SAN MARCOS — Sam Leavitt scored a touchdown pass and another run, and Arizona State stormed back twice to pull away for a hard-fought 31-28 win over Texas State on Thursday night.
Cam Scattebo scored two short touchdowns and the Sun Devils defense forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter. The first was a fumble recovery that led to a short field goal by Ian Hersey with 6:29 left in the game that sealed the victory for Arizona State.
Arizona State enters its first Big 12 game next week hosting Texas Tech with a 3-0 record. The Sun Devils were 3-9 last season.
“It’s the best thing in the world,” said Sun Devils defensive back Shamari Simmons, who forced a fumble in the fourth quarter. “I feel like I’m on cloud nine right now.”
Leavitt threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Tyson and then a 7-yard touchdown run on the next possession to lift the Sun Devils from a 21-7 deficit in the second quarter. Leavitt finished with 246 yards passing in his first road game since transferring from Michigan State.
“We responded really well, scoring two quick touchdowns and getting back in the game,” Leavitt said.
Scattebo, who rushed for 262 yards in last week’s win over Mississippi State, was held in check by a stout Texas State defense for much of the night but was disruptive near the goal line, scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to tie the score at 28-28.
Scattebo finished with 62 yards on 24 carries and a key first down that helped the Sun Devils run for most of the final two minutes.
“Our best players stepped up when it mattered most,” Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said. “It was great for our football team to win that game.”
Texas State (2-1) had 268 passing yards and four touchdowns, including two to Jayden Williams, but was intercepted after Arizona State took the lead in the fourth quarter.
summary
Arizona State: The running game that dominated Mississippi State a week ago will be forced at the line of scrimmage against the bigger teams in the Big 12. Leavitt provided the biggest runs, including a 40-yard scramble for the tying touchdown in the third quarter.
Texas State: The Bobcats will rue missing out on another big win over a Big 12 team for the first time in two years and in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Sun Belt programs are typically overlooked, and second-year coach GJ Kinney, an East Texas native who played at Canton and Gilmer, is looking for a breakout moment. The Bobcats won their first bowl game last season, beating Baylor University.
“It’s unfortunate that the kids didn’t win, but I thought we played well,” Kine said. “I think we earned a lot of respect around the country tonight.”
Texas Footprints
Arizona State named four players from Texas as game captains, and as new members of the Big 12, the Sun Devils will be spending a lot of time in the Lone Star State.
“The guys from Texas came home and won,” said Tyson, an Allen, Texas, native.
“We’re recruiting players from Texas,” Dillingham said, “and we play games here, so Texas is definitely a footprint for us.”
Final Play
The game appeared to be over when Leavitt knelt on fourth down and the teams shook hands and headed to the locker rooms, but after video review, the game officials ruled there was one second left. Texas State completed a short pass, but an attempted lateral pass was unsuccessful and Arizona State recovered the ball.
next time
Arizona State: The Sun Devils’ Big 12 Conference opener will be against Texas Tech on Sept. 21.
Texas State: Hosts Sam Houston State on September 28th
