TEMPE – Arizona State will be without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt when the Sun Devils face Iowa State in a rematch of last season’s Big 12 Championship game.
Veteran quarterback Jeff Sims will start against the Cyclones (5-3 overall, 2-3 Big 12) Saturday with freshman Cameron Dyer as the backup after Leavitt was ruled out because of a lower leg injury.
However, it appears there is a chance that Sims might have Jordyn Tyson, ASU’s electric wide receiver, back in the lineup to target. Tyson is listed as “questionable” after missing the Houston game with a pulled hamstring that he suffered in ASU’s win against then-No. 7 Texas Tech.
It will be the third start Sims has made during his time at ASU. He started at Utah Oct. 11 with Leavitt out and the Sun Devils lost 42-10. Sims completed 18 of 38 passes against the Utes for just 124 yards.
Sims has not won a road game as a starter in over 1,100 days. The last time was on October 1, 2022 when he was at Georgia Tech and led the Yellow Jackets over then-No. 24 Pittsburgh. Still, ASU coach Kenny Dillingham expressed confidence in the veteran quarterback.
“He’s got a ton of game experience,” Dillingham said. “Our guys like him, our guys got a lot of confidence in him.”
Sims said playing in road games is fun because of the hostility of the crowd and the test it provides for the visiting team.
Leavitt exited the game last week in the Sun Devils’ upset loss against Houston with an undisclosed injury that required imaging.
He returned a drive later only to leave the field again in the fourth quarter with a “re-tweak” of the lower leg injury that sidelined him in the road loss against Utah.
Sims replaced him both times and ended up completing six passes on 11 attempts for 58 yards and a touchdown.
During Tuesday’s practice, Leavitt sported the same walking boot on his right foot as the one he had in Salt Lake City weeks ago.
As the backup quarterback, there are no surprises for Sims.
“I wasn’t really too shocked after what happened Saturday. I just kind of told myself, ‘Just be ready if you got to go,”’ Sims said. “I prepare the same way, you know? I feel like the quarterback room, as a whole, we do a good job of being prepared for any moment.”
The room is built on the relationship between Sims and Leavitt. Even if the other quarterbacks are not starting, they prepare at Leavitt’s pace.
“Me and Sam are very competitive. Everybody should know that by now,” Sims said. “He’ll just randomly ask me a question (during film) and if I get it wrong he’ll be like, ‘Ah, you suck.”’
The same goes for Dyer, the true freshman backing up Sims this week, who is fresh off the injured list.
“That’s a little bro, you know,” Sims said with a smile. “He prepares every week like he’s a starter, even when he was not clear, when he was hurt, he’s just that type of guy.”
With three conference losses, Iowa State is essentially eliminated from a Big 12 Championship game return as Brigham Young and Cincinnati remain undefeated in conference play and Houston and Texas Tech have just one Big 12 loss.
Arizona State, with two losses in the conference, wants to avoid a fate similar to the Cyclones’.
Dillingham recognizes the challenge that lies ahead without their starting quarterback and with their best receiver Tyson banged up.
“That’s what we talked about all off season, is responding to adversity, and we’ve done that so far this year. This will probably be the toughest test,” Dillingham said. “Both teams are dinged up, but obviously for us, we got to be able to bounce back and play really good football.”
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