Brown is 100% back to health after a limited outing against Baylor, junior wide receiver Jalen Moss is still doubtful, and Alford will still be out for Friday’s contest.