TEMPE – With just under 30 seconds left in the first half of Arizona State’s 28-17 victory over Kansas State on Saturday, sixth-year quarterback Mikey Keene remained on the ground after taking a hard hit.
After going 10 for 20 with 160 yards, giving ASU a four-point halftime lead, Keene grabbed his leg.
The concern from ASU fans was palpable. Chants of “we want Fette” soon broke out, signaling a desire for freshman Jake Fette.
ASU coach Kenny Dillingham opted instead to replace Keene with Cutter Boley, who had started the previous six games for the Sun Devils.
The boos grew louder.
Three ASU drives later, the Sun Devils trailed 17-14. That’s when Dillingham made the move fans wanted.
He put in Fette late in the third quarter.
“We wanted some energy,” Dillingham said about the freshman, who had fewer than 10 real reps in practice during the week. “We felt like there was a lull. You could see it with the guys on the sideline. We’re a team that can’t get into those lulls. We can be suffocated by them at times.
“Jake’s got that look in his eye. Jake’s got the swagger, the confidence when he moves around. We just wanted the spark there with Jake.”
By the time the game at Mountain America Stadium had ended, Fette led two scoring drives to secure an important victory for ASU, which had lost two of its last three games.
After Boley started the first six games of the season, a strong performance by Keene the week before in Lubbock against Texas Tech made the Arizona native the starter heading into Saturday.
Playing all but four snaps in the first half, Keene put together a strong day, earning praise from his coach.
“He was juiced,” Dillingham said. “He was out there, playing football in his hometown, 20 minutes from where he grew up. He scored 14 points early. We’re moving. We feel the vibe. He played really well. His leadership was good.”
After Keene left, Boley only saw 14 snaps, 10 of which came in the third quarter.
After freshman running back Cardae Mack rushed for 13 yards on the first play of the second half, Boley led ASU to three three-and-outs.
“I’m always going to defend our players,” Dillingham said. “I don’t care. My players are first. I protect my players to my core. It’s me and my team first.”
None of the three quarterbacks were available for interviews afterward.
Despite Dillingham’s disagreement with fans, he eventually gave Fette the keys.
After forcing a turnover on downs, the ASU defense ran off the field, excited for the stop.
“Coming off the field, we just told him to protect the ball,” junior linebacker Martell Hughes said. “We’re riding behind him.”
Running back Cardae Mack, another freshman, shared the backfield with Fette and ran in two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Those two were not the only scores he had Saturday afternoon. By the time the game ended, Mack finished with 166 scrimmage yards and four rushing touchdowns. The four touchdowns were the most by an ASU freshman since Leon Burton scored five in 1955.
Sharing the backfield with all three quarterbacks on Saturday, Mack had nothing but praise for those under center.
“They’re all amazing quarterbacks,” Mack said. “They all do their job. They all work hard in practice. They’re all ready when their time is called.”
While three quarterbacks saw the field for ASU against Kansas State, Fette’s work to finish out the game made the biggest difference.
Turning to a freshman in a close game in the fourth quarter, giving him his first action against an FBS opponent, is not an easy decision for most coaches.
It’s different when the freshman is Fette.
“You could see his poise and you could see how calm he was back there in the game,” Dillingham said. “Getting prepared mentally week in and week out and preparing like he was going to play, I think it (paid off).”
Despite the coaching staff’s belief in Fette, Dillingham still had concerns.
“You want to do everything you can to protect really good freshmen at the quarterback position,” Dillingham said. “You never want to put them in a position that can ruin them, which sometimes you can do to quarterbacks. … But at the end of the game, we felt like he gave us the best chance to win because of his confidence.”
After the game, Dillingham announced that, barring any major changes to Keene’s health, Fette will start in Provo, Utah, next weekend against No. 2 BYU.
As Dillingham prepares his freshman to go into one of the loudest stadiums in the country, he didn’t sugarcoat the message he’s going to share with the young quarterback.
“It’s just one of the best environments you’ll get to play in college football,” Dillingham said. “It doesn’t get much louder or disruptive than this one.
“Throw them into the fire. I mean, here we go.”
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