Four-Touchdown Day By Sam Leavitt Powers Arizona State Past NAU
The 11th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils opened their 2025 campaign with a workmanlike 38-19 victory over Northern Arizona Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium. While the final score suggests control, this was anything but a polished performance from Head Coach Kenny Dillingham’s squad.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt showed flashes of brilliance in his sophomore season debut, accounting for four total touchdowns despite fighting through constant pressure from an aggressive NAU defense. Leavitt completed 25-of-39 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns while adding 73 rushing yards and two scores on seven carries. Can Leavitt keep it going this season?
Leavitt Powers Through Early Struggles
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 14-0 lead after two possessions, but their offense sputtered for much of the remaining contest. Leavitt’s connection with Jordyn Tyson provided the most consistent offensive threat, as the duo combined for 141 yards and two touchdown passes in Tyson’s return from a season-ending collarbone injury.
“When you’re an exotic pressure team like that, you don’t double players,” Dillingham said after the game. “If they’re not going to double our best guy, then we should probably just keep getting him the ball.”
Penalties Plague Sun Devils’ Performance
Arizona State’s biggest enemy wasn’t NAU’s defense – it was the yellow flag. The Sun Devils committed 12 penalties for 93 yards, including costly infractions that wiped out explosive plays.
Key moments negated by penalties:
- Raleek Brown’s 75-yard touchdown on a screen pass called back for holding
- Malik McClain’s 64-yard reception nullified by an ineligible man downfield penalty
- Multiple drives stalled due to holding and false start penalties
“That cost us probably an additional 170 yards,” Dillingham said. “When you look at it all, if you just removed the penalties, this entire sheet is 200 yards different right now.”
With Cam Skattebo now in the NFL, Arizona State’s new trio of running backs provided glimpses of their potential. Kyson Brown led the group with seven carries for 73 yards and six receptions for 72 yards, while Raleek Brown scored the game’s first touchdown on a 6-yard run. The running backs combined for just 14 carries but averaged an impressive 9.1 yards per attempt.
Defense Dominates Ground Game
Arizona State’s defense, which led the Big 12 in run defense last season, picked up where it left off. The Sun Devils held NAU to just 89 yards rushing, with 71 of those coming in garbage time against backups. The defensive line rotation of C.J. Fite, Jacob Rich Kongaika, Clayton Smith, and Prince Dorbah controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the contest.
Final Statistics:
- ASU total yards: 458
- NAU total yards: 331
- ASU penalties: 12 for 93 yards
- NAU third-down conversions: 2 of 15
- Attendance: 56,759 (sellout)
The victory, while uninspiring, accomplished the primary objective for Dillingham’s squad and Leavitt. Arizona State travels to Mississippi State next Saturday for its first true road test of the season, hoping to clean up the penalty issues that plagued its home opener.
“Just happy we got a ‘W,’ and it’s always good to win ugly,” Dillingham said. “That’s one of the best things about coaching, when you win ugly, and it wakes people up a little bit.”
