Tempe, AZ—-Arizona State Sun Devils secured a 48-7 home opening victory against the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday night as they debuted in the Big 12 Conference. That saying “defense wins games” was a true testament for the Sun Devils.
Forty-one seconds into the game, Zyrus Fiaseu scored a 29 yard touchdown after he picked off Wyoming’s QB Evan Svoboda. Five minutes later, Svoboda threw another interception where Keyshaun Elliott had an 18 yard run. The Sun Devils ended up with a field goal on the drive making it 10-0.
The Sun Devils definitely shocked some with how they played this game. Having a new starting quarterback – Sam Leavitt was great for this contest. He led the offense with 258 passing yards and two touchdowns. It may be too early to tell, if the Sun Devils will continue playing as solid as they did against the Cowboys.
Next Saturday, they will face a tougher challenge against Mississippi State. With Blake Shapen (transfer from Baylor) and wide receiver, Kelly Akharaiyi (transfer from UTEP), will be a force for the Sun Devils defense. If everyone on the Sun Devils roster can stay healthy and continue to build momentum, we will see and hear ASU on the top rankings in this conference.
The Cowboys went into half-time down 27-0. It wasn’t until the 4th quarter, the Cowboys was able to put 7 points on the board to prevent a shutout. This came from a 3-yard touchdown pass from Kaden Anderson to Chris Durr with just two seconds remaining in the game.
Jay Sawvel’s first game as the head coach stated “We got to get a lot better. Fortunately for us, it counts for one. Even if it feels like it should count as four or five.” It was definitely a rough one for Sawvel after he took over as head coach for Craig Bohl who retired after he led the program for 10 years.
This was a positive day for head coach Kenny Dillingham in his second year at the helm. This year he has brought over 60 newcomers this season and has placed his focus on rebuilding the team. It is evident that he has worked very quickly to integrate the new talent with his program scheme and it showed in their season opener.
Next game: Saturday, September 7 against Mississippi State at Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, AZ
| 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | FINAL | |
| WYO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| ASU | 17 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 48 |
