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Nov 25Β β’Β 7 min read
Why ASU's Monster Weekend Was Significant
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β π GOOD MORNING Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 -- Has there ever been a better time to be an ASU student / alumnus / fan? You'd be hard-pressed to find one. I was lucky enough to hang with our incredible PHNX Sun Devils crew at Mountain America Stadium for Saturday's huge win over the then-No. 14 BYU Cougars. But, honestly, the football program's achievement was just the tip of the iceberg over the weekend. The ASU hockey team not only snapped No. 1 (and defending national champion) Denver's 21-game winning streak on Friday -- it beat the Pioneers on Saturday, too, completing a two-game sweep. And the volleyball team? Well, the No. 9 Sun Devils clinched a share of the Big 12 title with a four-set win over Colorado, marking the team's first-ever conference title. ASU improved to 28-2 overall and 16-1 in the Big 12, all while not losing a match since Sept. 27 at Baylor. The Sun Devils have won 16 straight since that defeat in Waco. And then, of course, the football team's historic win over the Cougars on Saturday, which is where we find ourselves this morning. On to the show! π° LEADING OFF Sun Devils Took Step Towards Big 12 Title GameDon't call it an upset. Sure, on paper, BYU was ranked seven spots higher than the ASU football team. But in reality, the Sun Devils were actually three-point favorites heading into Saturday's nationally televised matchup, and neither the team, nor ASU fans, were a letdown in how they showed out. If you haven't taken notice yet, it's pretty late in the game -- even head coach Kenny Dillingham called it out in a jam-packed media room following his team's thrilling 28-23 win, which wrapped a perfect season 6-0 season at Mountain America Stadium while marking the team's sixth win in its last seven games. "Why are there more people here today," Dillingham quipped when he walked in and saw the litany of reporters. "We've gotta get a bigger room." With performances like this, they sure will, and sooner, rather than later. β±οΈ BECOME A DIEHARD TODAY!
New and Longtime Fans Take in Electric AtmosphereSaturday was not your average Sun Devils game. To start, BYU had plenty of representation in the sold-out stands, which is not an indictment on Sun Devils fans. The Cougars have always traveled extremely well, and coupled with the fact that they were unbeaten prior to last week's loss to Kansas, there was bound to be a strong showing of blue in the crowd. It didn't matter. Sun Devils fans were overwhelmingly early, loud, and at the very end, jubilant. Stephen Mathes, who has lived in Arizona for just seven years, showed up in ASU colors with a friend to watch the much-anticipated matchup. He said he first started cheering for the Sun Devils while watching the old Pac-12 After Dark programming, so when he relocated to Tempe, it was a natural fit. 2024 marks his second year as a season ticket holder, and he said the transformation in Dillingham's second year at the helm has been like something out of a fairy tale. "Last year was, quite frankly, miserable," Mathes said. "This year is totally different. People are super invested, the student section is really getting after it, and people are really getting behind these athletes, because they're easy to root for. "Kenny Dillingham epitomizes what Tempe, and the whole state of Arizona, is." Alumnus Clu Kerley, a lifelong Phoenix resident who graduated from ASU in 2011, said Dillingham's energy has been refreshing to watch. The team's success hasn't necessarily surprised him, but the team's meteoric rise and the reinvigorated fanbase have taken hold far faster than he ever imagined. "It's way above what I thought it could ever be," Kerley said. "I was hoping for 7-6, to be honest. Just be relevant, occasionally. This is immediate, honestly way faster, than anyone could have hoped for." The Team Noticed, TooIt wasn't just the Sun Devils faithful who took note of the electric atmosphere on Saturday -- the team certainly noticed, too. It was hard not to when thousands of fans stormed the field prematurely, causing a 15 minute delay as everyone sat on pins and needles. Be honest -- the thought of BYU with one more play was a sobering reminder that the game could have gone sideways.
But not these Sun Devils. Not this year. Not at Mountain America Stadium, and certainly not with The Valley fully activated. "We're going to have a lot more games that this state wants to show up to," he said. "You are going to want to have season tickets to those games, because you're not going to want to pay $300 to get in the stadium every single time. Buy your season tickets, and let's make that every single week next year." Daydreaming About the FutureIt seems somewhat obscene to think about next year when this season is still full of such promise. Still, it's hard to not think about the next game at Mountain America Stadium, considering ASU will not play there again this season. Those who were in attendance on Saturday were part of something special, and it was impossible to not sense magic in the air hours before kickoff.
Regardless of how this season ends, it's likely a safe bet that the Sun Devils will be a hot ticket next season, and potentially well into the future. "Let's make that every single week next year," Dillingham said. "Why would you not want to be in that environment? That was one of the most fun places to be in all of college football. Why would you not want to do that every Saturday?" We do, and can't wait to keep doing that. Editor's note: Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up for the FREE PHNX Daily here, and don't miss out on free, exclusive content about The Valley's top sports stories every morning! ποΈ ABOUT LAST NIGHT... (weekend edition) β½ CIRCLE K CIRCLING BACK π¬ THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID
(results to be posted in Monday's newsletter) π GEAR UP π» DON'T MISS OUT |
The PHNX Daily brings you the top sports stories in Arizona every day, delivered right to your inbox! Follow along with all of your beloved AZ sports teams as we bring unique, free content featuring your favorite players, coaches and personalities from throughout the state's sports scene. You can also catch up on the most recent stories from your favorite PHNX writers, check out the most recent podcast from our vast offering of shows, and find all the information needed to see which of your teams are playing on any given day, what time they start, and where you can watch or listen to them. It's all free, delivered to you bright and early each and every morning!