Despite securing a 27-24 victory over Baylor in their Big 12 opener Saturday, Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham was left exasperated by his team’s missed opportunities.
“A game that you’re up 3-0 in the turnover battle shouldn’t come down to a game-winning kick,” Dillingham said postgame. “Offense sputtered, defense picked it up. Defense sputtered, offense picked it up… That’s football. Find ways to win in this league.”
ASU’s defense was dominant in creating turnovers, continuing a trend that has seen the team go 12-0 this season when winning the turnover margin. Adrian “Boogie” Wilson was instrumental, forcing one fumble and recovering another, while Keith Abney II made a spectacular diving interception.
However, the Sun Devils’ offense failed to capitalize, settling for field goals after each takeaway. The nine points were a meager return, particularly as two of the turnovers gave ASU possession inside Baylor’s 40-yard line.
“How is this a game-winning kick when we’re up 3-0 in the turnover margin, have more yards, have more time of possession?” Dillingham questioned. “Golly, this should not be this close of a game.”
The offensive struggles were most apparent in the red zone. Following the turnovers, ASU had three goal-to-go situations but could not find the end zone. One series that reached the 10-yard line was undone by a false start and two incompletions. Another, which began at the seven-yard line, stalled after two short runs and a third-down incompletion. The final opportunity saw the offense lose yardage before another failed third-down pass.
The bright spot for the Sun Devils was the performance of kicker Jesus Gomez. His reliability provided points on drives where the offense faltered, and he is now 9-for-10 on field goals this season. This marks a significant improvement from 2023, when the team collectively made just 11 of 20 attempts.
While Dillingham may be weary of the constant high-stakes endings, his 7-3 record in games decided by seven points or less highlights his team’s ability to perform under pressure.
“Can we not have games this close?” Dillingham remarked. “Let’s just play a little bit better earlier… we need a game where it’s a little bit of a breath.”
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