What Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said about Big 12 championship vs. Iowa State
As a young coach, Kenny Dillingham learned a lot from Iowa State's Matt Campbell.
When Dillingham was an assistant at Auburn, he had the opportunity to go study at a college football program for two days. He chose Iowa State.
"All the X's and the O's I learned, and I studied that stuff, but I was really trying to get a vibe and a feel for how did he create that culture," Dillingham said of his trip to Iowa State. "And he was one of the youngest head coaches at the time. He was one of the youngest head coaches in the country at Toledo before he got to Iowa State. I think his genuineness is infectious, and I think that's why he's had that success. I think he's a good person that's real and I think the guys see his passion and saw his vision because he lives it."
Dillingham, 34, is now one of the youngest head football coaches in the country and is the leading candidate for national coach of the year. After going 3-9 in his first season at Arizona State, he has led the Sun Devils to a 10-2 record and a berth in Saturday's Big 12 football championship game vs. Iowa State.
Here's what Dillingham had to say about Saturday's game, and much more, during his Monday press conference.
Dillingham on When He Found Out ASU Clinched
"I asked [a media member] to go through all the scenarios after the game and give them to me, so we kind of had a clue. I was watching the games on the way home on the bus. I always ride the defensive bus, so we were riding the defensive bus and right when the game was put away and TCU won, I made an announcement to the guys that we were in the Big 12 title [game] and they were pretty fired up. It didn't matter the opponent. We were going to play. The whole goal was to get there and that's all we could control. And then woke up in the morning and found out who we got to play."
Dillingham on How Jordyn Tyson's Absence Will Impact ASU
"He's a really good player, and then he's very physical. I mean, he blocks people well. ... I saw a few people highlight his blocks on social media which was awesome because I think that's what really has been separating our team is how hard we play. All 11, not just the blockers. Everybody blocks ... it's everybody's doing the things that are extraordinary and what definitely makes it more difficult is obviously he demands two people to cover him. So if people don't have to demand two people then they can load the box. So you've got to find more creative ways to win those one-on-one matchups."
Dillingham on ASU Football Bringing Fans Together
"I do know football, I do know sports is a great connector. It's one of the best connectors. And here at this university we're trying to create Infinity within our university. We're trying to get more people back involved. We're one of the largest universities and we're trying to get more of the alumni back involved, back in games. I think we have over 20,000 alumni in Texas and [we're] trying to get them out to the [Big 12 championship] game. Football is a great connector and when you can connect people through sport it's special because the emotions that sports create. I do think what we can provide with football, what our program can provide is the connecting of people in ways that academics cannot."
Dillingham on Recruiting and Playing in Texas
"Two years ago when I got the job here we made an emphasis on recruiting the state of Texas because we knew, or I felt like the direction of college football was towards the Big 12, which means we play games in Texas, we play games in Oklahoma, which means it's easier to recruit the state. So I do think playing a game there and being televised there, being one of the things on the billboards there, is huge for the brand of Arizona State football."
On Matt Campbell's Success at Iowa State
"I think he's one of the most, just real people in the sport. I mean, you see the passion, emotion on the sideline. ... It's not fake, it's real. When I was at Auburn I had the ability to go study at one program in the country. I had two days. At that time coach [Gus] Malzahn would let you go and study with the team ... and I chose to go visit Iowa State. That was the program that I wanted to study from because I thought that they were overachieving at that time early in his career at a high level before he had built it up. Now he's built it up. Now they're achieving at a high level consistently and I wanted to go just study.
"What I took away was the realness of the culture. I was like, man, he's over here joking around with a dude and then he gets in the front of the room and demands respect. And I'm like, this culture that he created I feel like is sustainable. I feel like this is a winning formula. ... All the X's and the O's I learned and I studied that stuff, but I was really trying to get a vibe and a feel for how did he create that culture. And he was one of the youngest head coaches at the time. He was one of the youngest head coaches in the country at Toledo before he got to Iowa State, and I think his genuineness is infectious, and I think that's why he's had that success. I think he's just a real person. I think he's a good person that's real and I think the guys see his passion and saw his vision because he lives it."
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
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.