Avoiding complacency drives ASU into a new week
The Sun Devils enter this week on the backs of their most impressive win of the season and perhaps the tenure of Head Coach Kenny Dillingham. The 26-22 victory over then-No.7 Texas Tech propelled Arizona State back amongst the AP top 25, coming in at No. 24.
Yet Dillingham didn’t waste any time on a victory lap during his weekly press conference on Monday, reiterating the importance of practicing with intensity moving forward.
“We saw when we didn’t practice a certain way, and we saw (what happened) when we did practice a certain way,” Dillingham said. “So I think everyone knows that there is still an urgency to get better, which is so difficult to do off of emotional wins.
“Anyone who says it’s not is a liar. It’s extremely difficult to get right back up to having a chip on your shoulder and getting better.”
Dilligham can note that he’s ready to flush Last Saturday’s takedown of a top 10 opponent; however, a video that shot across the internet of him doing the worm on the locker room floor says otherwise. Dilligham played off the video by joking, claiming it was A.I.
“Nowadays, the video posted wasn’t even me that was A.I.,” he laughed. “So you don’t even know what’s real.
“I do think the viral moments are good for a brand and culture for a team, as long as you can understand that once today hits, it’s over, nobody cares anymore. Because if we can’t constantly improve, we’ll have more moments like we did two weeks ago, not moments we saw last week.”
The two weeks Dillingham is referencing are Week 7 against Utah, ASU was dealt a 42-10 defeat, its worst loss since 2023. With that being said, the team was on the road without the aid of the sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, who was dealing with a right foot injury.
Leavitt was so disappointed not to be suiting up against the Utes that he told the media after Saturday’s win that he was crying on the team bus on the way to the stadium. In the wake of missing out, he dominated.
Leavitt completed 28 passes for 319 yards, both career-highs, and a touchdown. Dillingham said last Saturday that Leavitt’s injury could actually become a blessing in disguise because it forced him to become a more traditional pocket passer rather than use his legs when possible.
“Early down passing and controlled passing is a game-changer in football,” Dillingham elaborated Monday. “If he can get really good at controlled passing, it completely changes the game, how teams defend you, and the run fits. Being able to stay at a good distance is the key to being an efficient offense.
In his last two outings, against then-No. Texas Tech and then-No.24 TCU, Leavitt completed a boatload of passes because he was finding a multitude of targets, eight against the Horned Frogs, and seven against the Red Raiders.
“He’s just getting a feel for the team,” Dilligham noted. “Early in the season, you have your comfort zone of the guy you’re used to throwing it on gameday, and he’s just getting a feel for the guys and getting more comfortable with the guys on the field. We’re getting a feel for our team by putting people in the best position to succeed. He’s played a really good last two weeks.”
Junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson had another outstanding game, completing 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown, but the remainder of Leavitt’s completions were evenly distributed amongst a group of players, including two running backs, two additional wideouts, and two tight ends.
Seniors Chamon Metayer, who caught four passes for 66 yards, and Cameron Harpole’s four additional completions showed the importance of the tight end, particularly on early downs.
“I think (Chamon) is a Sunday player. I don’t have any doubt in that,” Dillingham claimed. “That’s a guy who is versatile when he’s in pass protection or when he’s catching passes; he has to be a continued weapon for us.”
Defensively, ASU was tasked with upping its intensity after being hounded on the ground for 276 yards against Utah. The unit did a complete 180-degree turn, holding Texas Tech to just 276 yards of total offense despite going into the game as the No.1 team in the country in total offense, averaging over 500 yards per game.
Dillingham’s philosophy ahead of the Red Raiders clash was centered around toughness and physicality over harping on schematics to the point of confusion.
“Paralysis by process,” he said. “You’re paralysing your team through how much they have to process, they’re going to play social. You have to be able to play football fast.”
“Usually simplicity helps that.”
Junior cornerback Keith Abney II embodied Dillingham’s desire to play fast and with confidence. Nothing two pass breakups and six tackles, his play, coupled with his partner in coverage, senior Javan Robinson’s seven total tackles and a pass break, the corner back room showed up for the Sun Devils.
“(Abney) just works every day,” Dillingham praised. “We were just looking at Keith in the walk-through, and he just takes the perfect step and his eyes track the hips. You wonder why he’s good? He’s so detailed.
“He does that in everything, he does that in academics, he’s in the Barrett school, he’s done that in the weight room, which is why he’s the heaviest he’s been.”
Abney’s work ethic could be a sign of how ASU plans to attack some of its flaws. Dilligham was particularly upset with last Saturday’s special teams performance, deeming it “unacceptable.” Senior kicker Jesus Gomez was awarded Big 12 Special Teams Player of the week for a third time after going 4-4 on field goals.
Dillingham’s gripe, however, is with return defense; the Red Raiders put up 166 yards on seven returns, including 36 and 21-yard punt returns and a 56-yard kickoff return. Both long punt returns led to fourth-quarter touchdowns for Texas Tech during its late-game surge that led to the first lead change of the game.
“Embrassingly bad football,” Dillingham continued his stance from last Saturday. “We kept the entire team in our special teams meeting today, I said ‘we’re going to watch every single one of these plays together,’ Special teams, offensive line, I don’t care.
“Everybody needs to understand how important this was to winning and losing a football game, and I haven’t done a good enough job of making sure people know the importance.”
The Sun Devils will need to be secure in every facet with Houston (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) coming to Tempe on Saturday. Despite being unranked, the Cougars have racked up some impressive wins over Arizona and Colorado.
“They’re 6-1 and they’ve lost to a top-15 team in the country,” Dillingham praised. “I don’t know what else you want. They win games. Everybody wants flash nowadays.
“They win games by playing good defense and complementary offensive football, taking care of teh ball, not hurting themselves, and just because they win with that style, people don’t flock to it. It’s a very effective style.”
The Cougars have made defense their identity by playing steadily, allowing just 19 points per game. Their best team statistic is their second-place rank in the Big 12 in opponent fourth-down conversion rate, as teams move the chains just 40% of the time in those scenarios.
Dillingham had high praise for head coach Willie Fritz and how the state of Houston’s program resembles a lot of how ASU was viewed through nine weeks of 2024.
“We were the same way last year, no one thinks you’re good until you start beating people,” Dillingham said. “This is a very good football team.
“I think Coach Fritz and that staff do a really good job, I think their players execute the plays at a high level, and if you execute, you win a lot of games at a high level.”
This matchup also marks the fifth and final time this season ASU will face a team from Texas in the regular season. Currently 4-0 against Texas-based programs, although preparing for games against Lone Star State teams doesn’t change Dillingham’s regimen, it does allow the program to do a better job recruiting from Texas, which is a vital hub.
But while Texas keeps calling, Dillingham keeps his eyes wide on the golden coast.
“You want to perform well in areas where you primarily recruit,” Dillingham added. “Unfortunately for us, we don’t play games in California anymore. I wish we could get out of every non-conference game and play every non-conference game in California to get us back into that market.”
