With two minutes left and down by three, Sam Leavitt, with tension that could be cut by a knife, marched the Sun Devils to the end zone to defeat No. 7 Texas Tech 26-22.
After the Sun Devils led by 12 with under four minutes to play, the Red Raiders scored 15 straight points to lead 22-19. Redshirt sophomore Sam Leavitt, with ice in his veins and the sold-out crowd's hearts in the balance, brought the Sun Devils 75 yards down the field to set up redshirt junior Raleek Brown's go-ahead touchdown.
The crowd erupted and stormed the field following the Sun Devils' first victory over an AP top-10 team since their win over No. 6 Oregon in 2019.
"Going to that two-minute, there wasn't too much worry there," Leavitt said. "I was just getting our guys dialed ... We're going to drive down the field, and then I just really have to meet it — put the ball in their hands and have them make plays."
In his second season, Leavitt remains undefeated at Mountain America Stadium. He had one of his best games as a Sun Devil, throwing for 319 yards and one touchdown along with the game-winning drive.
"The dude's a paddler," head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "He's a competitor, he's a fighter. He wants to do everything he can to get on that field … I felt he was ready to play this week, and he played, and he fought and he competed. That's what Sam Leavitt does."
After giving up 42 points last week to Utah, the Sun Devils' defense came to play against the top offense in college football.
Texas Tech averaged 558.2 yards and 47.5 points per game coming into Tempe, Arizona, but finished this game with 276 yards and 22 points. Both are the lowest totals by the Red Raiders all season. ASU also came through in the clutch, holding Texas Tech to 6-16 on third downs and 1-3 on fourth downs.
"The whole thing about this week was to show that we're physical," redshirt sophomore Adrian "Boogie" Wilson said. "To show that we pass, to show that we like to play football."
The Sun Devils showed that on Saturday, holding a Red Raiders passing offense that averaged 325.3 yards per game and a rushing offense that averaged 232.8 yards per game to 167 and 109 yards, respectively. ASU finished with two sacks and four tackles for loss.
"We're gonna come out and play a defensive game," senior Keyshaun Elliott said. "We're not worried about fitting up the run perfectly. We're gonna go out there and play physical, run through your mouth, play hard for four quarters."
Special teams played a huge factor in today's game. Redshirt senior Jesus Gomez went 4-4 on his field goals, passing ASU's total in 2024 with 12 this season. On the other hand, the Sun Devils' punt team allowed big returns, including one that put the Red Raiders inside the 15-yard line.
Leavitt connected with redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson for Tyson's eighth touchdown of the season, two away from his total last season. Tyson finished with 10 receptions for 105 yards. He had a game-saving catch on fourth down during the game-winning drive.
The Sun Devils bounced back heavily after their loss against Utah. Dillingham believes the loss fueled the team's biggest win of the season.
"We don't win this game if we beat Utah," Dillingham said. "We only won this game because we were so embarrassed that our guys had a different level of intensity and focus."
Next week, ASU will remain in Tempe, this time to face off against Houston, another one-loss team. Going forward for Dillingham and his squad, it's all about victory.
"It's very simple," Dillingham said. "If you just win, everything takes care of itself. And how do you win? You get better every single day."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf and Pippa Fung.
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Niall Rosenberg is a lead Sports Reporter at the State Press. He has previously worked with sports teams such as the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League. He is in his 2nd semester with the State Press with the chance to cover football and other sports.
