Arizona is coming off a program-defining win over Utah that not only moved the Sun Devils to 5-1 on the year, but also to 2-1 in Big 12 play, tying them for fourth-place in the league at the halfway point of the season.
This week, ASU hits the road for a key Big 12 matchup with Cincinnati (4-2, 2-1), who’s coming off a big-time win over UCF themselves.
However, it appears the Sun Devils will be shorthanded in this weekend’s game, as their starting quarterback Sam Leavitt will apparently miss the game after taking a hard hit during the Utah game.
On Wednesday, Kenny Dillingham announced that Leavitt is out this week, and that Nebraska transfer Jeff Sims will be the starting quarterback for the Sun Devils.
Leavitt appeared to suffer a rib injury in the second quarter of Friday night’s win over the Utes, and was taken to the locker room shortly thereafter. He was able to return and finish the game for the Sun Devils, but didn’t have a single rushing attempt after taking that shot.
He talked about the injury after the game but said the pain was outweighed by his need to be out there with his teammates (Video courtesy of @AZSports).
Arizona State has implemented a good dose of QB run game already this season, and with Cam Skattebo in the backfield, they’ve been able to run some Wildcat as well. However, with Sims in the gameplan this week, it’s likely that the quarterback run game will be even more a part of the offense.
Over the course of his career, Sims has thrown for 4,759 yards and 31 touchdowns (29 INT), adding 1,372 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Arizona State and Cincinnati are scheduled to kickoff at 11:00 a.m. CT (ESPN+) on Saturday, with the winner of this game moving to 3-1 in Big 12 play on the year.
