"Nobody cares about the pain, show me the baby," head coach Kenny Dillingham said about the perseverance the Sun Devils continue to show after their win over West Virginia, 25-23.
Another close game at Mountain America Stadium kept the deafening homecoming crowd on their toes. The Mountaineers laid a 90-yard touchdown haymaker on a third-and-27 to take the lead, stunning the crowd. But in typical Sun Devils' fashion, ASU wasn't done. Redshirt senior Jeff Sims led the offense in a position for redshirt senior Jesus Gomez to give them back the lead.
On West Virginia's chance to win, with Pat Tillman's statue to the backs of the Mountaineers, junior Keith Abney II sealed the game with a fourth-down interception, keeping the Sun Devils' playoff hopes alive.
"These guys want to win for each other," Dillingham said. "They run the show before we leave the locker room, they say the last words. That's what I want. I want a team that is in charge."
Against Iowa State, it was his legs; against West Virginia, it was his arm. Sims' three touchdown passes led the way after his record-breaking rushing performance against Iowa State the week prior. This was Sims' best performance through the air as a Sun Devil in his first home start, fittingly on homecoming weekend. He also led all ASU rushers with 81 yards.
"Our team has two NFL quarterbacks," Dillingham said. "Some people laughed at me or thought I was a little bit crazy. Still believe that. I think Jeff Sims is a guy who can play on Sundays."
Redshirt sophomore Derek Eusebio led the way, receiving on the end of Sims' impressive day. He caught six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt senior Chamon Metayer and redshirt junior Raleek Brown caught touchdowns of their own.
For Sims, it meant a lot to connect with Eusebio after both players had been behind the stars on the offense.
"This year during camp, we were with the twos," Sims said. "It was just me and him, so coming out here and throwing the touchdown, it was amazing to see that."
The Sun Devils' defense had a solid game aside from two huge plays from West Virginia. They held the Mountaineers to 68 yards on 39 rushes, but struggled against the pass. They played extremely well in late down conversion situations, holding West Virginia to 6-15 on third down and 1-4 on fourth down, including two stops inside the 10-yard line.
Senior linebacker Jordan Crook highlighted the Sun Devils' focus when they are put in tough situations.
"When you back against the wall," Crook said. "It's either they get in or they don't … Just come out there and play hard. Knowing that physicality and effort."
A rollercoaster of emotions describes ASU's special teams in the win. Redshirt junior Matt McKenzie started the game punting and struggled before being replaced by sophomore Kanyon Floyd, who averaged 50 yards. Gomez's first field goal attempt was blocked, but he ended up hitting the go-ahead 49-yarder.
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The unit did provide some trickery as Gomez completed a pass to redshirt senior Cameron Harpole for a two-point conversion.
"That was coach Nudo," Dillingham said. "That had nothing to do with me. Coach Nudo saw something on tape, and he said 'I think we can throw, get a free point going for two.' "
The Sun Devils will now travel to Boulder, Colorado, to take on "Coach Prime" and the rest of the Buffaloes on Nov. 22. Following that is the final game of the regular season: the Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium on Nov. 28.
For Dillingham and his squad, it's about continuing their mentality to win close games, especially if there are more like this one.
"Our program is really based off of 'when you succeed, this is what's going to happen to you'," Dillingham said. "That mindset in the biggest moments, people are playing scared."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at niall.rosenberg@gmail.com and follow @RosenbergNiall on X.
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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.
