TEMPE, Ariz. — With under 20 seconds left in regulation and trailing by eight, a game-sealing field goal for the Houston Cougars sailed wide left, which gave No. 24 Arizona State a chance at a Hail Mary to pull off a 24-point comeback.
That was, until, for the 12th and final time, the Sun Devils were flagged for a penalty in a 24-16 loss at Mountain America Stadium Saturday, Oct. 25, a game defined by penalties.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham took responsibility for the final of many costly penalties.
“I told them, listen, the only thing we can do here is block it…I told them I would take a penalty. The block return is really your best chance to win that game,” Dillingham said.
That moment wasn’t the only time yellow laundry ruined a big moment for the Sun Devils.
An illegal shift in the third quarter negated a 21-yard touchdown for senior tight end Chamon Metayer. ASU later attempted a field goal, yet senior kicker Jesus Gomez missed his second kick of the evening.
Between the penalty yardage itself and the yards lost because of spot fouls, the Sun Devils lost 62 yards on kickoff and punt returns alone.
ASU needed every yard they could get, especially with junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson inactive and sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt leaving the game twice due to injury.
“Not having Tyson is 100% going to affect the game,” Dillingham said. “But that’s not an excuse as to why we lost that football game.”
Despite the split quarterback play, Leavitt and senior quarterback Jeff Sims combined for 328 yards through the air.
Senior wide receiver Malik McClain quadrupled his season receiving yards total in the absence of Tyson, going for 159 yards receiving, drawing in 7 of his 10 targets.
“It was awesome to see Malik really flash tonight,” Dillingham said. “Getting that back, that could be big for us.”
Nine different Sun Devils recorded receptions, the most so far this season.
Despite the efforts through the air, ASU’s offense could not find each piece to complete the puzzle.
Saturday marked the first time the Sun Devils entered halftime without a score since their 49-13 loss to No. 6 Oregon in November of 2023.
On the contrary, the Cougars converted four of their first five first downs, giving the offense a quick start in the first quarter.
Houston’s senior tight end Tanner Koziol torched ASU early, recording 80 yards and a touchdown in the first 35 minutes of the game.
Koziol ended his night with a season-high 100 yards.
“I know we’re the more physical team,” senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliot said. “I know at times that’s not what we were putting on film.”
Despite the defeat, Elliott made sure to praise their opponent.
“They’re a good football team. They’re overlooked.”
Additionally, Saturday marked the second time a quarterback rushed for over 120 yards on the Sun Devil defense, with Devon Dampier doing so in Salt Lake City two weeks ago. This week, it was junior quarterback Conner Weigman, putting up 124 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground for the Cougars.
Like that game against Utah, Dillingham had nothing but high marks for Houston.
“That’s a top 15 team in the country,” Dillingham said. “They don’t make mistakes, and when you don’t play a good football game, you’re going to lose.”
Although the loss puts ASU two games behind Big 12 leaders BYU and Cincinnati, Dillingham still has faith in the team’s position within conference play.
“We have the same record in conference that we had last year at this exact time,” Dillingham said. “It’s funny how you can get lost in this whole thing. We just gotta go get better.”