Sun Devils Outslug Jayhawks, 35-31, In Front of Sellout Crowd in Big 12 Conference Home Opener

TEMPE, Ariz. – Back and forth they went, the two Big 12 Conference trading punches and setting the foundations of this newly established rivalry in their first ever meeting.

And when they needed him most, seeking one last right hook to bury the Jayhawks in front of a sellout crowd of 54,639, the Sun Devils turned to their workhorse.

Down 31-28 with under two minutes remaining from their own 34-yard line, it was Cam Skattebo who ignited the spark the Sun Devils needed with the game hanging in the balance. En route to 182 yards on 25 carries, Skattebo ripped off a clutch 39-yard run to position the Sun Devils within the Jayhawks' 30-yard line as the clock ticked away.

After that, it was the redshirt freshman quarterback who took over in Sam Leavitt, who kept it for a 10-yard run to put the Sun Devils in the red zone. A couple of plays later, and with just :16 remaining, Leavitt connected with Jordan Tyson on a 3-yard score to jump ahead, 35-31, for the final time of the contest.

"We talked about it at halftime," head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "It's not about stopping them on the first drive of the second half. It's about winning every single play and it doesn't matter how many plays it takes; win every single play. We played an ugly game but we played so hard. We played with passion. We made the plays in the fourth quarter... and it was just a good job by our guys executing. We just played the next play. We didn't get rattled, we didn't waver, we just responded."

ARIZONA STATE PUTS A TOUCHDOWN ON THE BOARD WITH SECONDS LEFT 😱‼️#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/JW8V6mFkRI

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 6, 2024

It marked a career-high fourth touchdown pass for Leavitt and also the first multi-score game for Tyson. The Sun Devils needed that kind of showing from their young quarterback in order to outdo the Jayhawks, who countered every Sun Devil move with one of their own.

Leavitt is the first quarterback to throw four touchdown passes against the Kansas defense since Iowa State's Brock Purdy on Oct. 2, 2021.

"It's not new," Leavitt said postgame about the game-winning drive. "We just fall back on our training. We do two minute drills all the time in practice, I'd like to say once or twice a week. So, it's something that we practice and Dillingham says, 'Just fall back on your training.' We did what we did. We had three time outs and two minutes left. So, we had a lot of time. We're able to bust a big run and it helped us set it up. O-ine played a hell of a game all day and then I trusted my dog (Jordyn Tyson)."

The two teams combined for 66 points, 896 yards of total offense, 51 first downs and 134 plays. The Sun Devils ran the ball 45 times for 309 yards, 259 from both Leavitt and Skattebo. Leavitt's 77 yards on the ground were also a career-best. The Sun Devils' offense, which tallied its second game with 300-plus rushing yards of the season and gave Kansas its highest rushing yards allowed this season, came alive after an early sputter, scoring touchdowns on their final three drives.

"The first game's atmosphere was amazing," safety Xavion Alford said about the sellout crowd. "Really, that's what we kind of expected going to the stadium. It was definitely rocking tonight. Like I said, the fans don't know how much of a difference they make in there. That was a great college football environment [in a] Big 12 game. So for me, it was lovely."

The Jayhawks believed they landed a knockout punch in the final two minutes of the game, when quarterback Jalon Daniels hit Quenton Skinner for a 34-yard score for his touchdown of the evening to jump ahead, 31-28.

With all three timeouts remaining, the Sun Devils were propelled by the Leavitt-Skattebo attack, plus the hands of Tyson, to seal the deal. The Jayhawks attempted one last drive, including a hail mary on the final play of the game, but couldn't convert, sealing the Sun Devils' first home conference win in the Big 12 era.

Down 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter, Leavitt dropped a 31-yard touchdown pass into the arms of Jordan Tyson for a 28-24 lead.

Let @S_leav10 COOK ??

?? ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/6GKVKwVaLS

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 6, 2024

The Jayhawks provided the lone scoring in the third quarter via a 20-yard chip shot field goal from Tabor Allen to go up 17-14. As the Sun Devils marched into Kansas territory on their ensuing drive, Leavitt was picked on a double tip-drill in which the Jayhawks recovered in the end zone.

A potential major momentum swing for the Jayhawks midway through the third was quickly halted by the Sun Devil defense, capped by Clayton Smith's team-leading fourth sack of the season to force a punt. Leavitt and the Sun Devil offense answered with an emphatic drive that ended with Skattebo taking a direct snap for a 1-yard score, marking his 15th rushing touchdown as a Sun Devil and his fifth in the past three games for a 21-17 lead to open the fourth quarter.

The Jayhawks responded, this time in the form of a 31-yard touchdown run from Devin Neal for a 24-21 advantage. Tyson's two late touchdowns, which were among five total scored in the fourth, proved to be the difference maker.

It was a rather low-scoring affair early in the evening, as the Sun Devils and Jayhawks found themselves knotted at 14-14 at halftime. Down 14-7 in the final minute of the half, Leavitt led the offense on a critical four-play, 52-yard drive in which he found tight end Chamon Metayer for a 20-yard score to tie the game.

Tying things up right before half ??@S_leav10 ?? @Takeemdeep7 pic.twitter.com/5OYLKttdpU

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 6, 2024

Leavitt was 9-for-16 in the first half with a pair of touchdown passes, and Skattebo toted the rock eight times for 62 carries. After allowing two early touchdowns, the Sun Devil defense settled in to force two Kansas punts to close the half.

Kansas jumped out to its first lead of the game in the opening minutes of the second quarter, as Jalon Daniels hooked up with Quenton Skinner for a 30-yard touchdown.

There was some good and bad mixed in from both teams throughout the first quarter. The Sun Devils opened the ballgame with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped with a perfectly placed ball from Leavitt to Xavier Guillory in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown. It was both ASU's third opening-drive touchdown this season and Guillory's first touchdown since Aug. 31, 2023 versus Southern Utah.

The Sun Devils are kicking off the Big 12 home opener with a bang ??#Big12FB | ?? ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/5QUAyZYH24

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 6, 2024

 The Jayhawks answered with an impressive drive of their own, as Daniels scampered into the end zone for a 22-yard score that evened the score at 7-7. It served as the beginning of an offensive slugfest in which the Sun Devils prevailed. Now 4-1 for the first time in three seasons, the Sun Devils will welcome conference rival Utah on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Mountain America Stadium.