Game recap: Arizona State beats Kansas 35-31 in Big 12 football thriller
Welcome to the Big 12, Arizona State.
In a game of firsts, the Arizona State Sun Devils beat the Kansas Jayhawks 35-31 on Saturday evening at Mountain America Stadium. It was the first-ever football matchup between the schools and the first Big 12 game to be played at ASU.
It was also a game of attrition. Arizona State lost two players to ejection and both teams lost players to injuries and cramping as the game was played in 100-degree weather. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for the Phoenix area through Monday night. The temperature at game time (5 p.m. MST) was reported to be 107 degrees.
Here's our full recap from Arizona State's thrilling victory.
(Refresh for the latest updates.)
4TH QUARTER UPDATES
FINAL STATS
Sam Leavitt finished 14-of-24 for 157 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed 10 times for 77 yards. Jordyn Tyson caught 6 passes for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cam Skattebo was a beast as usual, rushing 25 times for 186 yards and a touchdown. His physical, downhill running wore Kansas down in the second half.
FINAL SCORE: Arizona State 35, Kansas 31
TOUCHDOWN ASU! Sam Leavitt throws a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Tyson with 16 seconds left to give Arizona State a 35-31 lead. Leavitt has been unbelievable tonight. He has 158 yards passing and 4 touchdowns and 77 yards on the ground.
ARIZONA STATE PUTS A TOUCHDOWN ON THE BOARD WITH SECONDS LEFT 😱‼️#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/JW8V6mFkRI
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 6, 2024
1ST AND GOAL: ASU has the ball on the 4-yard line with 20 seconds left and one timeout.
35 SECONDS LEFT: ASU has the ball on the Kansas 9-yard line.
SKATTEBO BIG RUN! Cam Skattebo breaks free for a 39-yard run to put Arizona State inside the Kansas 30-yard line with less than 1:30 left in the game.
TOUCHDOWN KANSAS: Jalon Daniels throws a dart down the seam to Quinten Skinner for a 34-yard touchdown to give Kansas a 31-28 lead with 2:04 left in the game. It appeared the ball hit the ground and Skinner did not have control of it before sliding out of bounds. But after review the call on the field stands. Touchdown Kansas.
CLAYTON SMITH EJECTED: Another Arizona State player is ejected for targeting. This time it's Clayton Smith.
TOUCHDOWN ASU! After pounding Cam Skattebo into the line over and over, Sam Leavitt unleashes a perfect 32-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Tyson on the outside to give Arizona State a 28-24 lead with 6:19 left in the game.
Let @S_leav10 COOK 😈
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 6, 2024
📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/6GKVKwVaLS
TOUCHDOWN KANSAS: Devin Neal busts through the line untouched for a 31-yard touchdown run to give Kansas a 24-21 lead with 10:49 left in the game. It feels like both defenses are starting to wear down under the conditions. It's still 96 degrees.
INJURY UPDATE: ASU defensive lineman Clayton Smith goes down with an undisclosed injury and has to be helped off the field.
TOUCHDOWN ASU! Cam Skattebo scores on a 1-yard run out of the wildcat formation to give Arizona State a 21-17 lead with 14:56 left in the game. The run caps a 10-play, 48-yard drive.
Arizona State has the ball 1st and goal on the 1-yard line to start the fourth quarter.
3RD QUARTER UPDATES
END OF 3RD QUARTER: Kansas 17, Arizona State 14
INTERCEPTION KANSAS: Jayhawks safety Devin Dye picks off a Sam Leavitt pass on the goal line, preventing a go-ahead touchdown by Arizona State. The ball was perfectly thrown and should have been caught by Jordyn Tyson at the 3-yard line.
FIELD GOAL KANSAS: The Jayhawks take a 17-14 lead on a 21-yard field goal by Tabor Allen.
KEYSHAUN ELLIOTT EJECTED: Arizona State junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott is ejected for targeting on a play in the end zone. His hit jarred the ball loose and prevented a touchdown, but it was ruled to be an illegal hit.
INJURY UPDATE: ASU defensive lineman Justin Wodtly goes down with a leg injury and eventually limps off the field. We'll update his status once we know more.
Kansas has the ball to start the second half.
HALFTIME STATS
Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt passed for 102 yards and 2 TDs in the first half. He also rushed for 46 yards on 5 carries. Cam Skattebo rushed 8 times for 62 yards and Xavier Guillory and Chamon Metayer caught touchdown passes.
Kansas QB Jalon Daniels passed for 150 yards and a touchdown and ran for 24 yards and a TD in the first half. Running back Devin Neal was held to 16 yards on 7 carries.
2ND QUARTER UPDATES
HALFTIME: Arizona State 14, Kansas 14
TOUCHDOWN ASU! The Sun Devils tie the game at 14-14 just before halftime on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Sam Leavitt to Chamon Metayer. The TD pass caps a 4-play, 58-yard drive that takes just 52 seconds. Great clock management by Kenny Dillingham late in the half.
Tying things up right before half 😈@S_leav10 ➡️ @Takeemdeep7 pic.twitter.com/5OYLKttdpU
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 6, 2024
FUMBLE ASU: Jordyn Tyson gets stripped after a 9-yard catch and Kansas recovers with 1:46 left in the first half on its own 36-yard line.
FAKE PUNT! Arizona State perfectly executes a fake punt on 4th and 5 from their own 35-yard line. Punter Kanyon Floyd floats a pass to Clayton Smith for 15 yards to give ASU a first down at midfield.
BLOCKED FIELD GOAL: Ian Hershey's 38-yard field goal attempt is blocked. Kansas takes over on its own 21-yard line with 7:20 left in the first half, leading 14-7.
TOUCHDOWN KANSAS: Jalon Daniels throws a 30-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Quentin Skinner to give the Jayhawks a 14-7 lead with 11:45 left in the second quarter. The Sun Devils were confused in the secondary and busted the coverage.
Kansas has the ball at its own 39-yard line, 1st and 10, to start the second quarter.
1ST QUARTER UPDATES
END OF 1ST QUARTER: Arizona State 7, Kansas 7
Evenly played opening 15 minutes with each team scoring on its first possession, followed by three straight punts (two by ASU). Kansas has the ball at its own 39-yard line to start the second quarter.
TOUCHDOWN KANSAS: Jayhawks QB Jalon Daniels responds with a 22-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:24 left in the first quarter. The TD run caps a 10-play, 75-yard drive for Kansas.
TOUCHDOWN ASU! Sam Leavitt throws a 28-yard dart to Xavier Guillory on a play-action pass to give Arizona State an early 7-0 lead. It's Guillory's first touchdown catch of the season. The TD pass caps a 7-play, 75-yard drive to open the game. It's the first opening drive touchdown Kansas has given up this season. 11:44 left in the 1st quarter.
The Sun Devils are kicking off the Big 12 home opener with a bang 🔥#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/5QUAyZYH24
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 6, 2024
INJURY UPDATE: ASU redshirt sophomore WR Jordyn Tyson takes a big hit after catching a slant on the third play of the game. He stays down for a couple of minutes before walking off the field.
Kansas wins the coin toss and defers to the second half. Arizona State will start with the ball. The temperature is officially 104 degrees at kick off (5:05 p.m. MST).
PREGAME UPDATES
Despite the heat, Mountain America Stadium is officially sold out for the first-ever Big 12 game in Tempe. More than 53,000 maroon-clad fans will be in the house.
Jake "The Snake" Plummer is in the house for this historic game.
The 🐍 is HOME 😈#LIFERS pic.twitter.com/iOzeuBH2VH
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 5, 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.