26-22 Arizona State beat #7 Texas Tech. Don’t want to bury the lead.
One day, storming the field won’t be a “thing” at Arizona State. One day, just not today. Storming the field means that you pulled off an upset. It means you weren’t supposed to win the game. But when you take down a team that has a NIL roster of a reported $28 million, you storm the field. The Red Raiders have much, much more cash to throw at building a roster than Arizona State is currently able to do.
One day, it will be expected that you beat any team that comes into Sun Devil Stadium, just not today.
Kenny Dillingham was emotional, had to have his comments “bleeped” and was swept away by the students during his postgame interview on FOX. One day, he’ll be in the same situation, say a few words, and move on to the next opponent. Just not today…
Perhaps some people will look at the disparity in the money being spent on football at Lubbock and do something about it in Tempe. Just not today…
I’m not going with the narrative that Texas Tech was playing their backup quarterback and didn’t capitalize on several opportunities presented to them. Arizona State once again couldn’t punch the ball in the end zone and had to settle for field goals. Not a good combination if you want to win another Big 12 title. In a fickle sports market that doesn’t have much in the way of grit, Saturday’s field storm was fun to witness, but if the outcome on the scoreboard went to the visitors with the big payroll, I’d doubt the stadium would be even 75 percent full next week for the home game with Houston.
“Activate the Valley” sounds great, but comes with the responsibility of competing financially with Texas Tech. Kenny Dillingham is walking into the same living rooms as the Red Raiders, pursuing many of the same players, and has maybe half to spend as his competitor. He’s going into a sword fight with a piece of spaghetti.
For me, Saturday’s win was impressive. Seven days ago, Arizona State played like a team going back through the all-you-can-eat buffet line for the tenth time. This is still not a finished product by any stretch, but I believe that as the Big 12 gets to the back half of the season, both the Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats will be in a position where the T-Cup will mean much more than usual. Winning that game means you can storm the field…
