Sam Leavitt passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns in his first college start and Arizona State steamrolled Wyoming 48-7 in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night at Tempe, Ariz.
Leavitt, a transfer from Michigan State, completed 14 of 22 passes. The Sun Devils dominated from the outset, outgained the Cowboys 499-118, and had a 27-8 edge in first downs.
Zyrus Fiaseu and Justin Wodtly scored defensive touchdowns for Arizona State, which played its first game as a member of the Big 12 after leaving the Pac-12 following last season.
Evan Svoboda struggled for the Cowboys and completed 6 of 15 passes for 42 yards and two interceptions. Kaden Anderson tossed a 3-yard scoring pass to Chris Durr with two seconds left as Wyoming averted the shutout.
The Cowboys were playing their first game under Jay Sawvel, the defensive coordinator who was promoted to head coach after the retirement of Craig Bohl.
Arizona State’s first score came just 41 seconds into the game when Fiaseu intercepted Svoboda and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.
Ian Hershey booted a 29-yard field goal with 6:19 left in the quarter and DeCarlos Brooks scored on an 8-yard run on the final play for a 17-0 lead.
Cam Skattebo took a direct snap and scored from the 3 to make it a 24-point margin with 9:17 left in the first half. Hershey tacked on a 24-yard field goal with 4:28 left as the Sun Devils took a 27-0 lead into the break.
Leavitt tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chamon Metayer with 11:03 left in the third quarter before Arizona State tacked on another defensive score.
Svoboda threw a lateral pass that was slightly behind Tyler King and the receiver couldn’t catch the ball and didn’t attempt to cover it. A scramble ensued and Wodtly grabbed the ball and ran 6 yards for a touchdown to make it 41-0 with 6:07 left in the period.
A short time later, Kyson Brown caught a short pass from Leavitt and turned it into a 68-yard score to boost the margin to 48.
Anderson, a freshman, drove Wyoming 74 yards on nine plays late in the contest to spoil Arizona State’s shutout bid. The Cowboys had four of their eight first downs on the drive.
–Field Level Media