Arizona State upset No. 16 Kansas State 24-14 on the road, a result that puts Kansas State’s Big 12 title hopes on life support and shakes up the second tier of the conference standings.
The Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) jumped out to a surprising 21-0 halftime lead thanks to a trio of touchdown passes from quarterback Sam Leavitt, two of them to receiver Jordyn Tyson, and a pair of first-half turnovers by the Wildcats. K-State quarterback Avery Johnson threw an interception on the second play of the game, which Arizona State quickly turned into points. The Sun Devils outgained the Wildcats 227 yards to 108, and the defense forced a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-goal late in the second quarter to preserve the halftime shutout.
Kansas State (7-3, 4-3) mounted a second-half comeback, cutting the lead to 10 late in the fourth quarter, but a missed 36-yard field goal with just over two minutes remaining kept Arizona State in control.
Leavitt finished 21-of-34 passing with 275 yards and three touchdowns. Tyson set career highs with 12 receptions for 176 yards and those two touchdowns, and running back Cam Skattebo had 117 total yards after missing the last game due to injury.
Johnson finished 24 for 40 with 258 yards and two interceptions for K-State, and running back DJ Giddens had 133 rushing yards on 14 carries.
What the win means for Arizona State
The Sun Devils were picked dead last out of 16 teams in the Big 12’s preseason media poll, but the upset on Saturday puts them in a tie for third place in the conference standings, behind second-place Colorado and undefeated BYU, who kicked off in the late window against Kansas. The victory was ASU’s first against a top-20 team in the College Football Playoff rankings since 2019.
The Big 12 title race remains pretty simple: BYU and Colorado control their destinies by winning out. BYU can lose one of its final three games and still make the championship.
Arizona State has a few paths to crash the title game, but it would require winning out — including against BYU next week — and some losses elsewhere in the conference, such as Colorado losing to Kansas next week, and Iowa State losing to Kansas State on Nov. 30, for example.
Do your homework next time @DesmondHoward 😈#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/H73jiEBvAh
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) November 17, 2024
(Photo: Scott Sewell / Imagn Images)
