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No. 11 Football begins season with double-digit win in front of sellout crowd

ASU Postgame Quotes PDF Game Book
Jordyn Tyson vs. NAUJordyn Tyson vs. NAU
Hana Kaufman/Sun Devil Athletics
Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. – Fresh off a College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance and Big 12 championship, No. 11 Sun Devil Football returned home to a sold-out crowd at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday night and delivered a 38-19 win over Northern Arizona to begin the 2025 campaign.

Arizona State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) rode a balanced attack on both sides of the ball to outmatch NAU (0-1, 0-0 Big Sky) in front of 56,759 Sun Devil fans in one of the more highly-anticipated season openers in program history. 

The return of standout duo Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson did not disappoint. Leavitt finished with 257 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns, while adding 73 yards on the ground to go with a pair of rushing touchdowns for a combined 330 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. 

As for Tyson, the wideout tied his career-high of 12 receptions to rack up 141 receiving yards and find the endzone twice to completely overpower the NAU secondary. The redshirt junior found the end zone twice for the fourth time in his career.

The stifling Sun Devil defense came out with a purpose, forcing a Lumberjack punt to open the game. Moments later, Leavitt and the offense took just five plays to get on the board as redshirt junior Raleek Brown punched in a six-yard run to score the first touchdown of the game. 

 

 

Following another Lumberjack punt, Leavitt guided the offense on an 89-yard scoring drive as Tyson hauled in a 29-yard touchdown reception to give ASU a 14-0 advantage. For Tyson, it’s the 15th time he's found the end zone in his collegiate career and the 11th time in the last 13 games.

 

 

The Lumberjacks added a 31-yard field goal to begin the second quarter, bringing the Sun Devils lead to 14-3. The two sides continued to go back-and-forth as a lengthy ASU drive resulted in transfer kicker Jesus Gomez splitting the uprights from 36 yards to extend the lead to 17-3. NAU responded with a 46-yard field goal at the end of the half to cut the deficit to 11 heading into the half.

On the opening drive of the second half, Leavitt busted out of the pocket and scampered his way 52 yards into paydirt to put ASU up 24-6 after the Gomez extra-point. The score was the longest of Leavitt’s career and his sixth career rushing touchdown for the redshirt sophomore. NAU responded on the next drive with a three-yard receiving touchdown to make it 24-13.

 

 

Leavitt later added to the Sun Devil lead, making it 31-13 with an 18-yard rush for his second touchdown on the ground to cap the third quarter. It was also the second time in the dual-threat quarterback’s career where he punched in two rushing touchdowns.

Tyson then sealed the game with a 16-yard receiving touchdown to extend the lead to 38-13 after defensive tackle Anthonie Cooper captured his first career interception late in the fourth quarter. The Lumberjacks would go on to score a one-yard touchdown with just 20 seconds remaining, bringing the score to 38-19 - the eventual final. 

More than 14,000 students – a school record – saw the Sun Devils take down the Lumberjacks, marking the 26th straight win in a home opener for ASU and the third-straight for head coach Kenny Dillingham. 

Notables 

  • The win is now the 26th consecutive victory in a home opener for the Sun Devils, currently the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Illinois (27) - (2020 excluded due to unusual circumstances across country and ASU not having a home opener until December).
  • ASU improves to 83-28-2 on Opening Day in history and 65-15-1 on Opening Day at home.
  • It’s now ASU’s 23rd consecutive Opening Day win when the game is at Sun Devil Stadium / Mountain America Stadium. 
  • The sellout of 56,759 marked the first Opening Day sellout since the 1998 season.
  • ASU’s regular season winning streak has been extended to now six-straight games dating back to last season. 

Kenny Dillingham improves to 3-0 in his career in season openers

  • Dillingham has now outscored opponents 110-47 in three season openers as head coach
  • Jordyn Tyson recorded his fifth consecutive game with 100+ receiving yards dating back to November 16, 2024 against Kansas State.
  • Tyson recorded the second game of his career with 10+ receptions. The first came at Kansas State on Nov. 24, 2024 (W, 24-14) where he had 12 receptions. 
  • Tyson’s 141 receiving yards were the most by a Sun Devil in a season opener since Brandon Aiyuk (140) in 2019 vs. Kent State (W, 30-7)
    • Tyson’s 141 receiving yards are the most by a Big 12 Receiver through week one this season.
  • Sam Leavitt scored two rushing touchdowns for the second time in his career, the first coming in a 30-23 victory against Mississippi State on September 9, 2023.
  • Leavitt’s 73 rushing yards were the most by a Sun Devil QB in a home opener since Manny Wilkins (112) in 2016 vs. NAU (W, 44-13). 
  • ASU has scored at least 30+ points vs. NAU in each of eight games since 2003
  • Graduate student Anthonie Cooper recorded his first-career interception in his sixth season with the team.
  • The Sun Devil rushing attack averaged 9.13 yards per carry 
  • ASU’s defense recorded eight tackles for losses  

ASU Football student attendance
Top home crowds (2010-present)

  • 14,280 vs. NAU/Aug.30, 2025
  • 14,084 vs. UCLA/Sept. 24, 2014
  • 13,698 vs. Wyoming/Aug. 31, 2024
  • 13,615 vs. Northern Arizona/Sept. 1, 2022
  • 12,274 vs. Arizona/Nov. 21, 2015
  • 12,114 vs. Southern Utah/Sept. 2, 2021
  • 12,024 vs. Kent State/Aug. 29, 2019

Quotables
Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham
Opening statement:
“We won a football game, which is a positive.You got to be able to show up, stop short yardage runs. That was not a positive, and we can't have 12 penalties for 93 yards that cost us probably an additional 170 yards, 150 yards of total yardage. So when you look at it all, if you just removed the penalties, it is 200 yards different right now and we got to get that cleaned up. That starts with me. I'm the end all be all when it comes to stuff like that. We've had officials at every practice. We haven't had that amount of holding calls in all of camp that we had tonight, and we got to get that cleaned up.”

On Jordyn Tyson’s first game back after injury:
“He's grown up as a person. He drastically has grown up as a person, and I couldn't be more proud of him. He studies ball at a high rate, he comes up and gets extra, he takes care of his body. He's a true pro, so I'm very blessed that I get to coach him because he's a special player and a special person.”

On the running back core throughout the game:
“You saw some explosive plays, one of them got called back, but that's what we saw in camp. We are looking for a couple of those plays that don't get called back and like I said, the dynamic of this game is different, right? That's the best part about this game. A few things go in a different direction and it's a whole different feeling and a whole different game, right? But I like where that room is at.”

Arizona State Quarterback Sam Leavitt
Opening Statement:
“We did some good things, we have to go back and address the holdings and take better care of the ball, and on my end as well. With the accountability that we have as a team, I'm not worried about it. We're going to come back and go to work and figure out all the little things. I'm excited to go back to work.”

On developing his running abilities:
“I know that I can run, and the biggest thing was just not taking off too predetermined from last year. I felt like that was one thing I extended well while pushing the ball down the field, which is one thing I really wanted to work on. I was proud of myself for that.”

On the importance of fan and student attendance:
“We need that, and thinking about the games last year, the juice of the crowd changes the momentum of things and makes it harder for the other team to get the play call and the snap. It impacts everything, and congrats to Coach Dillingham for getting it to jump like that. It was pretty cool to come out here for game one against NAU and see that.”

Arizona State Wide Receiver Jordyn Tyson
On the versatility of moving around different spots on the field as a receiver:
“To be honest I was short when I was a freshman and as a sophomore, so I played in the slot and I was always in the slot. So now I got taller and now I played outside and slot and just worked on the outside thing. It kind of went hand-in-hand like that.”

On his second touchdown catch of the night:
“I actually worked on that catch. I feel like I mastered that catch when I was a kid and I never had the opportunity to really do it on the field until now. So just me and my trainer, we worked on ball skills.”

Arizona State Linebacker Jordan Crook 
On accessing the defensive performance tonight:
“I think it was a solid performance but not to our standard just to be honest. I feel like we have a lot more to show. There were too many penalties but it was good to see everybody coming out there flying around. In my opinion, I think everybody else on the defense knows that is not our standard.”

On the biggest lessons they can take from tonight and apply to next week:
“The same thing we have been honing in on. Just communication. Just being in the right place at the right time. Just making sure calls get relayed and things like that.”

Up next
ASU will hit the road and travel to Starkville, Miss., to take on Mississippi State in week two. It will be just the second time in program history where the Sun Devils are set to face a SEC team on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MST and can be viewed on ESPN2.

Follow along
Be sure to keep up with the action all season long by following the Sun Devils on Instagram / Facebook @SunDevilFB, and on X @ASUFootball.