Arizona State University coach Kenny Dillingham (right) hugs former player Jalin Conyers, who now plays at Texas Tech University, on Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
TEMPE – The Sun Devils wonder what went wrong after a lack of discipline, some mistakes by special teams and other issues compounded Arizona State’s loss to Texas Tech in its Big 12 Conference debut. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what happened and think about the future and what to do next.
The Sun Devils enter their first bye week with a 3-1 record after a 30-22 loss in Lubbock, Texas, and have already matched last season’s win total. They had a chance Saturday, but the hole was too deep to escape.
“Two or three plays left…we’re undefeated,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said. “That’s what happens every season, every team, forever.”
Dillingham said ASU will use the time off to conduct a meaningful scouting process before considering what the Kansas Jayhawks have in store for their Oct. 5 game against the Sun Devils. Coaches who focus on schemes say they believe in many of the answers to the plan. Team shortcomings can be resolved from within.
Dillingham said some of the “stupid mistakes” the Sun Devils made were uncharacteristic of the team.
“But the positive was that the players who made the mistake were able to calm down and score,” Dillingham said. “And if a player made a mistake like that last year and got a stupid penalty, they could have stayed on the field and regained their balance.”
The Sun Devils, who played clean in their first game against Wyoming and only committed four penalties, are struggling to keep the yellow clothesline off the field. Dillingham’s unit has accumulated at least eight penalties in each of the past three games.
Texas Tech’s contest started with a big miss by graduate student kicker Parker Lewis. He sent the ball wide, forcing the Red Raiders’ hyper-explosive offense to start the game at their 35-yard line.
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“I hope I don’t kick it out of bounds in the future,” Dillingham said with a laugh.
The trip to Lubbock allowed the Sun Devils to experience a truly hostile Big 12 road environment for the first time as newcomers to the conference.
And at times on Saturday, the Sun Devils looked uncomfortable with the atmosphere on the road, including throwing tortillas onto the field, a tradition for Texas Tech fans.
“Home field advantage in this league is real. They’re absolutely real,” Dillingham said. “That environment we played in at Tech was a real environment. It was loud, cowbells were ringing and tortillas were ringing during the game.”
Dillingham believes his team will benefit from learning how to deal with noisy stadiums going forward. The Sun Devils will have to learn quickly, as they will be playing traditional Big 12 powerhouses No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Kansas State.
On the other side of that coin, you can create that advantage at home.
“If people don’t think it’s an advantage, they’re wrong,” Dillingham says. “If you want to compete in this league, you’re going to need an environment to compete with that. You’re going to need an environment where people are like, ‘Oh, I have to play there.’
The opening two games at Mountain America Stadium were a great audition, but they didn’t measure up to the level of other Big 12 venues.
A few days after the team’s first loss, there was no panic for the young head coach. Securing a 3-1 record en route to a bye wasn’t what anyone expected heading into the season, especially after the Sun Devils were picked last in the Big 12 media poll.
But the wild conference that is the Big 12 could hit teams quickly. And no one expressed it better than Dillingham.
“This is the ultimate league of ‘Did you see that score?'” he said.
