Sam Leavitt let his emotions pour out under the Tempe lights after Arizona State’s shocking 26–22 upset over No. 7 Texas Tech. A week earlier, Leavitt was out with a foot injury. He was forced to watch from the sideline as the Sun Devils were flattened by Utah. He had waited too long to keep it bottled up. That’s why the Texas Tech game was somewhat of a redemption story for Leavitt.

Against the Red Raiders, Leavitt completed 28 out of 47 passes for 319 yards for a TD. It’s not bad for a guy coming right after an injury. But the wave of introspection started during the post-game presser, when Leavitt capitalized on his absence against Utah. “We were on the way to (Utah’s) stadium, I’ve got my headphones on, and I just started bawling. It’s a game that I put my everything into, and I couldn’t be out there for my guys. It was really rough on me,” Leavitt went on to add, “But I try to do my best for them. It really just gave me extra motivation going into this week. I was sitting in the cold tub room before this game and got those same emotions. It helped propel me to this win.”

ASU’s 42-10 loss against the Utes was a major wake-up call for the Sun Devils. Leavitt’s absence gave the green signal for Jeff Sims to play the QB. But the plan obviously didn’t work. Sims ended the game passing for 124 yards with zero touchdowns. The offensive line couldn’t block air, let alone Utah’s front seven. The Sun Devils could only stack up 135 yards of rushing in total, which was really not enough to break the Utah defense. ASU’s defense was demolished completely. Utah’s dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier made the Sun Devils look lost.

He rushed for 120 yards on 10 carries that resulted in three touchdowns. Plus, the Utes’ running backs took full advantage of busted containment. Arizona State gave up over 270 yards on the ground and six rushing scores, which is practically unheard of for this unit. But as that week passed by, the desperately needed win against Texas Tech finally gave ASU some relief. The best part? Sam Leavitt was there for his team and made it count. To take an example, during the third quarter, Leavitt managed to thread the needle in tight coverage while connecting with Jordyn Tyson for a crucial 2-yard touchdown.

However, the Sun Devils’ offense still showed some signs of struggle while settling for four field goals by Jesus Gomez. But with all that going on, Sam Leavitt never lost his cool. The climax came in the final two minutes with ASU down 22-19. Starting at their own 25, Leavitt led a smooth drive, hitting 5 of 7 passes for 61 yards. He stayed cool after a key pass interference on Texas Tech’s Brice Pollack gave the Sun Devils a boost, setting up Raleek Brown’s 1-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. And as the clock hit zero, fans stormed the Mountain America Stadium with joy.

For Leavitt, it was a major emotional moment. His injury could have been an obstacle for ASU’s playoff dreams, but snagging a win from an undefeated team makes it all go away.

Kenny Dillingham’s reaction to Leavitt’s performance

Sam Leavitt’s grit and dedication didn’t go unnoticed by his head coach, Kenny Dillingham. During the post-game talk, Dillingham showered admiration on his QB. “The dudes a battler, he’s a competitor, he was ready to play this week, and I felt he was ready to play this week,” Dillingham said about Leavitt. “He just does everything he can for this football team, and in this different moment, he makes a difference.”

Leavitt had been on and off the injury list all week. He started as a probable out scenario, but became a game-time decision. He missed the Utah game, which ended with the Sun Devils losing it. After that loss, fans grappled with the question of whether Leavitt could bounce back. The Sun Devils really needed him to orchestrate the offense against one of the better defenses in the country.

Leavitt’s impact against the Red Raiders was significant. Sure, his injury became a worrying factor for Dillingham. The coach seemed to carry the weight of those worries all week. But then he cleared all the doubts. After week 8, Leavitt has racked up 1358 yards with 9 TDs. The Sun Devils know they ride or die with their quarterback.