It sucks to be a Sun Devil after UA loss, but that's a good thing

It’s not much fun to be a Sun Devil, right now; but would you believe that’s a good thing for the program?

“Not many times in your life do you get the opportunity to change (something) from the bottom, to literally write your own story, but that’s what this team did,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said after a 23-7 Territorial Cup loss to the UA Wildcats at Mountain America Stadium.

“Guess what? Not all stories end with a happy ending. But this story is unbelievable. Unbelievable.”

Dillingham was saying goodbye to a class of seniors who revived ASU.

“We were dead,” Dillingham said. “Absolutely nobody wanted to be here.”

There were back-to-back three-win seasons, an NCAA investigation and a wave of players and coaches exiting the program, none more prominent than Jayden Daniels, who took his talents to the swamps of LSU and won a Heisman Trophy.

“(These guys) took a team and did something that hasn’t been done here in 12 years,” Dillingham said. “(We had) back-to-back eight-win seasons.”

It might sound like spin, except he’s not wrong.

The UA loss was hard.

The Sun Devils had a lot to play for.

It wasn’t exactly ’82 or ’85 when Territorial Cup losses kept ASU out of the Rose Bowl. And it wasn’t ’86, when Arizona messed up ASU’s shot at an undefeated season.

But ASU had a chance to win the Big 12 and return to the College Football Playoff. UA put an end to all of that.

“I told our guys in the locker room, this sucks,” Dillingham said. “This is horrible.”

It’s easy to see why the Sun Devils lost, though.

Most of their best players were on the sidelines.

Jordyn Tyson got hurt on a 17-yard, first-quarter catch and for the second time in two years, had to watch the end of the Territorial Cup game from the bench.

Offensive lineman Ben Coleman got suited up one last time for Senior Day, but his torn biceps kept him out of action.

Sam Leavitt was wearing his No. 10 jersey — and a boot on his injured right foot.

And former ASU Heisman candidate Cam Skattebo returned to Tempe wearing his maroon No. 4 jersey, and a boot on his injured right ankle. (Sparky, the mascot, was wearing Skatt’s blue No. 44 Giants jersey.)

The game was ugly.

UA won time of possession, 40:01 to 19:59.

College football: Takeaways as Arizona State loses ugly to Arizona in Territorial Cup

UA won the turnover battle, 5-1.

And UA was dominant on third down, going 10-for-20. ASU was a measly 3-for-11.

ASU quarterback Jeff Sims gave it all he had, but it wasn’t enough.

He was clearly upset as he walked off the field for the last time. Leavitt, on his knee scooter, wheeled up to Sims and tried to offer encouragement. Leavitt patted Sims on the chest and urged him to keep his head up.

Sims just walked toward the locker room, stoically.

It was no fun to be Jeff Sims.

It was no fun to be a Sun Devil.

But would you believe that’s a good thing for the program?

They sold out every home game this season. (When was the last time that happened?)

“That environment was as good as any environment,” Dillingham said. “We’re (heading) in the right direction.”

They beat some good teams, none better than Texas Tech (10-1, and ASU is responsible for the lone blemish.)

And the Sun Devils stayed in the mix until the final regular-season game.

The result? ASU fans were disappointed to finish 8-4.

Eight wins aren’t a given in Tempe.

The last time this program won eight games, it triggered a recruiting investigation that ended with all of those victories being vacated.

Eight wins in back-to-back seasons should have ASU fans dancing in the streets. Instead, it feels like hell to be a Sun Devil.

That means the fans are engaged. It means they’re ready for more. Most importantly, they have a legitimate reason to expect more.

And if that doesn’t show how far the program has come in the last two years, then I don’t know what does.

“This loss sucks ... But it does not define the direction we’re going,” Dillingham said. “It does not define the excitement in that stadium. It does not define our players.”

He’s not wrong.

This loss hurts if you’re a Sun Devil; but believe it or not, that pain is a good thing for this program.

Reach Moore at [email protected] or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore, Instagram, @SayingMoore, and TikTok, @SayingMoore.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The silver lining to ASU's loss in the Territorial Cup