TEMPE, Ariz. – Minutes after Arizona State’s 27-19 victory over No. 16 Utah, Kenny Dillingham stood among a growing crowd of people on the field at Mountain America Stadium for what was shaping up to be one of the most entertaining television programs on the field to become. experiences of the season.

An ESPN reporter asked Dillingham about Cameron Skattebo and what makes the senior running back so different. “His mentality,” Dillingham said late Friday night, trying to make his voice heard above the celebration. Fans on the left encountered Dillingham. Arizona State’s coach turned to them and shouted like he was at a rock concert.

“We fought! We participated!” Dillingham said, turning his attention back to the interview. “We did the work! … Our kids care!”

The reporter asked Dillingham what a scene like this meant to him, an Arizona State alum, someone who grew up not far from this field.

“It’s pretty crazy! I was one of these guys!” the 34-year-old coach said, referring to the fans.

Dillingham raised his right arm and walked backwards into the crowd, jumping, jumping, until he was swallowed up, lost in Friday night’s celebration. In terms of exits, this was the best of the college football season, which is appropriate because Arizona State has been one of the biggest surprises through six weeks.

Kenny Dillingham with a classic postgame interview right after @ASUFootball takes down number 16 Utah at home 🤣#Big12FB | 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/uyBXXEDETh

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 12, 2024

Entering their first Big 12 season, the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the conference. They won three games in Dillingham’s first season. This year, the Sun Devils, still recovering from an NCAA investigation under former coach Herm Edwards, were not expected to win much more.

And yet, midway through the regular season, Arizona State is 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big 12 and on the cusp of the top 25.

Credit Skattebo, one of the best running backs in the country. He is so respected that he talked the coaching staff into going for a fourth-and-1 from the ASU 29 early in the fourth quarter Friday night, a move that backfired and could have cost the Sun Devils the game.

Credit Sam Leavitt, the freshman quarterback who continues to improve and shows poise beyond his years. Leavitt left in the second quarter after taking a strong hit to the ribs, but returned in the second half and steadied the Sun Devils. Credit a physical Arizona State defense that held Utah (4-2, 1-2) to a field goal after Skattebo was stopped on fourth down. Complementary football at its best.

But especially credit to Dillingham, a coach who enjoys playing video games with his players, but who recently challenged Skattebo in front of the entire team during practice, because firstly, Skattebo was not on the kickoff team as assigned, and secondly, Dillingham knows which buttons to press must press.

“Skatt needs to be challenged. That’s his personality,” he said.

In just his second year, Kenny Dillingham has taken a program mired in scandal to the brink of the top 25 after a 5-1 start. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Dillingham has an unusual bond with this team. This was already evident last week, after Arizona State defeated Kansas in the final minutes. After the match, Dillingham was interviewed in midfield, just like on Friday evening. This time, Dillingham stood next to Leavitt, his quarterback. Dillingham credited Leavitt. Leavitt credited Dillingham. Then they turned and ran to the locker room, one arm around the other, looking like brothers and having the time of their lives.

Jared Leavitt, the quarterback’s father, wasn’t surprised. After Sam Leavitt entered the transfer portal last November, the family flew to the desert for a visit. Dillingham had recruited Sam Leavitt in high school, so Jared and Sam knew him. Yet Jared Leavitt was still impressed by the coach’s honesty and enthusiasm.

“He was so casual,” Jared Leavitt said in a recent phone interview. “Most college coaches, mostblowing up a little bit, walking around, especially the head coach. Make it feel like a privilege to even talk to them. And man, he wasn’t like that. We went out to dinner and he did card tricks. There was no arrogance about the man at all.”

When he was hired in November 2022, so much attention was paid to Dillingham’s youth. “The youngest Power 5 coach in the country!” Someone less confident would have strayed outside his personality, tried to act outside his age. Dillingham said he did this once. About six months at another school. He got caught up in, “Let me be what all these other coaches are.” But the act failed miserably. People saw through it.

Dillingham understands that he is different. And he realizes that in an industry of copycats, this may be his biggest advantage. “It may not look like the model of what success looks like in college, but I do believe that the only way I can be successful – and we can be successful – is if the person driving the boat believes and is sincere towards who he or she is. ” he said.

Arizona State opened with wins over Wyoming (having a bad season), Mississippi State (having a worse season) and Texas State (doing just fine). The Sun Devils lost their Big 12 opener at Texas Tech, but rallied to beat Kansas in a shootout. The most impressive thing was their lead. Skattebo ran away violently and sought contact instead of running from it. The defense, physical and fast, swarmed to the ball. It was a good start for a reconstruction program.

But beating Utah is different. Last year, the Utes embarrassed the Sun Devils, suffering their biggest loss as a Pac-12 school. When a reporter at Dillingham’s weekly news conference mentioned the final score of 55-3, the coach acted as if it had been erased from memory.

“What was the score?” he said.

“Fifty-five to three,” the reporter replied.

“Again?”

“Fifty-five to three.”

Such losses leave a scar, even in the free-agency era of college football. Players come and go, rosters turn, but a 55-3 defeat lingers. That’s why so many around the program were hoping the Sun Devils could just stay close on Friday night and use the game as a springboard to a better day.

Perhaps that day is closer than previously thought.

CAM SKATTEBO CAN’T STOP 🔥

ARIZONA STATE LEADS NO. 16 UTAH BY 8 WITH LESS THAN 3 MINUTES LEFT! pic.twitter.com/lD3hqudvZb

— ESPN (@espn) October 12, 2024

Skattebo rushed for 158 yards, including second-half touchdown runs of 50 and 47 yards. Receiver Jordyn Tyson had five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Caleb McCullough had 12 tackles and twice intercepted Utah quarterback Cameron Rising, who was playing for the first time since Sept. 7 because of a hand injury.

During his weekly radio show last week, the host pointed out that Skattebo and Leavitt had won weekly conference awards and wondered if Dillingham had said anything to them about dealing with success. Dillingham scoffed. “The people who gave out the awards are the same people who picked us last,” he said.

Arizona State’s coach reiterated a similar message at Friday night’s postgame press conference. The noise around his team may be changing, but it’s still noise. The Sun Devils can’t change their approach, Dillingham said. The Sun Devils are a team working to build a program. This was another step, but a big one. And that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy it.

“That’s what college sports are about,” Dillingham said. “You go to a school (so) you can remember moments like this.”

(Top photo of Arizona State players and fans celebrating Friday’s win over Utah: Chris Coduto/Getty Images)