Kenny Dillingham Made Sure Arizona State Shook Hands with Texas After Peach Bowl Loss

The Sun Devils head coach wasn't going to let his team get away with being unsportsmanlike after their playoff defeat.

Dillingham made sure the Sun Devils stayed sportsmanlike after the loss. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After Arizona State lost 39-31 to Texas in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on Wednesday, some Sun Devils players tried to scurry off the field.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham wasn't going to let it happen.

"You lost the game. That doesn't mean you just get to leave," Dillingham explained in his postgame press conference when asked by a reporter who noticed him circle some players back to midfield after the defeat. "Like, you shake hands. That's what you do. That's sportsmanship."

Despite the loss, @ASUFootball's Kenny Dillingham made sure his players shook Texas' hands after the game 🤝 pic.twitter.com/7ZBbQ51Pxc

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 1, 2025

"If we would have won," he continued. "You shake the team's hand. You lose, you go out there, and it's not fun, but that's part of life."

A pretty unique—and mature—example being set by a head coach who's only 34-years-old.

In his second season at Arizona State, Dillingham led the Sun Devils to an 11-3 record, a Big 12 Championship, and their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. Despite a valiant effort in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day, ASU fell just short of an appearance in the CFP Semifinals.

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