MANHATTAN, KS (AZFamily) -- Typically, Arizona State’s pregame team meal is a lively affair, with laughter and music. Before Saturday’s showdown on the road against No. 16 Kansas State, it was different.

“This week, it was silent,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “(The coaching staff) looked at each other like, ‘This is either going to be really good or really bad.’”

It didn’t take long for the second-year coach to get his answer.

The Sun Devils jumped out to a commanding 21-0 lead in the first half and managed to hold on down the stretch for an impressive 24-14 victory. With the win, ASU improves to 8-2 on the year and 5-2 in Big 12 play, keeping the Sun Devils firmly in the mix for a conference title game appearance.

Beyond the big-picture goals that remained before them, the Sun Devils also came into the game with an added element of motivation.

“It was a big win for us,” said ASU safety Xavion Alford. “A statement win for us and the program, but we’ve seen a lot of motivation out there today on the TV before the game. A lot of people wrote us off. No respect on our name.”

“Everybody counted us out, and we keep proving them wrong,” said ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who threw three touchdowns. “Simple as that.”

On Sunday morning, ASU should be ranked for the first time since the middle of the 2021 season ahead of a huge Homecoming battle against BYU. While the external recognition will be rising, the mentality of these Sun Devil doesn’t figure to change.

“People haven’t been giving us respect, but we’ve been taking it,” Alford said.

The Activation

The Game Flow

Things got off to a fast start for the Sun Devils. On the game’s second play, Avery Johnson’s pass was tipped by ASU safety Shamari Simmons, and the ball was intercepted by a diving Xavion Alford.

“We knew we had to start fast,” Alford said. “Momentum is a real thing. We wanted to come in here and make it our place.”

A 26-yard scramble by Sam Leavitt got the Sun Devils going, and a few plays later, Leavitt found Jordyn Tyson for an 11-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

“It was man-to-man, press to the slot,” Tyson said. “I sold the out a little bit, gave him a little (hesitation), and went up. Touchdown.”

The momentum continued on the next possession. After picking up a pair of first downs to move near midfield, the Wildcats attempted a fourth-and-1 from their 48, but C.J. Fite and Caleb McCullough stopped him short, giving the ball back to the Sun Devils. However, aggressive KSU pressure stopped the drive, and ASU punted it away.

ASU’s defense forced another quick Wildcat punt. On the drive, there were two could-have-been touchdowns that weren’t due to ASU miscues, but they ultimately did not matter. Leavitt would fire a perfect 30-yard strike to Tyson again to give ASU a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

“Dude tried to aggressive press, got my shoulder down,” said Tyson. “Post route, shoot, (Leavitt) put it on the money.”

Kansas State was able to move into Sun Devil territory thanks to a good kickoff return and a subsequent personal foul on ASU’s Myles Rowser. But Simmons was able to punch the ball free from Kansas State’s Jayce Brown, and ASU cornerback Javan Robinson recovered it.

ASU’s first-half onslaught continued. Leavitt connected with Cam Skattebo and Xavier Guillory to get into the redzone, and then Levitt hit Chamon Metayer on a well-blocked tight end screen for a 16-yard score.

“Our coaches put in a good game plan every week, and we just come out and execute it,” Tyson said.

On the next drive, Kansas State appeared to have a 63-yard touchdown pass, but it was called back due to an ineligible man downfield penalty. Despite the setback, the Wildcats were able to continue the drive by converting a third-and-16 with a 25-yard run by D.J. Giddens. But after a good goal-line stand by the Devils forced a field goal try, the snap was off-target and the scoring chance snuffed out.

With time dwindling in the half, ASU moved the ball into Kansas State territory, but a sack on Leavitt forced ASU into a 50-yard field goal try. The Sun Devils opted for a fake, and kicker Carston Kieffer was tackled for a loss to end the half.

A 41-yard connection from Leavitt to Tyson helped the Sun Devils get going on the first drive of the second half. But while the drive would stall out after a false start penalty, Parker Lewis connected on a 47-yard field goal to extend ASU’s lead to 24-0.

The Sun Devils forced a quick three-and-out by Kansas State and were driving well into Wildcat territory before Tyson coughed up the ball on his ninth catch of the game, and KSU’s Jordan Riley pounced on it at their 22-yard line.

Kansas State swiftly converted the turnover into their first points of the night. Runs of 27 and 19 yards by Giddens helped set up Johnson’s 10-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion was no good, as Myles Rowser forced a fumble on the try.

ASU drove to midfield before punting the ball away and pinning the Wildcats at their 10-yard line. However, a 45-yard run by Giddens and a 26-yard pass from Johnson to Dante Cephas swiftly got them into the redzone. Two plays later, Joe Jackson ran it in from four yards for the touchdown. This time, the two-point try was good, closing the gap to 24-14.

The Sun Devils were able to burn a few minutes off the clock but had to punt again, this time pinning the Wildcats at their 8-yard line.

With just over five minutes left and needing two scores, the Wildcats were able to methodically move down the field as the seconds ticked away. The Sun Devils had a chance to seal the win on a fourth-and-14, but Johnson hit Tre Spivey for a 26-yard gain. ASU’s defense would hold on to force another field goal, but once again, a bad snap resulted in a missed kick to preserve the 10-point lead.

Kansas State forced an ASU punt, but taking over with just 1:40 left and just one timeout left, the odds were heavily stacked against them. With just seconds left in the game, Johnson was intercepted in the endzone by Simmons to seal the win.

The Critical Moment

ASU has often had fast starts on the road, only to allow their opponents back into the game. To get a road win over a ranked team, the Devils needed to pile on.

With a one-score lead late in the first quarter, ASU was able to convert three different third downs on their way into KSU territory. It was then that Leavitt showed off the skills that has Dillingham convinced he’ll one day be a NFL quarterback.

“They were in quarters,” said Leavitt of the play. “So after I gave them my little fake pitch, I checked the post safety, and I actually came to it a little late, so I had to put it on a line. It was just in the exact spot it needed to be, high in quarters.”

The read of the defense. The pocket presence. The throw. The catch.

A big time moment that showed these Sun Devils weren’t messing around.

The Offense

Saturday saw the return of star running back Cam Skattebo, who missed last week’s win with an injury. While he put forth a solid effort, the aggressive Wildcat defense effectively bottled up the ground game.

“They are a run pressure defense,” Dillingham said. “A lot of their early-down pressures are not to stop the pass, they’re stop run downs. They were very, very successful with some of their run pressures. We knew we had to combat that with play-action shots early and with screens early.”

That put the pressure on Leavitt and Tyson, and they once again stepped up.

“(Tyson) just has a great feel for the game. We constantly work on it,” Leavitt said. “So when you get into a game and then you see a look, he knows exactly what I want.”

Tyson was targeted 17 times, catching 12 passes for 176 yards, both career-highs.

“He just knows what looks are coming because he’s in the film room so much, so he knows when the ball’s coming to me,” Tyson said.

With Skattebo limited to 73 yards on 25 carries, Leavitt also added to the ground game with 42 yards and multiple runs for first downs.

“I think Coach (Marcus) Arroyo did a phenomenal job of keeping them off balance with perimeter screens and shots against the run pressures, because they’re not really built to get home,” Dillingham said. “And you saw Sam get loose on some of those scrambles, and then you saw us complete some of those shots downfield.”

The offensive line struggled against one of the nation’s best run defenses, but did well in pass protection keeping Leavitt upright.

And with that time, Leavitt (21 of 34, 275 yards, no turnovers) proved again he’s a star.

“He’s going to be the face of Sun Devil football,” Dillingham said.

The Defense

It was the kind of start that gets upset victories. ASU’s defense held Kansas State to just 108 yards in the first half while forcing two turnovers and getting two stops on fourth downs."

“Props to our defense for holding them out and creating takeaways and putting us in a situation where we didn’t have to go the length of the field,” Leavitt said.

Things got much tougher in the second half. The run defense was gashed by the Giddens, and Kansas State put up 304 yards in the half.

But as they had done throughout the season, the Sun Devil defense made big plays when it mattered the most. While there were some white-knuckle moments in the second half, the Devils answered the call.

Simmons put forth a monster game, having a hand in all three turnovers. Jordan Crook (nine tackles) and Caleb McCullough (six) helped things up front, while Alford, Simmons, and the secondary did a quality job limiting plays through the air.

The Question: Can they make a title game run?

Consider last week’s question in this space—can they take down the big boys?—answered. Yes.

That’s the latest in a string of questions answered in the affirmative. Is this team for real? Are they ahead of schedule? Can they make a bowl?

The Sun Devils were picked to finish 16th—dead last—in the preseason poll. As we enter the season’s penultimate regular season week, the path to a College Football Playoff spot remains intact.

All qualifiers are gone. These Sun Devils are good. They are talented. And perhaps most of all, they are bought in.

“I know these guys play hard for each other,” Dillingham said. “And I know when another opponent watches our film, they see our guys play for each other. I think there’s great power in that.”

Even if they don’t make the playoff or the title game, the Sun Devils have solidified themselves as a force in the Big 12 now and in the future.

“We’re trying to shock the world and prove everybody wrong,” Alford said.

The Next Step

ASU returns home for perhaps their toughest test of the year, as the Sun Devils will host BYU.

The Cougars entered the weekend a perfect 9-0, ranked No. 6 and atop the Big 12 standings.

This game could have significant postseason stakes.

The Extra Points