TEMPE — The Arizona State Sun Devils moved to 5-2 on the season following a surprise 26-22 victory over the seventh-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders in Tempe on Saturday afternoon.

The Sun Devils benefitted heavily from the return of QB Sam Leavitt, who missed week seven’s loss to Utah, but the win showed much more than the star players showing up when the game was on the line.

Arizona State on SI breaks down three major takeaways from the win – both reflective and moving forward.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and defensive coordinator Brian Ward had become much-maligned by the Sun Devil fanbase in recent weeks for various reasons.

Both responded in massive ways on Saturday.

Arroyo called what was arguably his best game all season – red zone struggles and all – as Leavitt was eased in perfectly in a pocket-centric role, while the protections from a reshuffled offensive line worked wonders.

The definite highlights of Arroyo’s performance were the drawn-up shot plays to Jaren Hamilton – both going for over 40 yards – and the 75-yard touchdown drive in out of the two minute timeout that won the game for Arizona State.

As for Ward – the DC did about as well as he could have given the personnel and the fact that the Red Raider offense has been a well-oiled machine all season.

The Sun Devil run defense virtually neutralized Cameron Dickey – and would have ceded under 100 yards on the ground if not for late-game scrambles by Will Hammond.

The secondary once again stood up in a major way as well – Ward’s disguised coverages arguably created the lone turnover in the game in an interception by Martell Hughes off of a pass breakup.

Ward and Arroyo showed up when they were needed the most – it paid dividends in the end.

Oct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Raleek Brown (3) celebrates with offensive lineman Josh Atkins (53) and wide receiver Malik McClain (12) after scoring a touchdown against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the fourth quarter at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Sun Devil receiving corps outside of Jordyn Tyson has been questioned on numerous occasions throughout the young season after receiving substantial hype from media and fans alike during the off-season process – the group continues to produce in crucial moments despite the critique.

Enter Hamilton – who secured three catches for 101 yards – becoming the only non-Tyson receiver to hit the century mark in 2025. Keep TE Chamon Metayer in mind as well, as the All-Big 12 selection hauled in four passes for 66 yards and remains on-pace to surpass his numbers from last season. Cameron Harpole remains an unheralded member of the pass-catching core, as the senior tight end secured four catches in his own right.

Even sophomore Derek Eusebio contributed once again – the receiver caught a six-yard pass that kept the offense moving and picked up a first down for the Sun Devils on the game-winning drive.

This win was in large part due to the supporting cast that Leavitt had the ability to target in key moments – as the confidence of players such as Hamilton continue to grows, so does the ceiling of the offense.

This is perhaps the most self-evident truth that was unearthed on Saturday night – Arizona State once again controls their own destiny to go for back-to-back Big 12 championships.

Brigham Young is currently stuck in a contested battle with Utah – the team the Sun Devils ceded the head-to-head tiebreaker to last week. The beauty in the battle between the rivals is that Arizona State just needs to win the final five games of the season – everything else should take care of itself in the process.

That isn’t to say that the final five games will be a simple task to secure victories in, but Brigham Young, Utah, and sleeper contender Cincinnati all face tenuous tasks ahead to reach Arlington in the first weekend of December themselves.

The next opportunity to catch Arizona State in action is October 25, when the Sun Devils host the 6-1 Houston Cougars – as both teams continue to fight to get to the top of the conference standings.

Read more about Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley speaking directly to fans ahead of the start of the 2025 season here, and on three major takeaways from the 42-10 loss to Utah here.

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