For months, No. 11 Arizona State has been the talk of the Big 12 as pressure mounted on the heels of a conference championship a season ago. With 17 returning starters, the question became how the Sun Devils would respond to a new weight of expectations.
While the sloppy team performance in ASU’s 38-19 win over Northern Arizona at Mountain America Stadium Saturday night left a sold out crowd and record-setting student section with some concerns, one duo still provided optimism for the season ahead.
ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson picked up right where they left off in 2024. Saturday marked Tyson’s return to the field after a collarbone injury in November against Arizona ended his season.
Nine months later, Tyson carried the pass-heavy offense in Tempe. He caught 12 balls for 141 yards and two touchdowns and remained Leavitt’s top option in the passing game. On the second drive of the game, offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo dialed up a tunnel screen for Tyson, who went untouched into the end zone from 19 yards out.
Tyson’s second score turned heads. Late in the fourth quarter, Leavitt floated a ball to the corner of the end zone. Tyson made an acrobatic twist for an over-the-shoulder grab and got a foot down for the 16-yard score. Even Leavitt was surprised the preseason All-American came down with the ball.
Q4 | QB Sam Leavitt lobs a beauty to Jordyn Tyson as the two connect in the end zone for the second time tonight.
38-13, #ASU#dagger@sportscronkite pic.twitter.com/xNUmydQE9H— Nate Mills (@natemillssports) August 31, 2025
“I was pretty shocked he got that,” Leavitt said through a laugh. “That was a hell of a catch. Probably one of the best catches I’ve seen in a while live, so props to him for that.”
Believe it or not, Tyson has practiced that skill since childhood.
“I actually worked on that catch,” Tyson said. “I feel like I mastered that catch when I was a kid and I never had the opportunity to really do it on the field until now. So just me and my trainer worked on ball skills.”
Although the duo’s connection was as strong as ever, Leavitt struggled to get the rest of the receiver room involved. Tyson was the only wideout to record a catch until Malik McClain’s first catch with a minute remaining in the third quarter. Fresno State transfer Jalen Moss was held without a reception in his team debut, snapping his streak of 25 consecutive games with a catch.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said the unique challenges presented by the Lumberjacks’ defense made it an easy decision to continue to look Tyson’s way, but the rest of the offense will be involved as it faces different defenses down the stretch.
“When you’re an exotic team like (NAU), you don’t double players,” Dillingham said. “If that’s not their plan to double our best guy, then we should probably just keep getting him the ball. Other teams, if their plan is more double oriented on a player, then yeah, we need more guys involved.
“I think that’s going to happen naturally throughout the season, it’s not going to be forced. I think that just happened based on the flow of the game and how they were playing defense.”
Leavitt made some eye-popping plays himself, both through the air and on the ground. The second-year starter tied running back Kyson Brown for the team lead in rushing with 73 yards and a pair of scores. Most notably, a career-long 52-yard scamper where Leavitt outran the NAU secondary for a touchdown that brought the crowd of 56,759 awash in gold to a roar.
Q3 | QB Sam Leavitt darts 52–YD for his first rushing touchdown of the year. Noticeable burst through the secondary … quite the athlete. 24-6, #ASU @sportscronkite pic.twitter.com/czy3K4DuSP
— Nate Mills (@natemillssports) August 31, 2025
“I know that I can run,” Leavitt said. “The biggest thing was just not taking off too predetermined from last year. That was one thing I extended well while pushing the ball down the field, which is one thing I really wanted to work on. I was proud of myself for that.”
Leavitt finished the evening completing 25 of 39 passes for two passing touchdowns and one late interception. Despite four total scores in the game, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year graded his own performance as a C-plus, believing there is still room for improvement.
Dillingham was impressed with his signal caller, despite some of the issues and injuries along the offensive line.
“Sam’s hard on himself. Sam’s going to be his hardest critic,” Dillingham said. “That’s just who Sam is. He’s never going to be satisfied, but he had a really good football game. He had some really good checks early, getting us into the right plays, extended plays, and some unbelievable throws into the pressures that we were struggling picking up.
“So I thought he played well and I think he’s only going to continue to play better as the season progresses.”
The stat sheet suffered from ASU penalties that erased a pair of big plays. In the third quarter, Leavitt threw a swing pass to running back Raleek Brown who took it 75 yards to the end zone, but a holding penalty pulled the play back. On the next snap, Leavitt uncorked a 64-yard completion to McClain, but a lineman downfield wiped out the big gain.
“We did some good things,” Leavitt said. “We have to go back and address the holdings and take better care of the ball, and on my end as well. With the accountability that we have as a team, I’m not worried about it. We’re going to come back and go to work and figure out all the little things. I’m excited to go back to work.”
Leavitt and Tyson will get a chance to build on their strong start to the season Saturday as the Sun Devils hit the road for the first time when they visit Mississippi State.