Arizona State football defeats Baylor in walk-off fashion; Here are four takeaways from the electric win

Tempe, Ariz. – Arizona State football took home the win on the road against Baylor, 27-24, as senior kicker Jesus Gomez hit a game-winning 43-yard field goal as time expired. Baylor and ASU remained close with constant lead changes, but coach Kenny Dillingham pulled the team together in the second half and the Sun Devils got the win in walk-off fashion.

After the statement ASU made on Saturday night, here are some takeaways.

ASU is a second half team

While ASU did get the win, it still struggled putting up points in the first half. The Sun Devils only put up 10 points in the first half, with errors made by both sides of the ball.

ASU scored on two of its five drives in the first half, and went into halftime tied with Baylor, 10-10. However, in the second half the Sun Devils scored on four of their six drives and had just one punt.

The offense started clicking in the second half and the only thing that kept ASU from creating a gap was its inability to get into the end zone. The Sun Devils settled for three field goals in the second half to allow the Bears to hang around.

It’s not a bad thing that ASU has shown it can be a second half team, but it may affect the Sun Devils later into the season against upcoming ranked opponents like TCU, Texas Tech, and Iowa State. 

Are Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson the best QB and WR duo in the country?

Sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt and junior receiver Jordyn Tyson are clearly a dynamic duo on the field.

Leavitt and Tyson took longer than usual to connect on an impactful play on Saturday, but the duo found each other when ASU needed it most.

On a huge play in the fourth quarter, Leavitt found Tyson for a touchdown in the end zone to give ASU the lead. Following the touchdown, Leavitt connected with Tyson again for a 2-point conversion to give the Sun Devils a seven-point lead with just over five minutes left in the game.

As the season progresses, opposing defenses are going to face problems trying to defend the dynamic connection these two have. 

Kicker Jesus Gomez is what ASU needs

The winner of the game goes to Gomez. When ASU was tied with just seconds left to go in the game, it had full confidence in the transfer kicker to nail the game-winning 43-yard attempt.

The kick was Gomez’s second longest kick of the year, but this one was to give the Sun Devils a road win as underdogs. The Sun Devils kicker had made 90 percent of his field goals coming into the game, and drilled the game-winner.

JESUS GOMEZ GOES RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE TO WIN IT FOR THE SUN DEVILS ‼️@ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/noIihURBkr

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2025

ASU needs a solid kicker for big moments like on Saturday night, or when it can’t find the end zone, and against Baylor, Gomez got the job done. 

 ASU struggled to find the end zone

Last year, ASU was known for its strong, powerful, and big name offensive players. For example, now-New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo was the star of the show.

During the College Football Playoff game against Texas last year, Skattebo ran for 143 yards, collected 99 receiving yards, and scored two touchdowns.

Without Skattebo, ASU has found production from its three-headed monster of junior running backs Kyson Brown, Raleek Brown and Kanye Udoh. However, the Sun Devils haven’t been able to end as many drives in the end zone.

Against Baylor, Leavitt wasn’t on the same page with his receivers in the first half, completing just eight of his 14 passing attempts for 58 yards, and a rushing touchdown.

If ASU wants to break back into the Top 25, it needs to figure out how to spread the ball around and end drives in the end zone for touchdowns. 

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