Kenny Dillingham Speaks on Play That Motivates Him

Head coach Kenny Dillingham had a wide-ranging discussion with Pete Nakos of ON3 last week.

Along with discussing the potential Arizona State has to become an elite program, and working to prove that the previous season wasn't a flash in the pan, Dillingham also discussed the single moment that continues to motivate him - the 4th-and-13 play his defense ceded a touchdown at a time that Texas had to gain a first down to extend the game.

“It obviously bothers me."

“I’ll always have that moment of, it’s 4th-and-13. You look across the field, and you can see the vision of [Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian] Sark calling the play. You hear our play called in slow motion, and I’m processing what’s happening. They get in the formation that you want. You’re like, ‘OK, we got them.’

“And then they check, and you’re like, ‘Oh, no, we got to get out of this.’ It just happened too fast. Ball snapped, and then dang. That’ll never change.”

The heart-breaking loss will stay on the minds of Arizona State fans for some time, but positives can ultimately be taken out of the loss moving forward - Dillingham's program could eventually end up on the right side of tightly contested battles on huge stages.

It's well documented that the Sun Devils did not put forth a strong effort to begin the game - a punt return to the house and a quick Texas touchdown drive to follow made the game appear to be trending towards blowout territory.

Then, Brian Ward's defense stepped up, and Cam Skattebo came alive.

The Sun Devils tied the game at 24 and held the ball with a chance to win the game prior to a controversial targeting no-call.

Overtime then came into play and the infamous fourth down play was able to go down in history.

Still, the Sun Devils played a national power in Texas far better than virtually anyone expected them to, and shifted the perception from 'cinderella' to 'force to be reckoned with' in just two months.

Now, the onus is on Dillingham, AD Graham Rossini, the coaching staff, the roster, and the alumni base to continue the unbelievable momentum that has been built over the last year.

Read more about how the Sun Devil program is being perceived three months before the season is set to start here, and about the continued efforts of coaches on the recruiting trail here.

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