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Arizona State football proves they belong in CFP loss to Texas

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Arizona State football played Texas in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1, 2025. (Photo by Daniel Appel/Sun Devil Daily)
Arizona State football played Texas in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1, 2025. (Photo by Daniel Appel/Sun Devil Daily)

ATLANTA, — On third and eight in double overtime, Arizona State’s redshirt-freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt sits in the shotgun formation. Streaks of sunlight slip through the large glass windows on the east side of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta’s towering skyline offers a picturesque backdrop for one of the most entertaining games in College Football Playoff history.

A split crowd roars, the burnt orange of Texas fans tasting victory, and the maroon and gold faithful gasping for one more breath of hope.

With Arizona State trailing by eight, 39-31, the Sun Devils need points. Leavitt, who’s been near perfect in the last seven weeks of football, slips up. He fires a long pass across the field at receiver Melquan Stovall. Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba jumps the route and comes down with the football.

For just the sixth time all season, Leavitt throws an interception. Confetti. Tears. Ballgame.

“I was in (a) good position and looked back for the ball, and I knew I wasn’t dropping it,” Mukuba said. “It’s all about making a play when your name is called.”

Texas (13-2) advances to the CFP Semifinals where they await the winner of No. 1 Oregon vs No. 6 Ohio State. Arizona State (11-3) has a trip back to Tempe, and the offseason begins.

“I just want to cherish everything that comes with the season,” Leavitt said while holding back tears after the loss. “So special (with) this group of guys. It’s so special.”

Arizona State football proves they belong

The Sun Devils entered the Peach Bowl as 13.5-point underdogs. In the 20 days since they last played, discourse and dialogue about the new CFP format have swirled. Talks of undeserved byes, Texas having an easy path to advance, and more, dominated the landscape.

Arizona State was an afterthought.

The college football world viewed them as simply fortunate to have a seat at the table. For the first half of the game, it seemed like those sentiments may have had some truth to them. Texas’s stout defense held ASU to just a field goal on the opening drive of the game.

Then when Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Longhorn offense took the field, they struck fast. In just two plays from scrimmage, Texas went 77 yards. First Ewers found receiver Matthew Golden for a 54-yard pickup. Then he pivoted and found DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 23-yard touchdown.

Quicker than a hiccup Texas led 7-3. On the ensuing drive, the Sun Devil offense sputtered and was forced to punt. This time Ewers and Co. didn’t get to see the field as Silas Bolden returned Kanyon Floyd’s punt 75 yards to the house.

Texas had had the football for less than a minute of game time and the scoreboard was already lopsided, 14-3. A field goal by Bert Auburn stretched the lead to 17-3 early in the second quarter.

Lightning had struck and a storm mounted for ASU. Fans of both sides in Atlanta felt the energy shift. This game felt like it was en route to being another signature CFP blowout… Except, that’s not what happened.

Facing doubt

“I bet you nobody in this room (addressing the media) thought we were going to even be close when we went down 17-3 in that first quarter,” Cam Skattebo said after the game. “So we believed in ourselves. We believed in what we had going and ‘undeniably’ is what this team is about… Everybody on this team believes in each other and that’s what kept us close.”

With the world watching, the Sun Devils stormed back. A monstrous performance by Skattebo, who was named Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Offensive MVP despite the loss, and a gusty showing from ASU’s defense, were the main ingredients in a monumental comeback.

Offensive success

Texas only allows 14.47 points per game, and 277.9 total yards per game. Skattebo accounted for 285 himself in Wednesday’s game. ASU outgained Texas by 135 total yards (510-375) and dominated the Longhorns on the ground. ASU ran for 214 yards and held Texas to just 53.

“He’s (Skattebo) a hell of a player,” Texas edge rusher Trey Moore said.

No team has had more success running the football against Texas this season than Arizona State did. When you scan the stat sheet after the game, it looks like Arizona State won the game. Until you read the score.

Arizona State had more yards, more first downs, fewer penalties, 37 more offensive plays, a higher third-down conversion rate, more tackles for loss, and had the ball for 15 minutes longer than Texas did. No team has had more total yards against Texas this season.

Arizona State’s improved play flipped the 17-3 to a 24-16 fourth-quarter ASU lead.

Red zone woes

The biggest issue for the Sun Devil offense was in the red zone, and ultimately that’s what decided the game. ASU was 3-6 in the red zone. Against one of the best defenses in college football, not capitalizing on opportunities inside the 20 makes winning difficult. A blocked field goal attempt, as well as a couple of failed fourth-down attempts, left points on the field.

“We moved the ball down the field,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We out-gained them, we just in the low red zone… I gotta do a better job putting our guys in position to succeed in the low red zone, and finish some of those drives.”

ASU’s execution lacked at times, but the Texas defense was rugged. The Longhorn defense wrangled maroon jerseys like they were bulls at a rodeo. Texas’ size and speed were a combination, unlike any team ASU faced in the regular season.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “These guys (the Texas defense) do such a good job of just saying, hey, protect the end zone. And if it’s six inches, one yard, four yards, whatever that looks like, they’re going to stand in there.”

Football is a game of inches.

“I mean, you watch the game, and we played really, really good football for most plays,” Dillingham said. “The problem with football is some plays were worth a lot more than others, and the plays that were worth a lot, they made more of them.”

Despite coming up inches short, Arizona State proved they belonged.

ASU’s dream season comes to a close

“This is probably the best season in ASU history, probably the best team in ASU history,” Arizona State defensive back Xavion Alford said. “This team never quit. We were just going to fight until the end.”

The Sun Devils fought pitchforks and all. In the second half, ESPN reported that Skattebo was puking on the sideline. A few plays later he returned to the game, continuing to play at an extremely high level. Dillingham described the moment as a ‘puke and rally’.

The top-five Heisman vote-getter is the engine of ASU, and in his last game as a Sun Devil, he left everything on the field. Skattebo finished with 144 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, eight receptions for 99 receiving yards, 42 passing yards and a passing touchdown. For the rest of the world, it was a shocking and unreal performance.

“I mean this is just a Tuesday for Cam,” Dillingham joked after.

“It’s Wednesday,” Skattebo interjected.

Skattebo’s impact

The Sacramento State transfer finishes his Arizona State career with his name in the record books. He holds Arizona State’s single-season record for rushing yards (1,711), rushing touchdowns (21), total touchdowns (24), and yards from scrimmage (2,316).

Skattebo’s No. 4 jersey will likely be found in bars and stores in Tempe for years to come.

While the superstar running back’s career in Tempe is over, Dillingham’s is just beginning. The youthful head coach signed a new five-year extension on New Year’s Eve.

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini meets with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark before the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1, 2025.

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini meets with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark before the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1, 2025. Rossini was instrumental in offering Dillingham a new five-year contract extension. (Photo by Daniel Appel/Sun Devil Daily)

As long as Dillingham is in Tempe, the future looks bright. It appears the sleeping giant in the desert has finally risen, but for now, the program is in mourning.

Moving forward for Arizona State football

Players will graduate, transfer, and move on. Change is constant in this universe. So for now, the program is thoughtful and reflective. They’re finally sitting back and absorbing the season, one that will be talked about in Tempe for years to come.

“A lot of people kind of look at the conclusion, but when we came in here on Jan. 14, we began a journey, and you can see the journey that we’ve taken,” redshirt senior center Leif Fautana said. “A lot of people kind of skip the in-between steps. For us as a team and the coaching staff, we didn’t skip a step. All the relationships I’ve made along this journey with my teammates and coaches are going to last a lifetime.”

 



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Brendon Pricco attends the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State. He's the managing editor for Sun Devil Daily. Brendon also is a contributor to Spartan Shadows and Gator Digest.

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