Kenny Dillingham Praises ASU’s Practice, Ready for Colorado
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TEMPE -- The second-to-last week of practice is officially in the rearview mirror for the Arizona State Sun Devils ahead of the final road game of the season against the Colorado Buffaloes this Saturday.
While numerous potential issues have been encountered by the program in recent months, they remain prepared to battle every week and remain in a position to potentially play for another Big 12 championship over the next two games.
Head coach Kenny Dillingham praised the sheer focus and effort that was put forward by his team during the week, while also leaving nothing to doubt as to what the focus is in the coming days.
"I'm focused on Colorado. I mean, these guys just had, I think, the best Tuesday, the best Wednesday that they've had in practice potentially all year. We came out with a fire about us this week. So I'm excited about this week and trying to go play a sixty-minute football game. We've yet to play our best game, so I want to go see that get done."
Dillingham Leaves Little Room as to Main Focus
Dillingham didn't mince words while in the midst of the numerous rumors surrounding the future of QB Sam Leavitt, amongst other potential distractions.
Although the 35-year-old assured that he still maintains a strong relationship with his quarterback, he was certain that the sole focus is putting together a complete performance - something that he hasn't seen from the team from his point of view this season.
The week of consistent practice will present no downside to the team ahead of Saturday either. Although the team has typically practiced in strong fashion, Dillingham hasn't always been thrilled with the effort he has seen. It is incredibly encouraging to see that two and even three-deep players battling through uncharted waters in roles that they weren't expecting to hold heading into the season.
Another potential distraction - as trivial as it sounds - is the presence of NFL legend Deion Sanders on the other sideline. Sanders is one of the very best players in the history of football.
This is very unlikely to be a factor when it comes to the Sun Devils' prospects, as they have designs of going into the week 14 game against the Arizona Wildcats with an opportunity to still reach the Big 12 title game after appearing to be a "long-shot" just two weeks ago.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on how the culture that has been cultivated by coach Dillingham showed up against West Virginia here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.