Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson had 105 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown, and the Sun Devils beat the Texas State Bobcats 34-15 in a nonconference game Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.
Tyson had his 11th straight game with at least 60 yards receiving, extending the longest active streak in the FBS, and his 12 touchdown passes are tied with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith for the most in that span.
Raleek Brown had a career-high 144 yards rushing, including a 75-yard scoring burst, and Leavitt added 59 yards rushing and a touchdown run as Arizona State (2-1) bounced back from a last-minute 24-20 loss at Mississippi State last week that dropped them out of the AP Top 25. They opened the season at No. 11.
Tyson gave the Sun Devils a lead they never lost early in the second quarter, when he took a jump-pass from Leavitt, hurdled a defender at the 5-yard line along the left sideline and dove into the end zone to complete a 30-yard scoring play and break a 3-3 tie.
Quarterback Brad Jackson completed 25 of 36 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown and Beau Sparks had 10 receptions for 70 yards for the Bobcats (2-1).
Jackson scored on a 7-yard keeper on a fourth-down play that closed the deficit to 27-9 with 2:29 left in the third quarter, but Brown scored on the next play from scrimmage to put the Sun Devils back in control.
Jackson’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Kylen Evans capped a 14-play drive to make it 34-15 with 5:26 left.
Chamon Metayer had six receptions and a 27-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter for the defending Big 12 champion Sun Devils, who open conference play at Baylor next Saturday.
The Sun Devils outgained the Bobcats 433-303 and did not have a turnover after committing two — Leavitt interceptions — against Mississippi State. Arizona State turned one of the Bobcats’ two turnovers into a touchdown.
Sparks led the FBS with five touchdown receptions entering the game but his fumble led to Leavitt’s 1-yard run at 10:22 of the second quarter for a 17-3 lead that grew to 27-3 on Metayer’s score.
–Field Level Media
