At his postgame press conference, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham peered down at the microphone in front of him with wide eyes, shaking his head in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.
His Sun Devils, who at one point trailed by 17, stormed all the way back against No. 24 TCU on Friday night, completing a fourth-quarter comeback to capture a 27-24 victory at Mountain America Stadium. In a game that featured a flurry of ebbs and flows, ASU dominated the last two minutes of play to power past the Horned Frogs and move to 2-0 in Big 12 play.
The Sun Devils struggled to punch it in near the goal line all night long, only scoring touchdowns on two of their five red zone trips.
So when ASU came up on a fourth-and-goal, with 1:50 left in the fourth and the Sun Devils trailing 24-17, offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo needed to find an answer for TCU’s stingy red zone defense.
His solution?
A play that sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt and junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson haven’t connected on once in Leavitt’s two years in Tempe – until Friday night.
“(It’s) a play we’ve been running since I first got here – ‘ bang,’” Leavitt said. “We really hadn’t hit it once in game yet … first time hitting it at the biggest moment.”
TIE GAME IN TEMPE 😈 pic.twitter.com/ajqim7mI3O
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) September 27, 2025
He’s developed a reputation for being one of the nation’s most clutch players, as he’s helped lead the Sun Devils to an 8-2 record in games decided by one score in the regular season across the past two years.
It has given Dillingham the utmost confidence in his signal caller with the ball in his hands in clutch moments.
“Winners, win. … Some people in the biggest moments are their best,” Dillingham said. “Some people love the ball with the game on the line, and some people don’t. And Sam is somebody who loves the ball with the game on the line.”
While the offense helped engineer the comeback push in the final few minutes, the defense created the explosive plays needed to propel ASU to its ninth-straight home victory.
Senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah provided the game-changing play by powering into the backfield and wrapping up TCU junior quarterback Josh Hoover for his third sack of the night. However, in the process of bringing down the Horned Frogs’ quarterback, he also managed to jar the ball loose, taking it from Hoover and getting ASU the ball back in TCU territory.
“We had an advantage up front, so we liked our matchups all game,” Dorbah said. “Coaches just told us to go rush, communicate (and) play with each other.”
Yet, like it did for much of the night, the TCU defense held strong, stonewalling the Sun Devils at the goal line and forcing ASU to settle for a short field goal. After failing to punch it into the end zone, an uneasy feeling swept over the sellout home crowd, as visions of ASU’s Week 2 loss to Mississippi State crept into the minds of anxious fans.
Except this time, defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s unit took the drama out of the final drive early. Sophomore linebacker Martell Hughes reached out with outstretched arms to snag an interception on the second play of the drive and seal the Sun Devils’ largest come-from-behind win against a ranked opponent in school history.
Hughes may only be a sophomore, but his substantial playing time through two seasons and experience from learning under veteran linebackers gave him the confidence to make plays at critical junctures.
“(I’m) blessed to be able to mentor him and kind of show him the way,” senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott said. “These past two games, he’s really stood up and made some really key plays.”
“Even though he’s young, he’s growing up in front of our eyes, and that’s what’s awesome about college football,” Dillingham said.
It capped a final two minutes of play that saw ASU outscore the Horned Frogs 10-0 and win the turnover battle with two takeaways to TCU’s none.
With nine straight wins at home dating back to last year – six of those being one-possession victories – the Sun Devils have proven to be a difficult team to put away in the clutch at Mountain America Stadium.
Confidence, experience and coaching all seem to factor into Arizona State’s winning formula in the clutch. Additionally, an upward trend in fan attendance provides the Sun Devils with an extra boost.
“They showed up and they were loud,” Dillingham said. “I loved it … I think we’re starting to create a demand at that if you’re not at the football game, where are you?”
Although the Sun Devils flashed their full potential in the final few minutes against TCU, Dillingham still believes that his squad has room for growth – a welcome sign considering ASU is still winning games.
“It’s like we’re dancing in circles around the potential,” Dillingham said. “We’re winning games and not playing our best football. That’s the thing I feel best about. We haven’t quite clicked full cylinder, and we’re winning versus really good football teams.”
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