Arizona State football’s offense struck Southern Utah with deep passes and a 14-point halftime lead. 

Then, lightning hit. 

The Sun Devils, in their first game under coach Kenny Dillingham and with new starting freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada, sat inside for two hours and 36 minutes for a weather delay, which included a dust storm that affected visibility of Mountain America Stadium and lightning that persisted at halftime. 

Arizona State returned to the field after 11 p.m. PT, but it clearly was not the same team it was in the first half. The Sun Devils skated by the Firebirds with a 24-21 win in their home opener with a drive in which they were able to run out the clock. 

Dillingham in his press conference said he was intent on finding out why the Sun Devils did not play better. 

“The question is, why?” Dillingham said. “And how do you let a circumstance affect us like that? That’s something that I got to find a resolution to. That’s something that I, myself and our staff have to find a way for that not to happen.” 

Arizona State played a clean half in the first two quarters with one penalty. Then, with the delay and a very late start to the second half, the Sun Devils lost focus. 

They had eight penalties in the second half that went for 85 yards. Arizona State had three key holding penalties in the third quarter, including one on its first play and the half and two that followed an 81-yard kickoff return from junior wide receiver Elijhah Badger that put it at Southern Utah’s six-yard line. 

Arizona State later had a punt blocked that Southern Utah junior and former Mesa Red Mountain safety George Ramirez returned for a touchdown. The Sun Devils led 24-21 with 7:50 left in a game they were expected to win handedly. 

“A rain delay is one of the smallest circumstances you’re going to face in a football game,” Dillingham said. “There’s going to be a game you’re down 21. It’s a lot worse than having a rain delay. So we got to learn how to respond, and when we lost the momentum, right, or we didn’t keep the momentum, how do we respond to that?”

Arizona State was forced to punt on its next drive following three straight incompletions. However, its defense responded by forcing a three-and-out on the Firebirds that gave it the ball back with 5:19. 

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Looking to seal the game, the Sun Devils converted on third-and-5 with a 26-yard pass from Rashada to running back Cam Skattebo for 26 yards. Arizona State was then whistled for an illegal formation, but it picked up a first down on a second-and-14 with a 16-yard pass from Rashada to Badger. 

Southern Utah burned its final two timeouts, but the Sun Devils were able to seal the game with a six-yard rush from running back DeCarlos Brooks on third-and-2. 

Even though Arizona State football did not find a rhythm for much of the second half, its coach was proud it finished the game. 

“At the end of the day, you guys got it done,” Dillingham said. 

In his debut, Rashada completed 18-of-31 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Xavier Guillory caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Rashada in the first half and led the Sun Devils' receivers with five receptions for 73 yards. Skattebo led Arizona State's rushers with 17 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Brooks followed with 12 carries for 63 yards.

Arizona State finished with 371 yards of offense compared to Southern Utah's 226.

The Sun Devils improved to 1-0 in their new era under Dillingham. Arizona State is trying to turn the page from a dark cloud hanging over the program from its tenure under coach Herm Edwards and an ongoing NCAA investigation into its recruiting practices. 

Even though he, his staff and many of his players were not with the program at the time, Dillingham and Arizona State football are under a self-imposed one-year postseason ban, which means they cannot qualify for a bowl game or even play in the Pac-12 Championship if they qualify. 

The Sun Devils, who are using the rallying cry “Activate the Valley” to bring back momentum to their program, insist they have plenty to play for. There was plenty they felt went wrong but they did enough to get a first win under their new coach.