Sam Leavitt rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns, both to Jordyn Tyson, as No. 11 Arizona State overcame sometimes sloppy play to pull away from visiting Northern Arizona 38-19 on Saturday in Tempe.
The reigning Big 12 Conference champion and 2024 College Football Playoff participant Sun Devils (1-0) were penalized 12 times for 93 yards and converted on just 2-of-10 third-down opportunities.
The miscues allowed Northern Arizona (0-1) to hang around despite falling into an early 14-0 hole. Ty Pennington capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nason Coleman. The score midway through the third quarter pulled the Lumberjacks to within a 24-13 deficit.
That was as close as Northern Arizona could come, however.
Leavitt broke free for an 18-yard touchdown rush — his second touchdown carry of the night, with 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Leavitt had opened the second half with a career-long 52-yard scoring rush.
Both touchdowns extended 11-point Sun Devils leads to 18 points.
Northern Arizona went for a fourth-down conversion on the ensuing possession at midfield, but Pennington was hit as he threw to end the threat. The tackle also ended Pennington’s night.
Arizona State punctuated the win with Leavitt throwing his second touchdown to Tyson, a 16-yard strike, with 2:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. The duo hooked up for a 19-yard score with 5:08 left in the first quarter, part of an early blitz that made it appear the Sun Devils would run the Lumberjacks off the field.
Raleek Brown started the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown carry to cap a 49-yard, five-play drive for the Sun Devils. The Arizona State defense later bowed up inside its own 5-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs while leading 14-0.
Northern Arizona forced three straight punts on the ensuing Sun Devils possessions and a missed field goal, allowing only a 36-yard Jesus Gomez field goal to go into halftime trailing 17-6.
The Lumberjacks struggled against the Arizona State defense, however, converting just one third-down attempt until late in the fourth quarter. Northern Arizona finished 2-of-15 on third downs, a byproduct of only being able to rush for 89 yards.
Leavitt closed his night with 257 yards on 25-of-39 passing and his 73 rushing yards matched Kyson Brown for a game-high. Tyson caught 12 passes for 141 yards.
Pennington went 22-of-35 for 204 yards. Back-up Lathan Boone, who came on for Pennington in the fourth quarter, went 4 of 7 for 38 yards. Kenveon Stone, who rushed for a team-high 35 yards, scored a touchdown in the final minute.
