Comeback falls short, but Sun Devils can hold heads high
ASU senior running back Cam Skattebo (right) and redshirt senior wide receiver Xavier Guillory embrace after losing the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in double overtime against the University of Texas at Austin at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 1. Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Peach Bowl, the Arizona State Sun Devils trailed the Texas Longhorns by 16 points.
Reality, it seemed, had set in.
ASU’s unexpected, astonishing, where-did-this-come-from run to the College Football Playoff was about to end decisively at the hands of one of the sport’s blue bloods.
ASU would shake hands, return home and celebrate its accomplishment.
But if there’s anything we’ve learned about the Sun Devils the last six months, it’s this: Tell them they have no chance, and they’ll laugh in your face.
And so, when it was finally over more than an hour later; when Texas finally had escaped with a 39-31 double-overtime win and ASU running back Cam Skattebo, exhausted, was crouched on the field with his helmet off; when quarterback Sam Leavitt appeared at the postgame news conference with tears in his eyes — there was no shame in defeat.
Only pride and admiration.
“We never stopped. We believed in ourselves, and we believed in what we had going,” said Skattebo, who was named the offensive MVP of the Peach Bowl after racking up 284 total yards. “That’s what kept us close.”
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Fans welcome home the ASU football team at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe after their double overtime Peach Bowl loss against Texas in Atlanta on Jan. 1.
Photo by Chris Goulet/Arizona State University
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ASU football players give high-fives to young fans who welcomed the team home after losing in double overtime against Texas at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1.
Photo by Chris Goulet/Arizona State University
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ASU redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) runs with the ball during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the University of Texas at Austin at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 1.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU fans cheer during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 1.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt throws the ball Wednesday during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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The ASU marching band performs during halftime at the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 1.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU junior linebacker Jordan Crook (8), junior defensive lineman Jacob Rich Kongaika (98) and redshirt senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah (32) celebrate a touchdown during the Peach Bowl.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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(From right) Honorary game captains and former ASU players Gus Farwell and Jake Plummer pose for a photo with ASU Athletics Director Graham Rossini before the Peach Bowl on Wednesday. Farwell — the former quarterback who went viral for singing opera from his balcony in Spain during the pandemic lockdown in 2020 — once played backup to quarterback Plummer, who went on to play six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and four with the Denver Broncos.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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Tim Byrne, who earned his degree in supply chain management from ASU in 2007, makes breakfast sandwiches while tailgating before the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Wednesday in Atlanta.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU fans cheer as the marching band and spirit squad perform during fan night at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta on Dec. 31.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU redshirt junior defensive lineman Justin Wodtly (95) stretches during practice at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta on Dec. 30.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU football players hangout in the esports lounge at the College Football Hall of Fame during media day in Atlanta on Dec. 30.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt answers questions during media day at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Dec. 30.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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ASU senior running back Cam Skattebo is surrounded by members of the media as he answers questions during media day at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Dec. 30.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
It was a bittersweet ending, but in no way did it diminish what Coach Kenny Dillingham and ASU did this season. As someone who covered the Valley sports scene for nearly 40 years, I can confidently say that this was arguably the most surprising, come-out-of-nowhere season I’ve ever seen.
The only comparable: the Arizona Cardinals making the Super Bowl in 2009.
Think about it. Before the season began, most Sun Devil fans would have been satisfied with six wins and a bowl game. Instead, ASU won 11 games, claimed the Big 12 championship in its first year in the conference, reached the College Football Playoff and was one fourth-down stop away from getting to the semifinals.
A photo family affair
While Samantha Chow was busy photographing the Sun Devils for the past few days in Atlanta, her dad, Michael Chow, was capturing the game for The Arizona Republic. Read more about the pair on azcentral.com.
“When a team sticks together and the team focuses on the coach and the coach focuses on the team, that’s what it’s about,” ASU President Michael Crow said. “It’s about the culture of the team.”
Athletics Director Graham Rossini called the season a “foundational moment.”
“I think we’re building the brand of Sun Devil football that reflects the brand of our university,” Rossini said. “We’re cutting edge. We’re going to surprise you in ways that you didn’t expect. We’re resilient. We respond. We have grit.
“That’s my biggest takeaway today. We played in a way that would make ASU proud.”
The 30,000-foot view? This was an ending that truly felt like a beginning.
There have been times in the past when ASU football seemed on the verge of something special. But, for whatever reason, the Sun Devils were not able to capitalize on a season and turn it into long-term success.
This feels different.
For one thing, ASU and Dillingham are that rare species in college football: a perfect match. The Sun Devils needed Dillingham’s jolt of energy, and ASU is where Dillingham wants to be. It’s folly to start comparing Dillingham to Frank Kush, but it’s not outrageous to believe that Dillingham will be here for a long time and turn ASU into a top-25 program year in and year out.
Second, there’s an all-in commitment from the administration and athletics department. The night before the Peach Bowl, Rossini announced that Dillingham had received a five-year contract extension that could turn into a 10-year deal.
In November, offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and defensive coordinator Brian Ward signed three-year extensions.
The best college programs are the most stable ones. ASU now has that stability.
“I think it shows what's possible when the ASU fan base and community comes together for a cause, and this hasn't happened because of any one person or any one moment,” Rossini said. “It's happened because everybody's come together in the spirit of ASU.”
There is buy-in from the players, as well. Simply put, they believe in Dillingham, as evidenced by the fact that not a single player on the two-way depth chart entered the December transfer portal.
“Coach Dillingham’s ‘activate the Valley’ (mantra) is coming true,” said offensive lineman Leif Fautanu. “Coach and his staff recruited dudes that want to be here, dudes who fit the program.
“They’ve bought into the culture and coach Dillingham’s idea of what a really good team can be. I feel with all of these dudes coming back, it’s going to be an awesome foundation. I think we’ve laid the foundation strong enough that we can continue to be a successful team.”
The season might have ended Wednesday, but what a joyous ride it was. For Sun Devil fans, the 2025 opener against Northern Arizona University on Aug. 30 can’t come soon enough.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Dillingham said. “I’m fired up that we can continue to build this thing.”
Chris Fiscus and Samantha Chow contributed to this article.
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