Reviewing Arizona State's Crushing Loss to Houston

In today's edition of the Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at what the 24-16 loss means for the team moving forward in 2025.

Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at the loss to the Houston Cougars - and the potential fallout from the defeat moving forward.

To listen to today's podcast, view below.

Below is a partial transcript of head coach Kenny Dillingham's press conference.

"I mean, it was good run. I mean, 10 games in a row here. Great environments. You know, we've really built a great environment here, and unfortunately, we couldn't get it done tonight. You know, we didn't play good enough in the first half, first three quarters, really, of the football game. And, you know, it's unfortunate, but great crowd, great environments. It's a good run. Hopefully we can start another run here."

"We got to play better. I mean, all across the board, we got to play better. We got all better as a football team, though we didn't play good enough as a football team tonight. That was one of the phases that didn't play good enough. But all the phases have to play better. You know, they were they ran the ball, you know, too efficiently with their quarterback. 21 carries, most of those direct runs for 124 yards running backs, you know, 24 carries for 70 something. So that's pretty good defense, three yards a carry."

"Two different things. So, you know, two different things throughout the game. And, you know, I don't like I said, I don't want to comment on the second the first one was just kind of, you know, a scare, hopefully, based off the what we saw the second one, you know, we got to, we got to get more, you know, look into it more before I really comment on it."

On Moving Forward From Emotional Wins

ASU Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham walks off the field after a 24-16 loss to the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Yeah. I mean, I think it's hard to come back from emotional wins, but that's no excuse. I mean, that's football. That's college football. You got to find ways to do that. You know whether you're dinged up, whether you're not.

That doesn't matter if you practice whether you don't like you got to find ways to win football games, and you got to give a lot of a lot of credit to Houston, too. That's a 61 football team. They've lost one football game. It's a top 15 team in the country. Like, let's not overlook that. That's a really good football team."

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on three major takeaways from the win over Texas Tech here.

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