TEMPE — Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson caught a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome first-half miscues in a 35-31 win over Kansas on Saturday at Mountain America Stadium.

All even at 14s to start the second half, the final quarter saw five lead changes as Tyson cashed in the Sun Devil’s final two scores with 32-yard and 3-yard touchdown grabs.

With 2:04 remaining, ASU leaned heavily on the ground attack, with seven straight runs to set up the only pass of quarterback Sam Leavitt to Tyson.

Tyson’s game did not start off as successful. He fumbled in Kansas territory in the second quarter and later saw a tipped pass land with the Jayhawks for an interception before later finding redemption.

The sophomore wide out credited assistant coach and former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward for helping him develop in such a short time period.

“On that (last) touchdown, (Ward) has been preaching, ‘Dig, dig, dig,’” Tyson said. “I dug. What happened? Touchdown. It’s everything. (Ward) has been there, done that. He’s not going to tell me nothing that’s wrong.”

Arizona State football leaned heavily on the run game in their final drive, setting up Sam Leavitt’s game-winning TD pass to Jordyn Tyson with 16 seconds on the clock.

Listen to the call by @MunnyBall: pic.twitter.com/wUNvoOWWjd

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 6, 2024

Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham said he gave Tyson the game ball because the program is all about how players respond to mistakes.

“(Tyson) was about as upset as you could possibly be,” Dillingham said. “The fact that he could regather himself, and go execute and finish with a positive attitude is everything we’re trying to build here.”

ASU running back Cam Skattebo was key as well, rattling off several chunk-yardage runs to keep the Sun Devil hope alive. He did not quite match a 262-yard performance in a 30-23 win over Mississippi State, but the senior hustled for 186 ground yards on 25 carries. A 39-yard gain in the fourth quarter matched a season-high (also against Mississippi State) and Skattebo had six rushes for 10+ yards for a productive day.

Redshirt freshman Leavitt threw for a career-high four touchdowns on 14-of-24 passing while responsible for 157 yards. He also had success with his legs, Leavitt covering a career-high 77 yards on 10 carries, including 18 yards on the game-winning drive.

“We do 2-minute all the time in practice,” Leavitt said. “Dillingham just said fall back on your training. … We were able to bust a big run that helped us set (the game-winning touchdown) up. The O-line played a hell of a game. … A couple of plays early in the game, a couple of mistakes, but why would I ever lose faith?”

The Sun Devils strolled down the field for a opening 7-play, 75-yard score as Leavitt hooked up with wide receiver Xavier Guillory from 28 yards out. ASU has now scored a touchdown on its opening drive in four of its first five games.

Putting this game in the mix, Kansas has held a fourth-quarter lead in five of its six games. The Jayhawks had won eight straight when they did not a commit a turnover before Saturday.

All smiles from the Sun Devils after their first win in the Big 12. pic.twitter.com/X2GVMjaRRq

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 6, 2024

A 107-degree kickoff temperature in Tempe was the hottest recorded since 2000. ASU played in record-type heat for the first time in October, as every other occasion occurred in late August or early September.

Junior defensive back Xavion Alford, who recorded three tackles, said he was not fazed by the scorching conditions.

“It did not feel like (107 degrees) to me,” Alford said. “It might have felt like that to (Kansas).”

Arizona State (4-1, 1-1) will now shift its focus to the Utes (4-1, 1-1), hosting their third Big 12 opponent of the season on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – A four-day murder trial ended Friday with an Arizona man found guilty of strangling his friend in their hotel room during a trip to Panama City Beach in 2021.

State Attorney Larry Basford announced that 43-year-old Scottie Jay Black of Arizona was charged with second-degree murder in the October 3, 2021, death of 41-year-old Tyrell James Sagg.

We’re told the case began on October 3, 2021, when Black and Sagg’s girlfriend reportedly found him dead on the floor of their hotel room in Panama City Beach. The three were apparently on vacation.

The autopsy reportedly found internal injuries consistent with being strangled. Further investigation showed the defendant and the woman later withdrew money using the victim’s ATM card and returned to Arizona. More evidence revealed that no one else entered or left the room at the time the victim was killed.

We’re told 12 witnesses were called at the trial by Prosecutors Peter Overstreet and Nadia DeAbreu. A Navajo Nation Police Department investigator who helped locate the suspect and two Panama City Beach Police Department investigators who flew to Arizona to interview Black were included.

A 5-hour interview was reportedly played to the jurors, including the defendant’s story changed multiple times.

“Mr. Black thought he had done a good job of covering up his crime,” said Overstreet. “However, the testimony of the Medical Examiner (Jay Radtke) and the extremely thorough investigation of the Panama City Beach Police Department’s criminal investigators led to the jury seeing the truth of what occurred that fateful night in the hotel room.”

They say the jury deliberated for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

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PHOENIX – Arizona teachers are now eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in classroom grants that go toward STEM and social science education.

Salt River Project offers two grants for teachers. The STEM Grant gives up to $5,000 per school for projects that create innovative teaching methods in math and science.

The Social Science Grant provides up to $2,500 per school for the study of history, geography, civics, government and economics.

Funds from the grant can go toward purchasing equipment and supplies that will aid the teacher’s curriculum.

“The grant from SRP has helped fund a high-quality 3D printer for my classroom, which lets my students bring their ideas to life,” Dr. Melissa Wendell, engineering teacher at Corona del Sol High School, said in a press release.

SRP opened applications for the grants on Tuesday but educators can submit until Feb. 28, 2025.

When applying, teachers will need to address six metrics, which include a description of their project, an explanation of why the money is needed, a timeline of the project, how many students will be impacted, how the grant money will be spent and how the teacher plans to evaluate the success of the project.

To apply the educator must be a certified teacher in the metro Phoenix area, Pinal County, Gila County, Yavapai County, Page, St. Johns and NGS community chapters.

More information on the grants and the submission rubric can be found on SRP’s website.