Sun Devils prove doubters wrong with signature upset win over Texas Tech

Never have I been happier to be wrong.

Our panel was mostly selling the chances of success for the Sun Devils, nearly unanimously predicting a second straight loss.

It was nearly a night and day difference from last week’s performance at Utah, which has vaulted the Devils back into the Top 25 according to the latest Coaches Poll.

The Good

Sam Leavitt

Rust was not a factor for Sam on Saturday as he was back to the level of play that Sun Devil fans have come to expect over the last season and a half. Completing 28 of his 47 pass attempts for 319 yards and 1 touchdown, Sam was efficient at spreading the ball around to his receivers, completing a pass to 7 different players.

Jordyn Tyson/Jaren Hamilton

Tyson was the centerpiece of the offense once again, hauling in 10 of the 17 passes that came his way for 105 yards and the only passing touchdown of the day. Jaren Hamilton had himself a breakout game, catching 3 of 4 targets for 101 yards, giving the Sun Devils multiple 100 yard receivers for the first time since October 29th against Colorado.

Red Zone Efficiency

Five red zone trips, five scores for the Sun Devil offense. Three field goals from Jesus Gomez, a passing touchdown and the game winning rushing touchdown, Arizona State capitalized on the opportunities that they had to have to win this game.

The Devils were stout defensively in the red zone as well, forcing the only turnover of the game early in the. 3rd quarter.

The Bad

Contrary to last week, there was hardly anything bad of note for the Sun Devils. The only area of concern from my vantage point was the ease with which Texas Tech was able to march down the field in the 4th quarter. In the span of 5:16, Texas Tech stormed back in to the game with 15 points to take a 22-19 lead at the. 2:00 timeout. Aided by a huge punt return from Coy Eakin, it appeared that the magic was running out before Sam led the Devils down the field for the winning score.

The Ugly

The Big 12 conference standings are now resembling the wild Wild West. BYU and Cincinnati would play in the conference championship game if the season ended today, with ASU, Texas Tech and Houston lurking at 3-1 in conference play.

The Sun Devils will finish the “Tour de Texas” portion of the season next week hosting the Houston Cougars in a very important matchup. The Sun Devils with a win will become bowl eligible, and will edge ever closer to a possible championship game berth. Kickoff will be at 5:00pm from Mountain America Stadium.