Big 12 football: How Arizona State flipped the scoreboard on Utah by 60 points in 11 months
After a victory for the time capsule, Kenny Dillingham delivered a postgame interview for the ages.
Surrounded by a delirious mass of humanity Friday night at Mountain America Stadium and barely able to contain his emotion, Dillingham answered a few questions for ESPN, then disappeared into the celebration — just as he would have done years ago as an ASU student.
“It’s kind of crazy,” he yelled. “I was one of these guys. I was doing this.”
And then he was gone.
The Sun Devils, however, are very much present and accounted for after slaying Utah to complete a scoreboard reversal that challenges reality.
Nov. 4, 2023: Utah 55, ASU 3.
Oct. 11, 2024: ASU 27, Utah 19.
And so the team picked last in the Big 12 preseason media poll resides a game out of first place while the team picked first in the preseason poll is a step from the cellar.
There is no better example of Big 12 mayhem than the current, contrasting trajectories of the Utes and Sun Devils.
The former has back-to-back losses, uncertainty at quarterback, colossal Red Zone issues and a murky path forward.
The latter is one victory from clinching a bowl berth that seemed, at best, another season away.
That’s right. The Sun Devils (5-1/2-1) need one victory in their final six games for the school’s first postseason bid since 2021.
They are on the short list of the most surprising teams in the country, along with Brigham Young, Army, Navy, Indiana, Pittsburgh and a few others.
How has Dillingham managed to orchestrate the remarkable turnaround?
More specifically, how did ASU flip the scoreboard by 60 points on the Utes in a mere 11 months?
It starts with the pillars, with the culture of accountability and effort instilled by Dillingham since his appointment to the post in late 2022. A slew of smart pickups in the transfer portal, including quarterback Sam Leavitt (from Michigan State) and star tailback Cam Scattebo (Sacramento State), have elevated the level of playmaking.
But the Sun Devils’ success throughout the season, and on Friday night in particular, lies in the details.
Yes, the schedule provided a launching pad: Wyoming, Mississippi State and Kansas have a combined record of 3-15.
But ASU also won at Texas State, a top-tier Sun Belt team, on just four days rest. And the victory Friday night came against an opponent that had two weeks to prepare.
Granted, Utah quarterback Cam Rising could neither throw or run because of various injuries, leaving us to guess what might have unfolded if coach Kyle Whittingham had turned to healthy freshman Isaac Wilson.
But that’s a tertiary matter — even if Zach Wilson had been playing quarterback for the Utes, the differential would not have been anywhere near 52 points. Dillingham has closed the talent disparity across the other 21 positions.
No doubt, Scattebo is a wonder, not only as a playmaker (two long touchdown runs against Utah) but also as the embodiment of the culture Dillingham has attempted to instill.
What’s more, Leavitt has outperformed his limited experience and the low expectations that accompanied his ascent to QB1 status. (His drive-extending scrambles early Friday night were critical in setting up ASU’s opening touchdown and preventing Utah from taking control.)
But the biggest difference over the past 11 months, in our view, is the emergence of Arizona State’s front seven as a physical force.
Utah’s consistent success over the years has been built on punishing opponents at the line of scrimmage. In fact, Dillingham has made no secret of attempting to replicate Whittingham’s winning blueprints in roster construction and style of play.
It took two recruiting cycles to restock the defensive front, and it’s far from a finished product. But clearly, the Sun Devils are now capable of holding up against the Big 12 bullies.
Sophomore C.J. Fite has an all-conference future. Two transfers from Texas, Zac Swanson and Prince Dorbah make plays in the backfield. Same with Jeff Clark (Louisville) and Elijah O’Neil (Butte College).
(Swanson grew up in Phoenix as a four-star prospect but signed with Texas, played sparingly over two seasons, then transferred home. There are others like him available to ASU, many others,)
In all, the quintet combined for six quarterback hurries on Friday night, along with 15 tackles and two-and-a-half sacks.
For context, consider the following:
In their 52-point victory over the Sun Devils last season, the Utes rushed for 352 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry.
On Friday, they gained 140 yards and averaged 4.2 per carry.
That difference of 212 yards on the ground, more than any other metric, lies at the heart of the 60-point turnaround on the scoreboard.
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