LUBBOCK, Texas – Sun Devil Football couldn't catch Texas Tech in their Big 12 Conference opener, falling in their first loss of the season, 30-22, in a back-and-forth contest on Saturday afternoon at Jones AT&T Stadium.
The Sun Devils played catch-up for much of the ballgame as they were mired in their own mishaps, attempting to erase three separate 14-point leads by the Red Raiders. A 17-10 deficit at halftime had the Sun Devils within striking distance, but the offense came up empty on four of six second-half possessions. A late Cam Skattebo three-yard touchdown run trimmed Texas Tech's lead to just eight, but the ensuing onside kick attempt was not successful.
The Sun Devils, who outgained Texas Tech, 376-334, missed out on a bid for their first 4-0 start since 2016.
"Unfortunately, that was, I think, our first game since I've been here that I can say we were undisciplined. We've got to get that fixed," head coach Kenny Dillingham told reporters following the Sun Devils' first loss in 301 days. "Right now, we're not completely in sync like we were in Weeks 1 and 2."
Both teams endured a sloppy opening 30 minutes which included 15 total penalties, a 5-for-13 third down conversion rate and numerous self-inflicted wounds by the Sun Devils. Texas Tech opened the contest with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 5-yard pitch-and-catch from Behren Morton to Johncarlos Miller II for an early 7-0 edge.
It's time for Big 12 ball ?? #ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/205qYgybjH
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) September 21, 2024
Morton, who entered the afternoon having led the Big 12 and was ranked second in the FBS with 10 passing touchdowns, found a groove early, going 4-for-6 with 52 yards on the opening drive.
After Sun Devil quarterback Sam Leavitt was intercepted on the opening drive, the Red Raiders landed another punch and doubled their lead when Morton zipped a screen pass to Josh Kelly, who followed blockers into the end zone for a 20-yard score.
After amassing just 47 yards in the first quarter, the Sun Devils got on the board early in the second via the right foot of Ian Hershey, who booted a 34-yard field goal to cut into Texas Tech's lead.
The Sun Devil defense kept Morton and the Red Raiders at bay in the second, forcing three consecutive punts. It allowed Leavitt to piece together the offense's best drive of the half in the final minutes of the second quarter, as a nine-play, 79-yard drive ended with Leavitt punching it in from the 1-yard line. The four-point deficit was the closest the Sun Devils would come to catching the Red Raiders.
Don't blink or you'll miss 'em ??@ASUFootball executes the hurry-up offense to perfection and narrows the gap before the halftime break in Lubbock.#Big12FB | ?? FS1 pic.twitter.com/r6Tubz40AD
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 21, 2024
Leavitt's legs, chunk plays to wideouts Jordyn Tyson and Xavier Guillory and the defense holding their own, helped erase the first of three 14-point Texas Tech advantages. Gino Garcia's 30-yard field goal with :08 left in the half pushed the Red Raiders up, 17-10, at the break.
Both teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, as Texas Tech's Jalin Conyers found the endzone on a three-yard direct snap and Cam Skattebo answered with a three-yard punch-in of his own. Skattebo's first of two scores was set up by a 66-yard pitch-and-catch from Leavitt, in which he scampered all the way down to Texas Tech's three-yard line.
Cam Skattebo runs wild on the pitch-and-catch to set up the rushing score for... Cam Skattebo, of course.
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 21, 2024
The @ASUFootball running back narrows the gap after back-to-back big plays versus @TexasTechFB #Big12FB | ?? FS1 pic.twitter.com/kh9HWvNirz
The Red Raiders added a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, and the Sun Devils couldn't further dig into the deficit outside of Skattebo's late three-yard score.
"It's a game of inches, it's a game of plays," Dillingham said. "Today, the big plays, the third downs, the big opportunities, we didn't hit. You're not going to win games on the road in this league not hitting big plays when the opportunity is there."
The do-it-all Skattebo hauled in six receptions for 117 yards and ran it 18 times for 60 yards in addition to two touchdowns.
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils will enjoy a well-deserved bye week before resuming conference play on Saturday, Oct. 5 when they welcome the Kansas Jayhawks to Tempe. Kickoff time is TBD.