Perhaps no one better understands the significance of Arizona State’s win over BYU Saturday than Kenny Dillingham.
A Phoenix native, ASU grad and the current head coach of the Sun Devils, Dillingham has seen plenty of highs and lows over his 34 years observing the program.
Saturday, however, he helped author one of the school’s greatest football stories ever, continuing to defy the preseason odds by beating the No. 14-ranked Cougars and taking a major step closer to clinching a Big 12 championship game berth.
“We won the football game. We beat another ranked team in Mountain America Stadium,” Dillingham told reporters after the game. “This is all about the guys. These guys battled, these guys fought, these guys found a way to win.
“It doesn’t matter whatever happened at the end, but you know what? We got to rush the field twice. How about that? We rushed the field three times this year. That’s pretty cool. Not many people get the opportunity to do that. Come to Arizona State because there’s going to be a lot more of that coming forward.”
Arizona State held a 21-3 halftime lead only for BYU to rally back and nearly pull off the win until a Jake Retzlaff interception ultimately buried the Cougars with a minute remaining in the contest.
While his team’s lead shrunk throughout the second half and was nearly taken away, Dillingham’s confidence didn’t waver, as he embraced the Sun Devils’ knack for suspense.
“We’re going to make one play, (if) we make one play the rest of the game we win,” Dillingham recalled telling his players. “... And guess what? We got it, we got the play.
“We got the play to win the football game, and what’s just so special is that when you look at the guys, (they) have such confidence. It’s like, ‘Oh, the game’s close? I’m glad I’m on this sideline.’ I wouldn’t want to be on the other sideline because that’s what we do. We win close games and we like drama, so it’s perfect.”
If Arizona State wins next weekend against rival Arizona, Dillingham’s squad will advance to the Big 12 championship game in its first year competing in the conference and after having been selected as the last place finisher in the preseason media poll.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Arizona State, Kenny Dillingham and the team,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “They were ready and I thought they had a great start, a well-coached team.
“You look at the weapons that they have on offense and then you look at what the defense has done. That’s an underrated defense that I don’t think a lot of people give enough credit to.”
The Cougars, meanwhile, can clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game with a win over Houston next week along with a loss from the Sun Devils or Iowa State.