No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils have a problem heading into Saturday's road game against the Utah Utes. Starting quarterback Sam Leavitt probably isn't playing, and head coach Kenny Dillingham made that pretty clear on Friday. The Sun Devils may now have to adjust their plans without their starting quarterback.
Dillingham talked about his starting quarterback. “Sam’s been battling something going back to Baylor (on Sept. 20). Bye week was good for him to get kind of back, and this week it didn’t feel as good as we wanted to. … If he plays in the game, it’ll be a mini miracle. I’d be shocked,” Dillingham said, according to Arizona Sports.
He played through it against TCU on September 26, throwing for 291 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 56 yards and another score in the comeback win. The bye week was supposed to fix things, but it got worse instead.
The redshirt sophomore went from probable to doubtful in just 24 hours, a quick change that raised concerns. If Leavitt can't play, former Nebraska and Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims will start.
Leavitt's injury isn't new. Rib injuries have bothered him before, including one that forced him to miss a game last October.
Arizona State Turns to Experienced Backup
That's where Sims comes in. The sixth-year quarterback has 26 career starts across three schools. He started once for Arizona State last year in a loss at Cincinnati, finishing with 52.2% completions for 155 yards and 53 rushing yards. This season, he's only played limited time against Northern Arizona and Texas State, with three carries for 22 yards total.
Losing Leavitt changes everything for a Sun Devils team sitting at 4-1 and 2-0 in Big 12 play. The sophomore has been solid this year, completing 63.1% of his passes for 1,039 yards with eight touchdowns and three picks through five games. Add in 281 rushing yards and five scores on the ground at 5.1 per carry, and you see why this hurts.
The challenge gets tougher with Sims likely starting as Arizona State faces Utah in Salt Lake City at 10:15 PM ET on Saturday. They will look to keep their strong start rolling and stay in control of their Big 12 championship hopes heading into the thick of conference play.
