Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt injured
Update: Sam Leavitt has returned to the game to start the second half.
If Arizona State is going to upset No. 16 Utah, it looks like they're going to have to do it with their backup quarterback.
ASU's starting quarterback, redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt, took a hard hit to his ribs on a scramble midway through the second quarter. He immediately winced in pain and stayed down on the field. Leavitt walked off the field under his own power and eventually went to the locker room.
Backup QB Jeff Sims entered the game and scored a 2-yard touchdown to finish the drive that Leavitt started. Sims, a fifth-year senior, played his first three seasons at Georgia Tech before transferring to Nebraska last season.
Leavitt was 6-of-10 for 99 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception before he got hurt. He also rushed six times for 22 yards.
On the season Leavitt has completed 59% of his passes for 1,111 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. A true dual-threat QB, he has also rushed 55 times for 279 yards and four touchdowns.
Here's the hit that injured Leavitt:
Here’s the hit that caused Sam Leavitt get shaken up.@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/hF20JlkAak
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) October 12, 2024
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.