WACO, Texas – Arizona State narrowly escaped Baylor with a 18-16 victory Saturday, but the win was marred by offensive inefficiency in capitalizing on multiple turnovers. Despite dominating the turnover battle 3-0 and possessing advantages in yardage and time of possession, the Sun Devils settled for field goals after each Baylor giveaway, leaving points on the table.
ASU’s ability to win close games continues under coach Kenny dillingham, improving to 7-3 in games decided by seven points or less. However, Saturday’s performance highlighted a recurring theme: the Sun Devils’ struggles to convert opportunities into touchdowns. This victory moves ASU to 12-0 since the beginning of 2024 when winning the turnover battle.
The Sun Devils managed only nine points off three Baylor turnovers.Adrian “Boogie” Wilson forced one fumble and recovered another, while Keith Abney II delivered a diving interception. Despite these defensive plays, ASU failed to reach the end zone after any of them.
On three separate occasions following a turnover,ASU found itself in a goal-to-go situation. The first drive stalled at the Baylor 10-yard line after a false start and two incompletions, resulting in a field goal.The second goal-to-go series, starting from the seven, yielded just two yards on two carries by Kanye Udoh and an incomplete pass from Sam Leavitt to Jordyn tyson.The third attempt saw Raleek Brown gain only one yard, followed by a Leavitt sack and an unsuccessful third-down pass to Malik McClain.
“It’s not ideal. We could all agree there,” Dillingham said. “Six points off the turnovers on their side of the field. That’s why I said what was going through my head was, ‘How is this a game-winning kick when we’re up 3-0 in the turnover margin, have more yards, have more time of possession … and we’re kicking a game-winning field goal?'”
The game ultimately came down to a game-winning 37-yard field goal by Jesus Gomez, who is now 9-for-10 on field goals this season – a significant advancement from the team’s 11-of-20 performance in 2024.
“Can we not have games this close? Let’s just play a little bit better earlier,” Dillingham added. “But that’s what was going through my head, like do we really need this every single week? We need a game where it’s a little bit of a breath.”
