Call them the cardiac kids, Arizona State football team delivers in clutch

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Before the season started, experts from CBS Sports offered insight on each Big 12 team. One narrative was that the Sun Devils could not possibly replicate their success in 2024 because they could not come out on the winning end of as many close games as they did in that magical season, which resulted in a conference championship and berth in the College Football Playoff.

That turned out to be quite wrong.

While the Sun Devils (7-3, 5-21) don’t exactly have an inside track at a berth in the Big 12 title game, they have indeed had the same success in close games that they did in 2024.

Coach Kenny Dillingham’s squad registered 25-23 victory over West Virginia on Nov. 15. The difference in that game was a field goal by senior Jesus Gomez. It then took an interception by Keith Abney with 1:32 left to seal it.

Next up is a 6 p.m. game on Nov. 22 against the struggling Colorado Buffaloes (3-7, 1-6) at Folsom Field.

ASU is now 5-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer, 5-2 if you throw in the loss to Houston, which was by eight points.

“We put in the work day in and day out, and we trust each other that any time that a game is gonna come down to one of us, we have the belief in each other that we’re gonna get it done,” said senior quarterback Jeff Sims, who has started the last two games in place of injured starter Sam Leavitt.

ASU’s wins this season have come by three, three, four, five, and two points. So five of the seven wins have been by a combined 17 points. Most notable was the 26-22 win over a No. 6 Texas Tech team, which not only hasn’t lost to anybody else but hasn’t had a game closer than 20 points.

The winning games that didn’t go down to the wire were the victories over Northern Arizona and Texas State, two of the first three games in the season.

Gomez has booted three game-winners, which makes one wonder where the Sun Devils would be without him, given all the struggles last season in the field goal department. He has earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week four times, including the most recent one. Two of his game-winners came in back-to-back games against Baylor and TCU, the first of those coming on the final play of the contest.

Yes, the Sun Devils have had a flair for the dramatic. The fans have learned not to leave early. Much of the sellout crowd was still on hand in the closing minutes of the most recent victory.

“Some people find ways to win, some people find ways to lose,” Dillingham said. “Some are quiet and successful, versus those that are loud and successful. Some people are alphas, some people aren’t. There’s so many ways to be successful in football and in life. Some people like controversy, some people hate it. Do you get it done or not? Our guys get it done.”

How similar has this season been to 2024? Very in some ways, not much in others. In 2024, ASU was 6-2 in games decided by eight points or less, including the double-overtime loss to heavily favored Texas in the Peach Bowl.

The two factors that were different: Last season, ASU had a favorable schedule and went through the season relatively injury-free. Neither has been the case in 2025, a season in which it has to face Utah and Texas Tech back-to-back, the first of those without Leavitt.

Given that, Dillingham is pleased with how his team has fared. He also says the team has not played a complete game yet. It has faltered in one phase or another, but still managed to crack the College Football Playoff Top 25 this week.

If the team were to play a complete game, maybe it wouldn’t always come down to a last play or a last stop.

“I don’t consider ourselves fortunate because every game is hard to win, and we’re winning,” Dillingham said. “A lot of people would like to win close games, but I don’t think it’s by luck — I’ll say that. I think it’s through the work, relationships, and culture here that we’re winning close games. But it’s still very aggravating not to play a good football game. I don’t know if we’ve played one good football game this year.

“That just bothers the crap out of me because my goal every week is to play a good game in all three phases, and I don’t think we’ve done that yet. I keep challenging the guys and the staff. So I’m very frustrated by that, but I’m happy with where we’re at. You can be frustrated with the result but happy with the process, and that’s where I’m at.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State football winning by narrowest of margins

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