Kenny Dillingham is showering his Sun Devils with utmost leniency after their 24-19 win against Iowa State. QB Jeff Sims, stepping up after an injury to the starting QB, delivered a stellar performance with both his arm and legs. The 23-year-old ran for a school-record 228 yards and scored two touchdowns himself. The Sun Devils shook off early nerves and a tough Iowa State defense to edge out their rivals and lock in bowl eligibility at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play.

The happiness is unmatched, and that’s why Dillingham did something for the program that had never really happened before. The Sun Devils have the entire bye week off before they face West Virginia in the Week 11 clash. “They’re off till next Sunday,” Dillingham said during the post-game presser. “Yeah, never done that, never been around somebody that does it. It’s been an emotional season, emotionally, physically, mentally.” He further added, “These guys need to get away, and they need to come back ready for a three-game stretch where we can accomplish anything we want to accomplish. So I want these guys to get away.”

Plus, the Sun Devils are very relaxed with a 4-2 conference record. It’s still keeping its championship hopes alive despite two losses against Mississippi State and Utah. But the fact that they haven’t practiced for eight days sends a loud message. They’re practically waving the white flag in the Big 12 title chase. But as a matter of fact, they earned it. The game wasn’t a walk in the park, though. Iowa State came out firing, with a strong first quarter that saw the Cyclones jump to a 13-7 lead. But the Sun Devils, determined to prove they belong in the Big 12 mix.

Sims dropped a perfect touchdown throw to Chamon Metayer, giving the Sun Devils a crucial 17-10 lead. His legs acted like another player on the field. A perfect example was that jaw-dropping 88-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was a thing of beauty where he started between the tackles, broke outside, and powered down the field like a man on a mission to extend their lead to 24-16. A pivotal moment came late in the fourth quarter when ASU converted a critical fourth-and-2 play.

The drive ended with a Sims rushing touchdown to extend their lead. Sims finished the game, completing 13 out of 24 passes for 177 yards. However, the game wasn’t all hunky dory. The Sun Devils faced 11 penalty calls. The best part? It didn’t even take a single second for the first flag to fly. The referee flagged Arizona State’s Grayson Rigdon for holding on the opening kickoff, pushing the Sun Devils back from the 10 to the 5-yard line. In total, ASU gave up a brutal 119 yards on 11 penalties, while the Cyclones lost 64 yards on seven. But even with all these, Kenny Dillingham never fails to support his players. “Our guys are fighters,” said Dillingham. “They’re gonna fight, that’s one thing we’re gonna do. We may win, we may lose… But we’re gonna fight.”

And now the fighters are off to a whole long week’s vacation, which they truly deserve.

What’s going on with Sam Leavitt?

With the good also comes the bad, and Arizona State is having this feeling firsthand. Sam Leavitt is now undergoing a season-ending injury surgery. This was a tough pill to swallow for the Sun Devils, especially since Leavitt came into the year as the Big 12 preseason offensive player of the year and a highly touted NFL draft prospect. But the foot injury was hanging over his shoulder all season and finally forced the dreaded decision to shut him down.

Leavitt first sustained the injury back on September 20 against Baylor. Coach Kenny Dillingham was frank about the injury’s persistence, explaining that it “has been lingering all year” and hadn’t progressed in recovery as hoped. But Leavitt had been battling through it. In his limited time on the field this season, Leavitt still put up solid numbers: 1628 yards on 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Last year, Leavitt led Arizona State to the program’s first Big 12 title and first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. His skill set and leadership were critical to the Sun Devils’ offense. ASU’s transition from Leavitt to Jeff Sims had to be done. Sims had filled in for Leavitt earlier in the season against Utah and had starting experience from his time at Nebraska and Georgia Tech. But he sincerely proved himself against the Cyclones, as his legs did magic.