Jordyn Tyson snags 2 late TDs after miscues to lift Arizona State football over Kansas

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 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.

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.