2024-09-13 09:30:02
The Arizona State football team moved to 3-0 on the season with a 31-28 win over Texas State on Thursday in San Marcos, Texas, matching its win total from last season.
The Sun Devils rallied from a 21-7 deficit to tie the game at the half, 21-21, and then rallied with 10 straight points to end the game after trailing 28-21, to pick up the victory on the road.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt went 19-for-30 passing for ASU, with a touchdown pass. He also rushed for a score.
Cam Skattebo was held to 62 yards on 24 carries for Arizona State, but had two rushing touchdowns.
Jordyn Tyson had six catches for 120 yards and a touchdown catch for the Sun Devils.
Jordan McCloud went 28-for-43 passing for 265 yards and four touchdowns passes for Texas State.
ASU’s defense held Texas State to seven points in the second half, and forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and stopped the Bobcats on downs on Texas State’s final three possessions.
ASU will next face Texas Tech in its Big 12 Conference opener in Lubbock on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Final score: ASU football 31, Texas State 28
College football Week 3 picks: Arizona vs Kansas State | Alabama vs Wisconsin | Oklahoma State vs Tulsa | LSU vs South Carolina | Notre Dame vs Purdue | Oregon vs Oregon State | Texas A&M vs Florida | Washington State vs Washington | UTSA vs Texas | Georgia vs Kentucky | Indiana vs UCLA | Colorado vs Colorado State | West Virginia vs Pittsburgh
ASU football schedule:Dates, times, TV channels for Sun Devils’ 2024 season
Arizona State football predictions:Game-by-game picks for Sun Devils in 2024 season
Arizona State football:What does a successful season look like for Sun Devils in 2024?
The ASU football team has matched its win total from last season.
Three games into the season.
Cam Skattebo ran for 10 yards on 3rd & 8 at the Texas State 18 to allow ASU to run out the clock on Texas State in a 31-28 win on the road.
The Sun Devils are now 3-0 on the season. The Bobcats fell to 2-1.
Score: ASU football 31, Texas State 28 (end of fourth quarter)
Watch ASU vs Texas State live with FUBO (free trial)
You have to give ASU football’s defense some credit.
It had made plays when it has needed them, and just stopped Texas State on a 4th & 5 deep in ASU territory.
ASU forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and stopped Texas State on downs on the Bobcats three most recent possessions.
There is now 2:09 left in the fourth quarter.
ASU just went 3-and-out on its next possession, giving Texas State the ball back with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.
Can Arizona State’s defense stop Jordan McCloud and Texas State’s offense again?
ASU football has forced turnovers on two straight Texas State possessions.
Xavion Alford picked off Jordan McCloud at the ASU 25 to give the Sun Devils the ball back with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter.
ASU will try to milk some clock on its next possession.
The Sun Devils weren’t able to get in the end zone after the Texas State turnover, but Ian Hershey kicked a 22-yard field goal to give ASU a 31-28 lead in the fourth quarter.
It is ASU’s first lead since it led the game 7-0 after its first possession of the game.
Sam Leavitt is now 18-for-25 for 72 yards for Arizona State. Jordyn Tyson has caught six catches for 120 yards, but he wasn’t able to get a first down on a third-down catch deep in Texas State territory late in that drive.
Score: ASU 31, Texas State 28 (6:32 left in fourth quarter)
Well, that might be the break the Sun Devils needed.
Texas State RB Ismail Mahdi just fumbled the ball on the first play of the possession and ASU recovered it, giving the Sun Devils a great chance to take the lead.
It was Texas State’s first turnover. ASU has the one interception thrown by Sam Leavitt.
ASU has the ball at the Texas State 23-yard line.
What was once a promising drive for ASU stalled for the Sun Devils.
ASU started its drive at its own 1-yard line and Cam Skattebo was key with the Sun Devils backed up in their own territory, rushing for a 9-yard gain and then getting an 8-yard reception to give ASU some breathing room.
But ASU’s drive stalled when they were close to field goal position and the Sun Devils were forced to punt.
Could the next score win this game? It has turned into a defensive struggle, for the most part, in this half of the college football game.
There is 9:24 left in the fourth quarter.
The ASU defense has stepped up at some big times in this game.
It did so on Texas State’s most recent possession.
Texas State had a 1st & 10 at ASU’s 35, but ASU forced Texas Tech to punt.
Texas State had a 4th & 2 at its own 39 on the drive and Jordan McCloud completed a 26-yard pass to Joey Hobart to extend the possession and put the Bobcats in scoring position, but ASU’s defense then stepped up.
We’re in the fourth quarter and it feels like this game could come down to the last possession.
The Sun Devils have responded again in San Marcos, Texas.
Cam Skattebo just ran it in from 2-yards out for his second touchdown of the game, tying the score against Texas State at 28. He only has 33 yards rushing on 17 carries, but the two touchdowns have been huge for Arizona State.
ASU QB Sam Leavitt had a 40-yard run on the drive, which went seven plays for 75 yards.
We’ve got ourselves a very interesting college football game.
Score: Arizona State 28, Texas State 28 (2:17 left in third quarter)
ASU had done a good job of slowing down Texas State since the Bobcats scored touchdowns on third straight possessions in the first half, but Texas State got into a groove again on its latest drive.
The Bobcats drove 66 yards in six plays, with Jordan McCloud completing a 44-yard pass to Jaden Williams to take a 28-21 lead on ASU.
McCloud now has four touchdown passes. He is 24-for-365 for 225 yards.
Score: Texas State 28, Arizona State 21 (4:18 left in third quarter)
Ian Hershey just missed a 51-yard field goal attempt, which would have been a career high for the Sun Devils, resulting in ASU coming up empty on its latest drive.
ASU’s Sam Leavitt completed a 14-yard pass to Chamon Metayer on a 3rd & 11 at the ASU 33 to extend the drive, but Arizona State couldn’t get on the scoreboard.
The drive lasted seven plays and went for 32 yards.
The interception didn’t end up costing ASU.
The Sun Devils’ defense just stepped up, stopping Texas State on a 4th & 7 pass to give Arizona State the ball back at the ASU 34.
Texas State’s drive went for seven plays and 13 yards.
The second half is off to a much slower start than the first, with neither team able to do much on both of their possessions in the third quarter so far.
We’ve got 9:51 left in the third quarter and each team has already had two possessions.
Sam Leavitt just overthrew tight end Markeston Douglas, who tipped it up, with the ball then landing in the hands of a Texas State defender Chris Mills for the first turnover of the game.
The interception was on the first play of the drive, as ASU attempted a deep shot.
Leavitt has had a great game, but you have to wonder if ASU would have been better served to try to get the running game going early on that drive.
We’ve traded 3-and-outs to open the second half.
Texas State just went 3-and-out after ASU did, with an incomplete pass, a 5-yard rush and another incomplete pass.
Can ASU get something going on its second possession of the half?
Cam Skattebo has 23 yards rushing on 11 attempts for the Sun Devils, so it would be nice to see him get going for ASU, and it might open up Sam Leavitt and the passing game for some more opportune deep shots, perhaps to Jordyn Tyson, who has four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown for Arizona State.
That was not the start to the second half that ASU wanted.
Sam Leavitt was sacked on first down and then Cam Skattebo lost two yards on second down before Leavitt threw an incomplete pass on third down.
ASU had scored touchdown on two straight possessions to end the first half. It could not keep the momentum going to start the third quarter.
We’ve got a good game in San Marcos, Texas.
The Sun Devils and the Bobcats are tied at 21 at the half after ASU rallied from a 21-7 deficit with two touchdowns late in the second quarter.
ASU will receive the second-half kickoff.
Texas State scored three straight touchdowns on its second, third, and fourth possessions of the game.
ASU scored touchdowns on its first, fourth, and fifth possessions.
At one point, Texas State had a 15:51-5:38 advantage in time of possession. At the half, it leads 17:58 to 12:02.
The Bobcats gained 251 yards in the first half. The Sun Devils had 200.
Sam Leavitt was the story for ASU in the first half, completing 10-of-13 passes for 160 yards, with a passing touchdown and a rushing score.
The Sun Devils only rushed for 40 yards. They entered the game averaging 293.5 yards rushing per game.
Jordan McCloud was 17-for-23 for 147 yards and three touchdown passes for Texas State.
The Bobcats rushed for 104 yards in the first two quarters.
Halftime score: Arizona State 21, Texas State 21
Sam Leavitt is having himself a game against ASU.
The quarterback just ran for a 7-yard touchdown late in the first half to tie the game against Texas State, 21-21. ASU was behind 21-7, but has scored touchdowns on two straight possessions.
Leavitt connected with Xavier Guillory for 14 yards on a 4th & 2 at the Texas State 49 to extend the drive.
Leavitt is now 10-for-13 for 160 yards in this game, with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown.
The momentum has flipped to the Sun Devils.
Score: Arizona State 21, Texas State 21 (:06 left in second quarter)
Texas State has completed some 3-and-longs in this game.
Not this time.
ASU stopped a 3rd & 25 to force Texas State to punt on a 3-and-out after the Bobcats had scored touchdowns on their three previous possessions.
Melquan Stovall fair caught the punt for ASU, which is good news on the injury front after he exited on the previous possession.
The Sun Devils needed to answer against Texas State.
They definitely did.
Sam Leavitt just connected with Jordyn Tyson on a 52-yard touchdown pass to bring ASU within 21-14.
ASU almost went 3-and-out on a third-straight drive, but Leavitt passed to Tyson for a 24-yard gain on a 3rd & 11 at its own 24 to extend the drive.
Leavitt is now 5-for-7 for 113 yards and the touchdown.
ASU’s Melquan Stovall was helped off the field on the drive.
Can ASU’s defense now stop Texas State after allowing touchdowns on three-straight possessions?
Score: Texas State 21, Arizona State 14 (3:46 left in second quarter)
Texas State is rolling. The Bobcats just gained 50 yards in three plays, a 20-yard pass, 11-yard pass and 19-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-7 lead on ASU.
This game sure changed fast.
That’s 3-straight TD drives for Texas State after ASU led 7-0.
Jordan McCloud is now 17-for-21 for 147 yards and three touchdowns in this game.
Score: Texas State 21, Arizona State 7 (5:16 left in second quarter)
This Texas State defense has sure settled down after allowing ASU’s opening touchdown drive.
The Sun Devils just went 3-and-out for the second straight possession, and Texas State will have the ball at midfield.
ASU now has 63 total yards in the game. It had 68 yards on its touchdown drive on its first possession.
Arizona State’s defense desperately needs a stop here after allowing two straight touchdown drives for the Bobcats.
The ASU defense is gassed.
Texas State has had touchdown scoring drives of 7:27 and 6:47 on its last two possessions, taking a 14-7 lead on the Sun Devils.
ASU had a 3-and-out in between Texas State’s scoring drives.
Texas State’s most recent drive went for 15 plays and 64 yards.
Jordan McCloud connected with Jaden Williams on a 6-yard pass for the score.
How’s this for dominating time of possession? Texas State has had the ball for 15:51.
ASU has had it for 5:38.
This is the first time ASU has trailed this season.
The Sun Devils could really use a long drive to give their defense a chance to catch its breath against the Bobcats and their quick offense.
Jordan McCloud is now 14-for-18 for 97 yards, with two touchdown passes in this game.
Score: Texas State 14, Arizona State 7 (8:39 left in second quarter)
ASU’s second possession against Texas State was not as impressive as its first.
The Sun Devils just went 3-and-out on the drive, with Sam Leavitt going 1-for-3 passing, only completing a 2-yard pass to Raleek Brown, a USC transfer who is seeing his first action of the season for the Sun Devils after being injured for the first two games.
Leavitt is now 3-for-5 for 37 yards in the game.
ASU’s quick drive puts a lot of pressure on the Sun Devil defense, which just relinquished a 7:27 touchdown drive to the Bobcats and now has to go out there and try to stop Texas State’s quick-strike offense again.
Texas State’s second possession against ASU was much more impressive than its first.
And it ended with a touchdown to tie this game.
The Bobcats just drove 75 yards over 15 plays after being held to 16 yards on their first possession.
Texas State got its running game going on the drive, picking up yards on several key runs.
Jordan McCloud connected with Chris Dawn Jr. on a 5-yard pass for the touchdown. He is now 8-for-11 for 53 yards in the game.
Score: Arizona State 7, Texas State 7 (1:10 left in first quarter)
The Sun Devils’ first drive on the road this season was a good one.
ASU drove 68 yards over 10 plays and 4:46, taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard rush from Cam Skattebo.
ASU rushed for 33 yards on the drive.
Sam Leavitt and the ASU passing game, which has struggled at times this season, looked good with the QB completing passes for 18 yards and 14 yards on the drive.
Not a bad way to start against Texas State.
Score: ASU football 7, Texas State 0 (8:42 left in first quarter)
The ASU defense started the game off on a good note, forcing Texas State to punt after gaining 16 yards on six plays.
Texas State likes to run an up-tempo offense and it did so on its first possession, with QB Jordan McCloud, who interestingly previously played at Arizona, going 2-for-5 passing for 13 yards on the first drive for the Bobcats.
Texas State only rushed the ball one time for three yards.
ASU football started the week as a 2.5-point favorite over Texas State, but the line shifted before kickoff, with the Bobcats a 2.5-point favorite over the Sun Devils.
Texas State was -145 on the moneyline at kickoff. ASU was +100.
The over/under was set at 57.5 points.
The Sun Devils’ depth chart at running back is getting more depth. Raleek Brown, a transfer from USC, is expected to make his debut with Arizona State against Texas State after sitting out the first two games of the season with an injury.
Brown was seen warming up with the team before the game.
ASU football depth chart:How roster stacks up for game vs Texas State
The game can be seen at 4:30 p.m. MST (7:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN.
It can be streamed on FUBO (free trial) and with other streaming services that carry ESPN.
How to watch, stream game Thursday:Arizona State football vs Texas State schedule, TV
Texas State football is a 2-point favorite over ASU football in college football Week 3 odds for the game, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Bobcats are -140 on the money line. The Sun Devils are +115.
The over/under for the game is set at 59.5 points.
ASU football vs Texas State odds:Point spread, moneylines, point totals for Thursday’s game
ESPN gives the Sun Devils a 65.9% chance to defeat the Bobcats in the Week 3 college football game, but not every writer is predicting that ASU will win or is taking Arizona State with the points in its Week 3 college football picks and predictions for the game Thursday.
Arizona State vs Texas State picks:Who wins Week 3 football game?
Here’s what the Sun Devils and Bobcats are wearing in tonight’s game.
Arizona State football continues ascent in college football ranking, Big 12 power rankings
Arizona State football prepares for quick turnaround in first road game vs.Texas State
Is Arizona State football undervalued after Week 2 win over Mississippi State?
Arizona State football turns heads with ‘unreal’ uniforms vs Mississippi State
ASU football schedule: Dates, times, TV channels for Sun Devils’ 2024 season
Arizona State football predictions: Game-by-game picks for Sun Devils in 2024 season
Arizona State football: What does a successful season look like for Sun Devils in 2024?
Arizona State football schedule ranked toughest in Big 12 Conference for 2024 season
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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