By Logan Brown
A brutal and wet night in Salt Lake City is proving to have a lasting impact on the season in Tempe.
Arizona State (4-2, 2-1) returned to the Valley with more than just a 42-10 loss at Utah (5-1, 2-1). A challenging season has bruised and battered the Sun Devils, but Saturday’s storm at Rice-Eccles Stadium poured on the punishment. Now, ASU is forced to pick up the pieces before undefeated No. 7 Texas Tech comes to town in what might be a make-or-break game for ASU’s Big 12 title hopes.
For starters, quarterback Sam Leavitt was deemed unable to play before the weekend had arrived. He was spotted wearing a walking boot on his right foot pregame, a nagging issue since the Sun Devils’ trip to Baylor more than three weeks ago, Dillingham said.
Leavitt practiced throughout the bye week and the week leading up to the visit to Utah, but now it seems his injury could sideline him longer than expected. He practiced Tuesday but his status remains uncertain.
“The reality is he’s day-to-day,” Dillingham said Monday. “We’re going to find out when we move him around on Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice if he’s good enough to play on Saturday.”
Without Leavitt under center, the Sun Devils turned to veteran quarterback Jeff Sims, who completed 18 of 38 passes for 124 yards and ran for another 52 yards. The Utes also sacked him five timex The numbers don’t tell the full story, however, as the Sun Devils’ defense couldn’t get a stop, putting ASU behind the ball early on.
Despite the uneven play, Dillingham is prepared to put his trust in his sixth-year senior backup once again should he need to play this weekend against the Red Raiders.
“I thought Jeff threw the ball where it should go,” Dillingham said. “For the most part, I thought he played really well. … To his defense, he really only played six real drives, and most of those drives were extended drives. Even through all of the negatives, there are some positives there. I was really pleased with how he played, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in Jeff.”
The Sun Devils haven’t experienced a blowout of this magnitude since 2023, Dillingham’s first season leading the program. ASU lost three games that year by three scores or more. Last season, a 10-point loss at Cincinnati, also without Leavitt, was the worst defeat of the year for the Sun Devils.
“It’s the first time something like that has happened to us in a year and a half,” Dillingham said. “Year one, it would happen every week, so that’s positive. We’ve reset an expectation that should never happen. So, I would hope it’s an isolated incident.”
Unfortunately, the quarterback situation is just the tip of the iceberg. Dillingham noted that graduate senior center Ben Coleman suffered an injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season and end his collegiate career.
The offensive line has become more banged up as the season has gone by, so the Sun Devils will rely on other options to try to stop the bleeding. Redshirt freshman Wade Helton, who transferred from Iowa State during the offseason, will take over the majority of the reps at center. Junior Jalen Klemm will also rotate in at different spots along the offensive line.
“I think they’re getting better every single week,” Dillingham said about his reserve linemen. “Wade moved to center because he produced. I think Klemm getting on the field two weeks ago (against TCU) was because he’s shown to produce, and he played pretty decently in the game. We moved the ball. Once again, the goal was to score, not move the ball.”
Dillingham also announced two more injured Sun Devils won’t be seeing the field any time soon. Linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu had surgery and will miss the rest of the season. Safety Xavion Alford, one of the leaders of the defense who has not played since Week 2, will remain out “for a significant amount of time.”
ASU can only lick its wounds so much before looking at the issues that surfaced in the rain in Salt Lake City. The Sun Devils were outgained by the Utes 412-259, failing to find a rhythm on offense and being manhandled on the line of scrimmage defensively. Utah ran for 276 yards on an ASU defense that has prided itself on stuffing the ground game for the past two years.
That job gets no easier this week against Texas Tech. Running back Cameron Dickey turned in a career day for the Red Raiders last week, galloping for 263 yards and two scores against Kansas.
The Red Raiders also have quarterback concerns, with starter Behren Morton day-to-day after leaving last week’s game early with a right leg injury. It was the third time this season Morton left a game early, but a capable backup option has stepped in for the top-ranked Big 12 squad.
Freshman Will Hammond has scored eight touchdowns in his minimal playing time off the bench. If Morton isn’t able to play Saturday, not much is likely to change in terms of how productive the Texas Tech offense can be.
“He’s a really good young guy,” Dillingham said of Hammond. “They said they have him on a two-year deal because of the resources combined with what they believe in him. This is a guy that’s going to be their future, and he 100% is their future.”
Both Texas Tech and Arizona State dipped into the transfer portal to build contenders for the conference and beyond this season, which Dillingham described as an “all-in” approach from both programs. The Red Raiders were among the top spenders in the country, and it has paid dividends.
“This program as a whole is all-in,” Dillingham said about Texas Tech. “(Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire) has done a phenomenal job building a roster and building a football team. They’re definitely a program that’s all-in. They’re definitely all-in to win now and all-in to win in the future with the types of investments they’re making.”
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