SAN MARCOS– Coming off of a program-defining win, Texas State has done what only two other schools have managed to do, and that is beat UTSA under their current head coach in the Alamodome.
The celebrations have been rampant as the team made their way back to San Marcos drunk on success. But a familiar foe looms in the distance, a quality opponent in Arizona State. The Bobcats will face the Sun Devils in the Arizona desert this Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on TNT.
“They know what they are doing over there. They are really well-coached,” Texas State head coach GJ Kinne said to the media. “They run the program the right way, which is what I really like.”
While the team had every right to celebrate, this sobering matchup is on the horizon. So far, this season has been very similar to last year. A 2-0 start heading into the ASU game. A year ago, Texas State welcomed the Sun Devils to San Marcos, almost beating them in an exciting 31-28 game. This year the team will look to upset those pesky Sun Devils on their home turf. Texas State is playing with house money here, especially after last week’s monumental win. ASU is coming off of a loss to Mississippi State, so they will be playing as sharp as ever to avoid losing back-to-back games. It’s an interesting matchup, and if Texas State can refocus from the UTSA game and lock in, then expect a game that is similar to last year’s between these two programs. It is worth noting that ASU was ranked No. 12 in the country before its loss at Mississippi State, and in this week’s Top 25 the Sun Devils are on the outside looking in as they are no longer ranked.
ASU comes in as a heavy favorite, but they are not as good as they were a season ago. The Sun Devils had a very impressive roster and season last year, ultimately losing to Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns in a shootout of the ages in the College Football Playoff. It looked like ASU was in control and on their way to the next round until Ewers put on an impressive display, dragging his team to victory in overtime. ASU’s Cam Skattebo made waves last season as he was one of the nation’s premier running backs and is now in the NFL as a member of the New York Giants. Skattebo is irreplaceable, just a hefty back who can plow over anyone in an Earl Campbell like fashion, so the Texas State defense will not have to game plan for him, thankfully.
However, and a lot of people had him on their preseason Heisman candidates list, is Sam Leavitt, the ASU QB. Leavitt killed Texas State last year with his legs, picking up chunk plays on the ground. It appeared that Texas State put so much emphasis on Skattebo last year that Leavitt was able to slip through the cracks and inflict some serious damage on Texas State. So, in this year’s matchup, the Texas State defense can really hone in on Leavitt.
However, ASU contains a stable of backs that look to pick up right where Skattebo left off. In fact, in their loss against Mississippi State, ASU put up 251 yards on the ground and only 82 passing yards. The Texas State defense gave up some big rushing plays to UTSA last week, so stopping the run will be a big emphasis heading into this week’s game plan. Insiders say that UTSA’S offense might be the best one Texas State faces all season, if that is the case, then this is a good sign, as the defense was able to stop UTSA in key moments.
On the flip side, Mississippi State had 279 passing yards against the Arizona State defense. You bet Brad Jackson, Beau Sparks, and Chris Dawn Jr. are licking their chops after going deep multiple times against UTSA and can’t wait to do it again on the road against a very good opponent. At the helm, leading their teams into battle, are two of the youngest faces in the game: Texas State’s GJ Kinne and ASU’s Kenny Dillingham, who expressed respect for each other’s programs.
“I think he’s one of the best coaches in college football, especially younger guys,” Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said to the media this week. “They’ve added a lot of good players to their roster, like a ton.”
“There’s a reason why he’s come in there and flipped it and gone to the College Football Playoff as fast as he did,” Kinnie said. “He’s really good.”
The stage is set for what should be another entertaining installment of this ASU and Texas State mini-series, a not-so-desirable kickoff time at 9:30 p.m. in the desert on national television. This will be the second to last out-of-conference game, so Texas State literally has nothing to lose. If they lose it won’t hurt, and if they win it will increase their overall résumé and boost their ranking nationally. Meanwhile, for ASU this is a must-win game. Even though it is not a conference game, they are coming off of a loss, so they cannot afford to lose two in a row, especially not a home game against, let’s face it, Texas State, who is still on the come up from a macro perspective.
Expect high scoring. Both coaches are indeed very young and know how to put up points in a hurry. It’s going to be fun, and if Texas State wins, well, the whole country better watch out.
Team Leaders
Arizona State
Passing: Sam Leavitt, 339 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 57.4% completion
Rushing: Raleek Brown, 148 yards on 23 carries, 1 TD
Receiving: Jordyn Tyson, 209 yards on 18 catches, 3 TDs
Texas State
Passing: Brad Jackson, 500 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 65.2% completion
Rushing: Lincoln Pare, 238 yards on 33 carries, 2 TDs
Receiving: Beau Sparks, 237 yards on 12 catches, 5 TDs
