Arizona State Displays Kenny Dillingham's Culture in Gutsy Win

The Sun Devils remain in play to finish the season with nine victories following a tight triumph on Saturday.

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

TEMPE -- Arizona State football is here to stay.

The program has been a historically strong one overall, but had grown stagnant and even cratered before Kenny Dillingham returned to Tempe.

Saturday's 25-23 victory over West Virginia was the perfect encapsulation of what Dillingham has sought to build, what already has been built, and where the program is heading moving forward.

Arizona State on SI explores the team culture and developments from within the game that simply confirm that the culture in Tempe is all too real.

Arizona State Locker Room is Brotherhood

• "I think everybody's got to find a way to have a chip on your shoulder. I think you should always find your own way to motivate yourself. And I think a lot of those guys have been counted out, told they're not good enough, though they can't play quarterback, you know, laughed at, told you can't play division one wide out, whatever it is, a lot of guys on our team has still been told, No, right?"

• "They haven't been praised. So I think that mindset really, you know, I think that's why we win close games, is they like each other. There's a brotherhood. There's a genuine brotherhood, and those guys want to win so bad, they just lose the will to win, will to compete, right? And now they find a way."

The adversity that the Sun Devils have fought through in 2025 isn't for the faint of heart. Star players such as Xavion Alford, Sam Leavitt, and Zyrus Fiaseu suffered season-ending injuries at different points of the season. Special teams coordinator Charlie Ragle is on an indefinite leave of absence due to health issues. The team has suffered a trio of crushing losses that would have sunk a large majority of programs in the same spot.

Dillingham's team refuses to waver, and they are now in a position to secure a 10-win season due to the reasons that the third-year head coach laid out post-game.

Dillingham Credits ST Coordinator With Two-Point Conversion Play

This is perhaps the best example of the Arizona State operation being a collaborative one.

Dillingham credited interim ST coordinator Jack Nudo with bringing something that was picked up on in film study to his desk. The coach found a weakness in the Mountaineer formation on point after tries - Dillingham agreed that they should try to exploit this quirk.

Special Teams Coordinator Jack Nudo works with players during practice at the Kajikawa Practice fields on Nov. 11, 2025, in Tempe, Arizona. | Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

They did - taking a 15-3 lead in the second quarter.

The 12-point advantage changed the way both teams approached the remainder of the game strategy-wise, and ultimately set up K Jesus Gomez to kick the game-winning field goal.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here

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