TEMPE — If Arizona State is going to get where it wants to go this season, it’s going to take Sam Leavitt thriving both in and out of the offense’s structure.
He and ASU’s offense didn’t have quite the start to the season they were hoping for, whether it was NAU’s unorthodox pressures, the unique environment at Mississippi State or just their own shortcomings that held them back.
Leavitt showed signs in wins over Texas State and Baylor he was rounding into form, but much of what was working for him was still linked back to his own ground game or Jordyn Tyson’s excellence at wide receiver.
Entering the TCU game, Leavitt ranked eighth among quarterbacks in pressure situations and 92nd when kept clean, according to PFF.
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He then played statistically one of his best games as a college quarterback, throwing for 291 yards (second most in his career) and two touchdowns with a season-high 69.2% completion rate.
“Last week was really good,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said Monday of the in-structure play. “You can go back, but I like to go by where people are now.
“Really efficient on early downs. Got the ball out fast. … We weren’t scrambling on first and second (downs). So, I was really, really impressed by how he’s played really the last three weeks, but last week I thought he played his best.”
Leavitt completed 72.4% of his throws on early downs to keep the chains moving, including 78.3% after a key offensive line swap occurred on the third drive.
He added 56 yards with a score on 13 carries, marks that have become commonplace over the last three games and evidence that he should still keep the improvisational playmaking as part of his game.
“I think he’s one of the the best quarterbacks in the country out of structure. I don’t think there’s a doubt about that,” Dillingham said. “He’s so good out of structure, but he’s playing really good in structure these last few weeks.
“You look at the first and second down passing — third down passing is going to be a lot of out of structure for every quarterback in the country in college football, especially third and (long) — so his first and second downs were a lot of in structure the last two weeks and he’s been very efficient.”
Sam Leavitt playing freer, thinking less about Heisman Trophy
Leavitt said on Tuesday he hasn’t thought about Heisman Trophy talk since early in the season, when it was likely on his mind during the struggles.
“I tried to tailor off on (thinking about awards talk). I wasn’t playing as well, and it brought some stress,” Leavitt said. “I kind of remembered I’m not doing this for the accolades and all those things, just the talk kind of puts you in that mindset.
“So, I got out of that and just started coming out here and enjoying the day, the beautiful weather out here and being around my team. So just blessed to be in the situation I am.”
The weather was on Leavitt’s mind for more reasons than the clear sky above Tempe, as Dillingham had the quarterback preparing for a potentially stormy Utah on Saturday by shooting water at balls throughout practice.
Leavitt said he has his own tactic to dealing with it that he’s not willing to share.
“Obviously it’s different. I do change up a couple things, kind of like to keep that my secret,” he said. “But I grew up in Oregon, one of the rainiest states, so throwing in that all offseason and even during the season (in the past), nothing I’m not used to.”
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