By Doug Haller and Sam Khan Jr.
TEMPE, Ariz. — A slow start and an early-season loss took Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt off the national radar, but Saturday the second-year quarterback offered a reminder of why he’s one of college football’s most fearless playmakers.
After a furious Texas Tech rally, during which the No. 7 Red Raiders scored two touchdowns in two minutes to take the lead, Leavitt led Arizona State to the winning touchdown on its final possession to post a wild 26-22 win and deal the Big 12 front-runners their first loss at a sold-out Mountain America Stadium.
One week after sitting out Arizona State’s blowout loss at Utah with a foot injury, Leavitt led the Sun Devils on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended when running back Raleek Brown powered into the end zone from one yard out with 34 seconds left. The key play: On fourth-and-2 from the ASU 45, Leavitt rolled right, looking like he planned to run for the first-down marker.
Instead, he fired a pass to standout receiver Jordyn Tyson for a 33-yard pickup. The Sun Devils scored the go-ahead touchdown three plays later. Texas Tech’s last-gasp pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
Arizona State’s victory didn’t significantly alter the Big 12 race, but it proved two things. One, as talented as Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 in the Big 12) appears to be, no one will distance themselves this early. And, two, the defending conference champion Sun Devils (5-2, 3-1) are not yet ready to fold.
A week ago, they had looked like a different, weaker team. On a wet night in Salt Lake City, Utah had embarrassed the Sun Devils. Leavitt’s absence certainly was a factor. But more telling was Arizona State’s defense, which missed tackles and looked ill-prepared in a dismal 42-10 loss.
Leavitt made his presence felt against Texas Tech. He extended plays. He threw a short touchdown pass to Tyson. He provided his usual fire. Aside from the fourth quarter, Arizona State’s defense also made a big impact.
Red Raiders come back to pack
The Red Raiders had entered as one of 11 undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. They were one of two teams that ranked in the top 10 in both scoring offense and defense. Their plus-35.3 point differential was the nation’s largest. Perhaps most impressively, through six weeks they had never trailed. Not for a second.
Numbers and rankings, however, can be misleading before Halloween. But coaches do not lie. After each Texas Tech win, Big 12 coaches made sure everyone knew the Red Raiders, buoyed by an epic offseason spending spree, were legit contenders.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold after a 42-17 loss: “They showed they’re a top-10 team in the country, and deservedly so.”
Houston coach Willie Fritz after a 35-11 loss: “They’re a really, really good football team. Very well coached. And they’re very very talented.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham after a 34-10 loss: “I never would’ve believed if you would’ve said we’d lose the line of scrimmage. Never would’ve believed that in a million years. But we didn’t.”
Texas Tech played Saturday without quarterback Behren Morton, who was available only in case of emergency because of a leg injury. The capable Will Hammond started in his place, but the Red Raiders struggled to find offensive rhythm. Through three quarters, their only touchdown came after an Arizona State turnover on downs provided a short field. They trailed 19-7. Yet, they rallied.
In the final four minutes, Hammond ran for a touchdown and threw for another to give Texas Tech a 22-19 lead with 2 minutes left. Leavitt and the Sun Devils took it from there.
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire still has a chance to reach the CFP Playoffs. (Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Does loss ruin Red Raiders’ CFP hopes?
It’s not time to panic yet, but the loss shrinks the margin for error a bit for the Red Raiders, at least as a potential at-large team. If they win out and finish the regular season with one loss, they would almost certainly still be in the bracket, regardless of whether they win the Big 12.
A road loss against a good Arizona State team is probably forgivable in the eyes of the selection committee, especially since the Red Raiders were without their starting quarterback and crawled out of a double-digit deficit to take a late fourth-quarter lead.
According to Austin Mock’s CFP projections model, Texas Tech went into Saturday’s game with an 82 percent chance of making the Playoff. The loss reduced the Red Raiders’ odds to 68 percent.
But if Texas Tech drops any of its last five games and concludes the regular season as a two-loss team, it will muddy the picture in a major way.
If Texas Tech finishes the season strong and still wins the Big 12 championship, that would render this loss moot, because the Red Raiders would be nearly assured of getting a bid as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.
The health of Morton will be critical. Hammond played well down the stretch, but Arizona State limited Hammond and the Tech offense to just seven points in the first three quarters.
The Red Raiders play just one ranked team in their last five games: BYU on Nov. 8. Only one other team left on their schedule, UCF, is currently above .500.