A heroic ending caps a rollercoaster night for ASU wide receiver Jordyn Tyson

TEMPE, Ariz. – On a night where nothing seemed to go right for him, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jordyn Tyson came up with the game-winning catch for Arizona State in their 35-31 win over Kansas. 

Drops and turnovers marked an uncharacteristic start to the game for Tyson. Yet, with the game on the line, the Sun Devils turned to Tyson to come up with multiple crucial catches.

Tyson’s response to adversity proved to be a true testament to his character as a player and displayed why the Sun Devils rely on him to be the team’s leading pass catcher. 

“Talk about a bad beginning of the game, I mean he was as upset as you could possibly be,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “The fact that he could re-gather himself and go execute and finish with a positive attitude is everything about what we’re trying to build here.”

Tyson’s tumultuous start

Calling Tyson’s start to the game disastrous may be an understatement to his standards. 

In the span of three drives across the second and third quarter, he accounted for a pair of ASU turnovers.

After coughing up a fumble in the second quarter, Tyson let a pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt slip through his hands and into the arms of the defense for a red zone interception on ASU’s first drive of the second half. 

Tyson credited his mental fortitude through the difficult period to his next-play mentality, which allowed him to move on from his struggles through the first three quarters.

“I really don’t try to think about it too much,” Tyson said. “I just try to get to the next play and that’s what I did.” 

Drops and a relatively low receiving yardage also contributed to a troubling stretch for Tyson. However, the Sun Devils refused to stop targeting him, letting him work into a rhythm late in the third quarter. 

Tyson comes through in the clutch

Despite a slow start to the night, Tyson shined in the fourth quarter when ASU needed him the most. 

Down 24-21 in the fourth quarter, Leavitt found Tyson on a 31-yard touchdown pass to help ASU regain the lead.

Then, with the game in the balance, the stage was set for Tyson to atone for his earlier mishaps.

Facing single coverage in the red zone, Tyson dusted his defender and hauled in the go-ahead score in the end zone to secure the win for the Sun Devils. 

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“He had a couple mistakes earlier in the game, but why would I ever lose faith (in him),” Leavitt said. “I see the way he comes to practice every day and puts in that work. So I never lost faith in him.”

The touchdown capped a strong response from Tyson who finished the game with six receptions, 76 yards and two touchdowns. 

Most of this production came in the fourth quarter, as his two big plays helped push ASU past Kansas. 

After being sidelined for the entire 2023 season due to injury, Tyson is accustomed to adversity. He’s using these past experiences to fuel his comeback campaign this season.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life by far,” Tyson said. “I think God just prepared me for it with that injury and knowing how to fight back from injury.”

Tyson will look to continue his success Friday night as ASU faces Utah at Mountain America Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

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