Sam Leavitt was 21-of-34 for 275 yards and three touchdowns as Arizona State defeated No. 20 Kansas State 24-14 in the first Big 12 Conference matchup between the two teams. Two of Leavitt's touchdowns were to Jordyn Tyson, who caught 12 passes for 176 yards.
The Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) had built a 24-0 lead in the third quarter before K-State got its offense going. Arizona State reached Kansas State territory on each of its first nine drives and was 9-of-15 on third downs. Arizona State has won all six regular-season meetings between the two schools.
K-State's only victory came in the 2002 Holiday Bowl. The Wildcats had just six first downs before getting the ball on its own 22 with 5:15 left in the third quarter on a fumble by Arizona State. Avery Johnson led two second-half touchdown drives.
Johnson finished 24-of-40 for 258 yards, but he had two interceptions and no touchdowns for Kansas State (7-3, 4-3 Big 12). K-State had a chance to make it a one-score game in the fourth quarter on a Chris Tennant 36-yard field-goal attempt with 2:02 left. But a bad snap led to Tennant's kick going wide right.
Penalties were costly for the Wildcats. They had halted the Sun Devils' first drive, but a defensive penalty on third down extended the drive and Leavitt found Tyson for an 11-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Trailing 21-0 early in the second quarter, Johnson found Dante Cephas on a 63-yard pass for a touchdown, but the Wildcats were called for an ineligible receiver downfield.
