Nothing about the ebbs and flows of Arizona State’s win Friday night seemed normal.
It could’ve been because of the torrential downpour that ensued throughout the Valley hours before the game, which, along with lightning, caused ASU to shift its normal home game routine, or that the game was on a Friday, unlike playing on a typical Saturday.
But what glared was yet another dramatic finish in Tempe in which the Sun Devils snuck out a 27-24 win over No. 24 TCU, largely thanks to the effort of ASU’s pass rush.
With under two minutes left in the game, ASU found itself looking for a big stop on defense in an effort to get the ball back on offense after sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt connected with Jordyn Tyson on a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Now, even with TCU at 24 apiece, ASU needed a stop for a chance to get the ball back and score.
A strip sack by senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah would make it happen, bringing down TCU junior quarterback Josh Hoover and recovering a fumble at the TCU 25. Dorbah opened up the opportunity for junior kicker Jesus Gomez to nail a 23-yard field goal to give ASU a 3-point lead.
Just when ASU got what it needed, it was handed even more.
With 44 seconds left in the game sophomore linebacker Martell Hughes jumped in front of Hoover’s pass to seal the game for the Sun Devils.
“The guys find ways,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “I mean, it’s amazing.”
Despite starting the year 4-1, now 2-0 in conference play, Dillingham said the Sun Devils have yet to reach their max potential.
“That’s the thing I feel best about,” Dillingham said. “We haven’t quite, like, clicked full cylinder and we’re winning versus really good football teams.”
Check out the video at the top of the article for highlights and to hear from Dillingham, Leavitt, Dorbah, and senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott about ASU’s 27-24 win over No. 24 TCU.
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