ASU put on a dominant performance Saturday night against Texas State to complete a crucial win after losing on the road to Mississippi State a week prior. The Sun Devils seem to have found another talented running back in redshirt junior Raleek Brown. 

Against the Bobcats, Brown had the breakout game he has been looking for since he started his college career. Brown, who transferred from USC to ASU before the 2024 season, only saw action in two games and spent most of last season watching from the sidelines due to a nagging hamstring injury. 

Despite injuries plaguing his collegiate career to this point, Brown came into this season healthy and ready to show he was prepared for the spotlight. 

Before this week's matchup against Texas State, Brown flashed his one-of-a-kind speed and ability to break tackles in the open field. 

Brown nearly returned a punt for a touchdown and had a 75-yard reception for a touchdown called back by a holding penalty in the Sun Devils' week one duel against Northern Arizona. 

Following last weekend's loss, many were saying that the magic ran out for this ASU program. 

However, Brown is not allowing that to be the narrative for this Sun Devils team. 

Brown would be turned loose and flashed his speed against the Bobcats with 12 carries for 144 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown, which went for 75 yards. 

This performance by Brown shows a reflection of how much work the running back has put in the past year. 

“I have been working for a year and a half,” Brown said. “[I] thank the coaches and everybody believing in me that I can play running back and just keep going.” 

The ASU offense in the first two games had recently struggled with explosive plays and needed someone besides preseason All-American redshirt junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.

Last season, the Sun Devils relied on another player with explosive playmaking ability in Peach Bowl MVP and former ASU running back Cam Skattebo, whose departure to the NFL left a void in the Sun Devil backfield that needed to be filled. 

Head coach Kenny Dillingham has seen the progression in Brown over the past year, and the work ethic he brings to the field every day is not only to improve, but also to build confidence, given that he has only seen the field four times in the past two seasons he has played.

“He made the kind of jump that JT (Jordyn Tyson) made last year,” Dillingham said. “Where he was working back and no one really knew about him, everybody forgets about you when you transfer somewhere and don’t play for a year cause you're not a new transfer, you're just a guy on the roster… He put in the work, and that work is showing up… He is the diamond that people forgot about.”