To quote Dabo Swinney, if Arizona State’s a stock, you better buy all you freaking can buy right now.
The over/under for the Sun Devils in Kenny Dillingham’s second season as head coach was 4.5 wins. Arizona State hit the over with a 27-19 win over the No. 19 Utah Utes on Friday night. And in the postgame press conference, Dillingham implored those who pressed their luck in Las Vegas to pour that back into the program’s collective.
He also urged those around the country to buy into the youngest head coach in the Power 4 with an electric postgame interview with ESPN’s Paul Carcaterra.
— wow that was crazy (@CowardlyDoggo) October 12, 2024
As the Arizona State faithful stormed the field at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Dillingham didn’t grab the mic from Carcaterra — but he might as well have. He was immediately asked about his running back, Cameron Skattebo, who rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns — including the game-winner with just over two minutes to play.
Dillingham soaked up the interview, but he undoubtedly wanted to celebrate with the students (and his team).
“His mindset — he’s got a dog mentality,” Dillingham said regarding what makes Skattebo different. “This team fights, and they fight, and they fight. And that’s who you need to talk to right now, not me.”
Dillingham looked around, trying to find his 22-year-old running back amidst the pandemonium. But Carcaterra was quick to say, “Good luck finding him. “He had been able to secure a postgame interview with the 34-year-old Dillingham on the field, and he wasn’t about to lose him for a needle in a haystack.
As Carcaterra tried to ask Dillingham what impressed him the most about his defense, he turned around and screamed in jubilation with Arizona State students — almost forgetting where he was. And who could blame him? It’s his signature win as the Sun Devils’ head coach, and he wants to soak it in.
“We stopped the run (on them) in the first half, and we had great RedZone (defense),” he said. “We fought, man. We competed. That’s what football’s about — competing.”
And that’s what the Sun Devils did. They competed in an 8-point victory against a team they lost to 55-3 a season prior.
What’s the difference?
“Our want, man. We put in the work,” Dillingham continues. Our kids care. We have kids that care. They do it for each other, and they love (inaudible).”
Dillingham is an Arizona State alum himself. It’s hard for him to contextualize what Friday’s win means to him — and the program. He started his college football coaching at ASU, having known then-offensive coordinator Mike Norvell (now the head coach at Florida State) during his tenure at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale.
“I was one of these guys. I was doing this,” said Dillingham as he jumped around in celebration, disappearing into the abyss.
That was the interview right there. There was no getting Dillingham back; he belonged to the students and the crowd now. They needed him to celebrate one of the biggest wins in recent program memory. After all, he’s one of them, so good luck pulling him back in.
In that electric moment, Dillingham wasn’t just a coach — he was a reflection of the students and fans storming the field. He didn’t grab the mic, but he didn’t need to. His energy, his excitement, his refusal to take the credit for himself — it all spoke volumes.
[ESPN]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.