Willie Goes Win Surfing, Tyson-less Offense Sputters

At the end of the first half, the Sun Devils had themselves at a 10-0 deficit due to self-inflicted penalties, lack of firepower in the absence of Jordyn Tyson and the high IQ of Conner Weigman.

Willie Fritz has his fair share of turnarounds. He coached Tulane to the Cotton Bowl a few years back and upset the USC Trojans in one of the most memorable games in Green Wave history. I have a change of scenery in 2024, he has made the turn around for Cougars. 

The return of Sam Leavitt was met with a great applause. Regardless of the onfield play, it’s always good to see the commander of the offense back in action after an abrupt injury status change entering the Utah game. There was a brief scare on the first drive as Leavitt went down with a leg injury. Jeff Sims stepped up and made plays but ultimately the drive ended in with a missed field goal by Jesus Gomez Juarez.

Photo By Jonathan Olden

On the other end of the coin, Houston’s offense was rolling. QB Conner Weigman had the defense in a vice grip, and stats from the first half showed that he out performed Sam Leavitt on passing yards and Raleek Brown on the ground. Dean Connors saw his fair share of carries too. The hardnosed running back was a guaranteed 2, 3 or 4 yards per carry and relentless on the ground. 

The ruthless attack continued into the 2nd half. There was no change in gameplan for this Cougars team. It was a healthy balanced attack and there was nothing the Sun Devils could do.

The ugliness of the game could also not be overlooked. There are penalties the fans didn’t like, of course. With regards to the pass interference call late in the 3rd quarter, the Inferno responded by throwing water bottles and even some yellow towels. The love for college football cannot be understated. The passion for the game is one that rivals no one. But we cannot, we CANNOT, let our feelings get onto the field. There’s always the talk about representation and to you rep your school by attending games or being an example Tonight, the Inferno further added to the problem. I’m not going to name the certain school that started the tradition of throwing stuff onto the field recently. It’s been a practice that’s been seen as far back as the late 60s when the Eagles threw snow at Santa Claus. The trend has to stop.

Photo By Thomas Guzman

Knowing Kenny Dillingham, the onside kick at the beginning of 4th Quarter was the no surrender flag. Also important to note that Jesus Gomez Juarez missed 2 FGs, leaving 6 points on the board. Although one happened early in the game, they still go in the category of “what if”. 

The Sun Devils showed no quit. And the students didn't either, waving their shirts in the air in a rally. Jeff Sims made another appearance late in the game to make it a 24-16 game. A big defensive stand in the waning minutes in the Sun Devils have a chance. 4th down with the game in the hands of Jeff Sims.

Video By Jonathan Olden

Incomplete, ball game over.

Some may argue the defender was going for the ball, others say it was targeting. But the bottom line is the Sun Devils are 5-3.

Onto Iowa State