• Slug: Sports–ASU Dillingham Play-calling, 940 words.
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By Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The lasting image of Arizona State’s exhilarating` victory over No.14 Brigham Young might be the thousands of fans streaming onto the field at Mountain America Stadium to celebrate one of the biggest wins in the school’s history.

However, it was ASU coach Kenny Dillingham’s late-game clock management that remained the hot topic in the wake of the victory. Dillingham tried to bleed the final seconds off the clock with quarterback Sam Leavitt running backward on a couple of plays, then sailing a pass high into the air and out of bounds as the clock appeared to expire.

That started a premature celebration.

Ultimately, however, the field was cleared and BYU was able to run a play with one second remaining. The Cougars’ desperation Hail Mary ended just a few yards short of the end zone and the storming of the field commenced.

Again.

Experts and fans weren’t the only ones second-guessing the late-game strategy. Dillingham was, too.

“I got to do a way better job with the team at the end of the game,” Dillingham said at his Monday media availability. “That was obviously not good. Probably the worst-case scenario. Not ideal. Honestly, it worked horribly. I probably would have tried to score and taken the risk of fumbling over what we did. If it’s a one-point lead, we have to do what we did.

“And that’s where we have to get better, I have to coach that scenario better. I think the biggest takeaway is I didn’t do a good enough job (of preparing) throughout the week and I haven’t been doing a good enough job of (preparing for) those scenarios at the end of the game. That’s a reflection of me.”

The wild win moved ASU up seven spots to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll and put the Sun Devils within reach of a Big 12 Conference title in their first season in the league.

“I think our guys believed in themselves, but now they believe that we should win these games,” Dillingham said. “I think the mindset is having great confidence. And when bad things have happened two games in a row, we’ve picked the ball off to win the game.

“We’ve gone down the field on offense to score, to win a game. Our team is just playing really good complimentary football. And I think that gives confidence to all three phases in offense, defense, and special teams.”

It took a true team effort for the Sun Devils to escape with a victory over the Cougars. Early on, it was running back Cam Skattebo putting on another show-stopping performance. He handled 28 carries for 144 yards and three touchdowns, which bolstered his case for a future in the NFL.

“I’m doing my best to put in the work because I understand the talent I have and that I could play at the next level (NFL),” Skattebo said. “He (Dillingham) has challenged me every day. When I’m having a bad day or if I’m looking sluggish he gets on me about it.

“All the hard work is paying off and that’s why I respect him so much. Everybody loves him because everybody understands he’s doing it to get the best out of us. We’re 9-2 and in first place (of the Big 12 conference).”

Once the Cougars started gaining some momentum to mount a comeback, the Sun Devils turned to the passing game for answers. In the first half, receiver Jordyn Tyson made a key adjustment mid-play by crossing his arms over each other as he caught the ball.

In the second half, it was receiver Xavier Guillory getting wide open off a play-action pass from quarterback Sam Leavitt that resulted in a 61-yard touchdown.

“This dude (Tyson) had that big play in the first half,” Dillingham said. “Nobody’s going to talk about the play, but that’s why we’re winning. It’s because we’re growing, we’re learning, and we’re getting better every week with little tiny details. And then you have X (Guillory) over here making a play. Last time ever in that stadium. That completely changes the game, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.”

For Tyson and Guillory, the big plays made against BYU were milestones in their first year under Dillingham. In their postgame press conferences, they both credited the work and effort that Dillingham and the coaching staff invested into the team during the offseason as a fulcrum to the team’s current position.

“You see the scores and all the cool touchdowns, but nobody was there when we were in Camp T (Tontozona),” Guillory said. “We were sleeping on tissue paper, climbing trees in the woods, and all the Coach Joe (Connolly) conditioning drills.

“We literally started from our foundation, completely erased, eradicated it, and started anew. It’s just awesome to see that not just hard work, but the right work is coming to fruition. It’s all paying off and this is awesome to be a part of.”

The collective contributions from players across the team has Arizona State on the brink of making the Dec. 7 Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Before that happens though, the Devils must emerge victorious in Tucson as they take on their in-state rival, the Arizona Wildcats, Saturday..

“If we have to get excited to play our rival, who whooped our butt last year, then we’re not the team I think we are,” Dillingham said. “This win feels great. Let’s have fun, enjoy it, wake up, move on, and repeat the process. Nobody cares what you did yesterday. And nobody’s going to care if we turn out to be a 9-3 football team that misses the Big 12 Championship.”

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