"A lot of it was my fault": Kenny Dillingham takes the fall for ASU blowing up massive leads last season

Last season, the Arizona State Sun Devils had what many teams would think was a very good season. They came into the season with very low expectations but ended up winning the Big 12 Conference and nearly making it into the College Football Playoff semifinals.

However, one thing that the Sun Devils did that should be improved on is that, at times, they let big leads go.

On Thursday, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham spoke about this on SportsCenter. He said the following (Timeline 2:25):

"We lost some big leads there. A lot of that was my fault as a coach, not a player."

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Dillingham and the Sun Devils entered the 2024 season with low expectations after a 3-9 campaign in his first year. Viewed as non-contenders, Arizona State was ranked last in the Big 12 preseason poll

They began their season with widely expected wins (and even beat Mississippi State, another struggling team in a top conference). However, according to Dillingham, the turning point of this season was their 35-31 win over the Kansas Jayhawks.

From this point on, we saw a new Arizona State team, one that no one expected to see. They won all except one of their games on their way to the Big 12 Conference title.

Most of these games involved the Sun Devils putting up a lot of points in nearly every match against their opponents. While this large margin did not always last (something that Kenny Dillingham takes full responsibility for), it was enough for Arizona State to win.

Arizona State QB Sam Levitt praises Kenny Dillingham

Numerous players made a strong contribution to the overall success of the Sun Devils' program last season. One of them was quarterback Sam Levitt, who is returning to the team this season.

Levitt spoke to Cronkite News on Wednesday, where he praised the program and Kenny Dillingham. He said:

"It’s the culture, the trust and the belief in each other and the coaching staff,(Dillingham’s) such an honest person and he’s never going to steer you wrong. That’s trickled down to every single aspect of our entire staff.”

Dillingham will want to repeat his 2,885-yard and 25-touchdown season. However, he will have to do so without star running back Cam Skattebo, who was drafted by the New York Giants.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec