If Oklahoma State wants a blueprint for a rapid reset, Arizona State is the team to study.
When Kenny Dillingham arrived in 2023, he was coming home to Phoenix and stepping into a program that had fallen hard. His first season was rough, with Arizona State finishing 3-9 in its final year in the Pac-12 Conference. Then came the kind of leap every struggling program dreams about: in 2024, the Sun Devils were picked last in the Big 12 preseason media poll, won the Big 12 Championship game over Iowa State, and nearly knocked off Texas in the CFP quarterfinal.
Arizona State backed that up with an eight-win season a year ago, a sign that the breakout wasn’t a one-year fluke. That’s the kind of turnaround first-year Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris is trying to engineer after leaving North Texas. The Cowboys may be in rougher shape than the Sun Devils were when Dillingham took over, but the transfer portal has changed how quickly a team can climb.
The two programs will meet again on Nov. 21, their seventh all-time matchup since the series began in 1984. Their last meeting came on Nov. 2, 2024, when Arizona State beat Oklahoma State 42-21 in Stillwater. This year’s game is in Tempe, where Oklahoma State is 2-1 in a series that is tied 3-3.
That last meeting was tight for a half before Arizona State pulled away.
The Sun Devils got the first touchdown of the day in the opening quarter when Sam Leavitt connected with Jordyn Tyson on a 22-yard scoring pass. In the second quarter, the teams traded blows.
Kam Skattebo scored twice on the ground for Arizona State, while Alan Bowman found Brennan Presley for a 1-yard touchdown and Ollie Gordon II powered in from 2 yards out for Oklahoma State. That left the Cowboys down only 21-14 at halftime.
Then Arizona State took over. The Sun Devils ripped off 21 unanswered points, with Kyson Brown scoring on runs of seven and one yard and Skattebo adding a 36-yard touchdown catch from Leavitt. Oklahoma State’s lone second-half points came on an 11-yard touchdown run by Sesi Vailahi.
The weather turned the day into a mess, too. The game was originally set for 6 p.m., moved up to 2:30 p.m. to avoid bad weather, and still ended up being suspended for more than two hours because of it.
Leavitt finished with 304 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Skattebo turned in a huge all-around day, rushing for 153 yards and a score while adding four catches for 121 yards and another touchdown. Tyson had eight receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Bowman threw for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Gordon was held to 25 rushing yards but still scored. Presley led Oklahoma State’s receivers with six catches for 32 yards and the touchdown.
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Braeden Presley has emerged as the freshman most likely to force his way into the lineup quickly, thanks to his athleticism and the chance to compete immediately under the new eligibility rules. With opportunity in front of him and a roster spot that looks far from settled, Presley has a real opening to make the kind of first-year leap that can change the conversation around a recruiting class fast. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Finally Has Linebacker Depth But One Concern Still Lingers
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The real question now is how quickly that depth turns into dependable production. Experienced newcomers are part of the competition, and names like Isaiah Chisom, Dallas Winner-Johnson, Trip White and Gunnar Wilson give the staff options, but the Cowboys still need the group to sort itself out once camp reps start stacking up. For a defense built around speed and flexibility, linebacker development and health could end up shaping how steady the entire unit looks this season. [Read more 🡒]