No Leavitt, no Tyson, no problem for the Sun Devils as they take down the Iowa State Cyclones 24-19 in the Big 12 Championship rematch Saturday.
After the Sun Devils were without both redshirt sophomore Sam Leavitt and redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson due to injuries, it was redshirt senior Jeff Sims who led the victory over the Cyclones. Sims set ASU’s single-game quarterback rushing record with 228 yards and two touchdowns, including an 88-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
"I was prepared to do whatever it was to win this game for this team," Sims said per Speak of the Devils.
To go along with his historic rushing performance, Sims threw for 177 yards and one touchdown. He turned the ball over three times, but had an overall great performance in the win. The redshirt senior’s 405 yards outgained the Cyclones' whole offense in the victory.
"It's the first time in his entire career he's been in the same system for two years," head coach Kenny Dillingham said per Speak of the Devils. "He's a good football player. He threw the ball well, he controlled the perimeter, he made all the plays."
Redshirt senior Chamon Metayer led the way receiving, with six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Following the win, Metayer showed love to his quarterback.
"Just a proud brother moment," Metayer said per Speak of the Devils. "He comes every day to work (and prepares) like he's the starter. The same work, enthusiasm that we have with whoever's out there."
ASU’s defense held the Cyclones to 186 passing yards after they averaged around 251 coming into the matchup. They also held Iowa State to an impressive 2-14 on third down, and finished with two sacks and three tackles for losses. Senior linebacker Jordan Crook added his first interception of the season as well.
"We stopped the run," Dillingham said. "We got them into pass scenarios, and then we played really good pass defense and impacted the quarterback."
Special teams continued to be a problem for the Sun Devils, as they have been all season. Sophomore punter Kanyon Floyd had trouble with a 17-yard punt in the first half, setting up Iowa State’s first points. Redshirt senior Jesus Gomez hit his only field goal attempt of the game.
After 12 penalties against Houston last week, the Sun Devils had 11 for 119 yards against the Cyclones. Penalties have plagued ASU all season, but they couldn't outweigh Sims' performance this week.
"Absolutely way too many today," Dillingham said. "I need to go look at the tape as to why ... we got to get better at that."
ASU went into halftime with a 17-16 lead. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, the Cyclones missed two field goals and an extra point in the first half.
The second half was a defensive affair, with only 10 points scored between the two sides, and no points in the fourth quarter.
The Sun Devils will go into the bye week with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-2 Big 12 record. With win number six under their belt, ASU becomes bowl eligible for the second season in a row.
Their next game will be back at Mountain America Stadium to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Sun Devils look to take some time off after this emotional win.
"They just played the game on the road at a place that has an unbelievable home record," Dillingham said. "They're filled with emotion right now ... just enjoy the break and then come back with a renewed spirit to go finish this thing."
Edited by Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
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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.
