TEMPE — Arizona State held Texas State to single-digit points for nearly all of a 34-15 win on Saturday, with defensive reserves giving up a late score.
“We knew we wanted to play a better standard of defense,” linebacker Jordan Crook said postgame. “Not that we were playing bad … but the most big thing out of everything, we just wanted to make sure we stayed on their neck the whole game. Not let up and give any easy things up and just make it hard for them guys.”
Crook led the way defensively with 12 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. Both were comfortably career marks over 39 college games played (two years at Arkansas before transferring to ASU in 2024). He also added a sack.
“When you play and practice with that much passion, it’s going to show up on game day,” coach Kenny Dillingham said postgame. “I mean it’s not rocket science. He practices like it’s game day every day, he works like it’s game day every day and then he plays well on game day.
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“And I think he’s the definition of what I want people on this program to be, is people that are just passionate every single day,” Dillingham continued. “I mean he’ll sweat talking because he’ll talk passionately. … That’s just how passionate Crook is about everything and that’s what makes him special.”
It’s the energy Crook and others brought that led quarterback Sam Leavitt to recognize the team was playing with a similar juice to how it approached games in 2024.
ASU wreaked havoc all night to the tune of five sacks, 10 tackles for loss, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles. Between the sacks and tackles for loss alone, the Sun Devils set the Bobcats back 98 yards.
Arizona State defense shores up the explosives
Explosive plays were costly in the Week 2 loss at Mississippi State, where all three of the touchdowns ASU gave up were on plays of over 45 yards.
The Sun Devils corrected it against Texas State, as the Bobcats’ only gain of at least 20 yards was a 24-yard quarterback keeper by redshirt freshman Brad Jackson.
This was no easy feat as Texas State entered the game averaging 47.5 points, with six of its 12 touchdowns qualifying as explosives under ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s definition.
Ward has said explosives are runs of at least 12 yards and passes of at least 16 yards. Texas State was held to three such plays.
Transfer safety Boogie Wilson, making his first ASU start for an injured Xavion Alford, had seven tackles to help impact the area.
“Crook was actually the first person to text me like, ‘Lock in, it’s time now. You’re here,'” Wilson said postgame. “For me it was just playing for them and they believed in me, so for me it was just making sure I did my job to help the team.”
The former Washington State Cougar laid down the wood when he got the chance, too.
“We play football, that’s it,” Wilson said of the hard hit, which also took the wind out of his own sails for a couple plays.
Dillingham wasn’t optimistic postgame that Alford would be ready to return for Baylor in Week 4, but Wilson appears ready for the challenge should the veteran miss more time.
Big 12 play coming up for ASU
Conference play begins next, and ASU has as tough a four-game stretch to start as any.
After playing at Baylor on Saturday, the Sun Devils will host TCU on a short week for a Friday game.
ASU gets a bye week before it will play at Utah (which will also be coming off of a bye) and then host Texas Tech, going through most of the conference’s projected top contenders in a five-week stretch.
Catch ASU-Baylor on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MST on the Arizona Sports app, ESPN 620 AM or 98.7 FM HD-2. It will be televised on FOX.
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