Arizona State has had a diverse non-conference schedule to start the season. First week it was a 48-7 win over Wyoming, a Mountain West conference team. Week-2 they took out SEC’s Mississippi State, 30-23. This past Thursday, in their warmup before they start taking on Big-12 opponents, they held on to beat Texas State from the Sun Belt Conference, 31-28, in another edge of your seat matchup in what is ramping up to be a very exciting college football season. And for the Sun Devils who only won three games all last year and were picked to come in last in the Big-12 preseason media poll, this 3-0 start has to feel good although this win put them on notice, I’m sure, that there will be harder days ahead. It was one of those anything you can do I can do better contests, or if not better at least as good until you make a mistake.
The Sun Devils drew first blood on a short TD run by RB Cam Skattebo to go up 7-0 a little over half-way through the first quarter. The Bobcats would come back late in the quarter to tie it up on a Jordan McCloud TD pass to Sophomore WR Chris Dawn Jr. and then steam roll to a 21-7 lead on two more Jordan McCloud TD passes—this time back-to-back—one to Senior WR Jaydn Williams and one to Sophomore WR Beau Sparks. But with under four minutes left in the half Freshman QB Sam Leavitt would put the team on his back connecting on a 52 yard TD pass to WR Jordan Tyson and then running for another with just six seconds left to tie it up at 21 a piece at the break.
The Arizona State defense stiffened up after the half and there wasn’t another score by the Bobcats until Texas State Sr QB Jordan McCloud connected on his fourth TD of the night and second to Senior WR Jaydn Williams to make it 28-21 Texas State. But Senior RB Cam Skattebo who struggled against a tough Bobcat defense all night—3 sacks and 8 tackles for loss—found his way into the end zone with just over two minutes left in the 3rd Qtr to tie it up. Six minutes into the 4th Qtr Sun Devil Safety Shamari Simmons stripped Texas State’s Junior RB Ismail Mahdi on their own 20 yard line setting up a go-ahead field goal for Sophomore Place Kicker Ian Hershey who converted to make it 31-28 Arizona State.
Texas State came back twice more but were stopped both times by Arizona State Sophomore defensive backs, first on an interception of a Jordan McCloud deep shot by Xavion Alford and the second on a 4th and 5 by Keith Abney who knocked down another McCloud pass for a turnover on downs. The Sun Devils would run the clock out with Skattebo plowing forward to get the critical first down needed to run out most of the final minutes. As noted by Arizona Sports in their writeup of the game; “ASU held Texas State, which gained 249 yards in the first half, to 27 yards in the fourth quarter.”
For Arizona State, their Freshman signal caller Sam Levitt connected on 19-of-30 for 246 yards, 1 TD to Jordyn Tyson and 1 interception while also rushing 11 times for 40 yards and another score. In spite of the increased defensive pressure, Senior RB Sam Skattebo rushed 24 times for 62 yards and was money when it counted with 2 TD’s. Tyson with just six receptions accounted for 120 of the Sun Devils 246 yards in the air, an average of 20 yards per catch. For Texas State, QB Jordan McCloud connected on 65% of his throws for 4 TD’s to three different receivers and 1 pick in addition to rushing 8 times for 45 yards. On the ground McCloud, Mahdi, and Junior RB Lincoln Pare did all the damage, rushing 28 times for 135 yards.
The team’s stats for the game illustrate just how close it was and how fortunate the Sun Devils were to come out with the win. The Bobcats just edged the Sun Devils in first downs, 21-20; passing yards, 268-246; and rushing yards, 132-101 with both teams almost identical in 3rd down conversion percentage and each at 50% on fourth down attempts. Arizona State edged them slightly in time-of-possession and where it mattered most in this one—turnovers. Texas State had three with two of those late in the game which cost them.