Before any snap on Saturday, Nov. 1, the Sun Devils found themselves behind the gun with sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, who suffered a season-ending foot injury, and junior Jordyn Tyson ruled out.  

With Leavitt out for the year, ASU coach Kenny Dillingham turned to senior Jeff Sims to guide a playoff hopeful squad down the stretch. 

Sims not only delivered a 24-19 victory over the Cyclones but also made the Sun Devils bowl eligible for the second consecutive season. ASU’s rushing attack was a key difference in the victory, as it totaled 290 yards rushing and Sims had 228 yards on 28 carries, including an 88-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. 

With his performance on the ground, Sims set a new ASU record for yards rushing by a quarterback in a game, surpassing Mark Malone’s 139-yard mark in 1978.

“I was prepared to do whatever it was to win this game for this team,” Sims said. “Everybody around me helped, the O-line did a good job, they played physical, defense went out there and held it down… we just made sure we played together.”

Apart from using his legs, Sims also had an effective day with his arm amid the rainy and cold conditions in Ames, Iowa, going 13 for 24 with 177 yards passing and one touchdown. 

Down the line of scrimmage, senior tight end Chamon Metayer led the receiving core with six catches for 68 yards and touchdown.

Despite his performance, Metayer praised Sim’s ability to step into the spotlight.

“It was a proud brother moment,” Metayer said. “He comes everyday to work and prepares like he is the starter and we go out with him like he is the starter.”

Not only did Metayer’s step-up performance benefit the offense, but a depleted defense without senior defensive end Prince Dorbah and senior safety Miles Rowser felt the fruits of the tight end’s labor. 

Regardless of the key absences on defense, Dillingham made no excuses.

“Excuses are like armpits; everybody has them and they all stink,” Dillingham said. “Nobody cares about your excuses; you either get it done or you don’t, and our guys got it done today.

Despite Dorbah unable to play and Rowser missing the first half due to a targeting call from a week ago, the Sun Devils’ defense held Iowa State to 336 total yards even after a slow start. Yet, a dominant second-half performance while limiting the Cyclones to just 2 of 14 on third down made the difference. 

However, ASU’s self-inflicted mistakes nearly offset the defensive effort. 

The Sun Devils finished the game with 11 penalties for a total of 119 yards, with seven coming from the first half alone. 

“We had a lot today,” Dillingham said. “Absolutely way too many today, I need to go look at the time as to why… We gotta get better at that.” 

Off an upset road victory, ASU enters its second bye week before facing West Virginia on Nov. 15. With just three games remaining, Dillingham said his goal is to finish the season strong but also healthy.

“They’re off till next Sunday,” Dillingham said. “Never done that, never been around someone that does it. This has been an emotional season, physically, and mentally. These guys need to get away and they need to come back ready for a three game stretch where we can accomplish anything we want to accomplish.”