The Arizona State Sun Devils began a new chapter in their football history with an electrifying performance on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium. The much-anticipated debut of freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, a transfer from Michigan State, lived up to the hype as the Sun Devils dismantled the Wyoming Cowboys 48-7. This game not only marked Leavitt's first start but also Arizona State’s inaugural game in the Big 12 Conference, making the victory even more significant.

But before we get to Leavitt, we must first acknowledge the job that Head Coach Kenny Dillingham did with the new look defense. And it was obvious from the first defensive drive of the game that Evan Svoboda, Wyoming’s quarterback would be in for a very long evening.

Just two plays into the game, Svoboda was picked off by Arizona State’s starting middle linebacker, Cyrus Fiaseu (#30) and returned for the 29-yard touchdown. And then on the following drive, he was picked off again, this time by Keyshawn Elliott, and returned 18 yards to the Wyoming 42 yard-line. That drive ended with an Ian Hershey field goal of 29 yards, giving the Arizona State Sun Devils a 10-0 lead with 6:19 remaining in the first quarter.

The Sun Devil defense would force a quick three-and-out as Wyoming continued to struggle moving the ball.

With 5:00 remaining in the first quarter, Leavitt would lead the Sun Devils no-huddle offense down the field on an 11-play, 72-yard drive that ended with no time on the clock with a DeCarlos Brooks 8-yard rush for another Sun Devils touchdown. The score at the end of the first quarter had Arizona State leading the Wyoming Cowboys by the score of 17-0.

The second quarter did not go any better for the Wyoming Cowboys offense. They ran a total of 13 plays in the quarter, and net a total of 11 yards as the Arizona State defense simply dominated Wyoming’s offensive line.

The Arizona State offense kept moving behind Leavitt’s precision passing, and the rushing of fan-favorite at running back, Cam Skattebo (#4). ASU would score on their first drive of the second quarter with the Leavitt effectively running the no-huddle offense down the field, ending in a Cam Skattebo touchdown (3 yard rush up the middle). The score with 9:47 remaining in the second quarter was Arizona State 24, Wyoming 0.

After the Sun Devils defense once again forced another Wyoming three and out, the Sun Devils moved the ball down to the Wyoming seven yard-line before stalling, forcing a 24-yard field goal by Ian Hershey. The score with 4:28 remaining was now ASU 27, Wyoming 0. And that’s where the score stayed until halftime. Arizona State did drive the ball down to the Wyoming 21-yard line with :13 seconds on the clock, but Hershey missed the 38 yard attempt.

Arizona State received the ball to start the third quarter. And it was just more of the same as Sam Leavitt would lead the Sun Devils down the field on a nine play, 75 yard drive that ended with a Leavitt 25-yard touchdown pass to Chamon Metayer (#7). Metayer is a Junior transfer at TightEnd who came over from Cincinnati. He would finish the game with two receptions for 32 yards, and one touchdown.

With 11:03 remaining in the third quarter, Arizona State had a 34-0 lead over the Wyoming Cowboys.

Struggling to find even a glimpse of anything positive, the Cowboys offense once again went three and out on their next drive. However, their defense would finally force the Sun Devils to punt the ball on their next drive and the Cowboys started that drive on their own 20 yard line.

Just two plays into the drive, Evan Svoboda would throw a backwards pass to his running back, which was not caught. The ball was scooped up by Arizona State’s Justin Wodtly (LE #95) and run in for the 17-yard touchdown, giving the Sun Devils a 41-0 lead with 6:07 remaining in the third quarter.

And if some is good, then more is better as Sam Leavitt would end the next Sun Devils drive (after a Wyoming punt) with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Kyson Brown (RB #2). This was the final score of the third quarter, and the final score on the evening for the Arizona State offense as more substitutes came in to play.

Sam Leavitt would finish the game 14-22 pass, for 258 yards, 2 touchdowns, and he also ran the ball 8 times for 47 yards.

As for the Wyoming Cowboys, yes, they would finally get on the board with just :02 remaining in the game. Chris Durr would score on a three yard reception from Cowboys backup QB Kaden Anderson. The final score of the game was 48-7 with the Sun Devils dominating their home opener and sending a lot of Arizona State fans home very happy. Well, accept for those who wanted the shutout.

Stars of the Game for Arizona State:

Sam Leavitt: 14/22 248, 2TD’s, 48RY
Cam Skattebo: 49RY, 1RTD, 1Rec, 17RY
DeCarlos Brooks: 47RY, 1TD
Tyson Brown: 2Rec, 73RY, 1TD
ASU Defense: Did not allow over 100 total offensive yards from Wyoming Cowboys until last drive of the game.

Arizona State’s overwhelming victory in their season opener sets a high bar for what the Sun Devils can achieve this season. With Sam Leavitt leading the offense and a defense that proved nearly impenetrable, ASU fans have much to look forward to. The Sun Devils' next challenge will be maintaining this momentum as they continue their journey in the Big 12, but if Saturday night was any indication, they are more than up to the task.

The Sun Devils will host Mississippi State on Saturday night, back at Mountain America Stadium.  The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the season after their win at home over Eastern Kentucky, 56-7.