Culture change for Arizona State football on display in Wyoming victory

TEMPE, Ariz. – Activate the Valley. The phrase has served as the rallying cry for Kenny Dillingham and his Arizona State program over the past two years, as he tries to galvanize the state around his football team. In their season opener against Wyoming, glimpses of his vision come to life.

A historically large student section, support from other ASU coaches, and a noticeably improved product on the field in their first game all encapsulated the goals and aspirations of the Sun Devil’s head coach.

Now in his second season, Dillingham leads his squad into the Big 12 conference poised to take the next step as a program and create buzz around his team in Tempe.

Near Record-Setting Student Section

A crowd of 13,698 students packed into the ASU student section in Saturday night’s season opener. This group marked the second-highest total for an ASU student section since 2010. They made their presence known early helping to cause an interception on the second play of the game.

“The student section tonight was absolutely incredible,” Dillingham said following the game. “There are so many distractions around this place that we have to figure out a way to keep them in the seats, but it was an unbelievable turnout.”

He expressed how the crowd felt like a true home-field advantage, which at times the Sun Devils lacked last season.

“When we defer and they have to start on their own 25-yard line, and that student section is roaring it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Dillingham said.

Impressed, but not yet satisfied, he challenged the students to break the record in week two against Mississippi State, as the team shoots for its first win over a Southeastern Conference opponent in school history.

“We want to break the record… I want to have more students than have ever been to a game,” Dillingham said. “I want them to be a part of the first time ASU ever wins a game against an SEC team. Let’s pack it out and make this the best environment in college football this week.”

Support from other Arizona State coaches

It’s no secret that name, image, and likeness (NIL) has become a monumental factor in collegiate athletics. This past offseason, many ASU coaches rallied together to garner attention and support for the Sun Angel Collective initiative.

Standing hand in hand with Dillingham at the forefront of this movement were men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley and head baseball coach Willie Bloomquist.

Both Hurley and Bloomquist attended the Sun Devil season opener while offering their support to Dillingham before the game.

“Coach Bloomquist sent me a text before the game that he’s fired up,” Dillingham said. “We’re trying to do the same thing and bring our programs back as alumni to make the state and the school proud.”

Hurley took to Twitter to wish Dillingham good luck before their game.

https://twitter.com/BobbyHurley11/status/1829951808606998650

With high-profile high school basketball prospect Koa Peat joining Hurley in attendance on an official visit, Dillingham managed to work in a handoff for Peat’s brother, redshirt freshman offensive end Keona Peat.

Although Dillingham is not officially recruiting for ASU basketball, it signifies how interconnected the three coaches remain in an effort to uplift the athletic department.

“I don’t know if coach Hurley was there to watch us,” Dillingham joked. “He may have been and I hope enjoyed the game, but like I said, I can’t comment on recruiting.”

An improved product on the field

Perhaps the most important aspect of “Activating the Valley” remains the Sun Devil’s play on the field, which in week one proved to be markedly better than a year ago.

ASU’s 48-7 win displayed a stark contrast from their narrow 24-21 win over Southern Utah in last season’s opener.

“That was a different team, you guys saw it and I saw it for myself,” returning senior running back Cameron Skattebo said.

Dillingham credited the team’s growth to the addition of high-character players, who embody the culture he aims to cultivate.

“Our kids love football,” Dillingham said. “I think that was the easiest thing to take away was the passion they have for the game… What I was proud of was that we showed growth by playing smart. There were a few times that we had personal fouls towards us from the opponent and our guys didn’t respond. Last year we would have lost our minds, so for us to lock in and continue to make the next play shows a lot of growth in our football team.”

With an improved football team, the Sun Devils now aim to continue the momentum they created with the resounding week one victory and work towards getting the state fully behind the program.

“I think there was a time where this (ASU football) was what you did,” Dillingham said. “On Saturdays, you came to watch ASU football. That’s the culture we want to bring back here. We want it to be so fun to come to an ASU football game.”

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