Arizona State at the Cincinnati Big 12 football game

Can the Arizona State Sun Devils keep this up?

That’s a question many Big 12 – and college football – fans are asking after ASU’s surprising 5-1 start to the 2024 season. The Sun Devils went from being a projected last-place team in the Big 12 to within one win of being ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The strong Cincinnati Bearcats (4:2) stand in the way of a national ranking. Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the Bearcats are just a few plays away from being undefeated.

“This team has two losses by a total of four points. Otherwise, they would be undefeated and one of the top 15 teams in the country if you scored four points in their season,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said.

The Sun Devils enter the game as 4.5-point underdogs and face a 9 a.m. MST kickoff. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

Follow below for live updates, big game highlights, all-score plays and more from Arizona State’s Big 12 road game at Cincinnati:

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THIRD QUARTER UPDATES

END OF 3RD QUARTER: Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 14

ARIZONA STATE TOUCHDOWN! With a ridiculous one-yard run by Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils finally find the end zone again. He somehow evaded two defenders behind the line of scrimmage and then ran over another at the goal line before scoring. It is now Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 14 2:23 left in the third quarter.

Arizona State will start the second half with the ball trailing 24-7. We’ll see if Jeff Sims can get this ASU offense going.

HALF-TIME STATISTICS

Cincinnati outscored Arizona State 274-138 in the first half, forcing three turnovers (one fumble and two turnovers on downs).

Quarterback Jeff Sims struggled in his first start for Arizona State. After an impressive opening drive, the Sun Devils’ next six drives went like this: fumble, turnover on downs, punt, punt, turnover on downs, punt. Sims is 5 of 9 for 56 yards, but he has only rushed 7 times for 19 yards.

Cam Skattebo was held in check by the Cincinnati defense. He has 8 carries for 25 yards and a touchdown and 2 receptions for 13 yards.

SECOND QUARTER UPDATES

Halftime score: Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 7

CINCINNATI MISSES FG: Nathan Hawks misses a 42-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the half. The Sun Devils are lucky that they are only 17 points behind.

CINCINNATI TOUCHDOWN: Brendan Sorsby scores his second touchdown of the game, this time on a one-yard run Cincinnati is in the lead 24/7 1:55 left in the first half. The Bearcats have now scored 24 unanswered points. Sorsby is 13 of 17 for 128 yards and the Bearcats managed 117 yards. Arizona State’s defense already looks exhausted and lacking tackles.

STATE OF ARIZONA SALES: The Sun Devils try again on 4th and short and Cincinnati stuffs them again. Cam Skattebo gets hit behind the line on 4th-and-1 with a read option. This is a play where Sam Leavitt would have pulled the ball and used his short attack to get the first down. The Bearcats took over midfield with 4:42 left in the first half and led 17-7.

CINCINNATI TOUCHDOWN: The Sun Devils give up a rare explosive play when Cincinnati RB Evan Pryor breaks loose for a 55-yard touchdown run Cincinnati leads 17-7 11:38 minutes before the end of the first half. After a fast start, the Sun Devils are stuck in neutral.

FIRST QUARTER UPDATES

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Cincinnati 10, Arizona State 7

CINCINNATI FIELD GOAL: Nathan Hawks scores a 46-yard field goal Cincinnati leads 10-7 2:18 left in the first quarter.

ASU SALES: Kenny Dillingham takes a chance and goes out on 4th-and-3 from the ASU 48-yard line, and Cam Skattebo is stuffed with a swing pass for a loss of seven yards. Cincinnati takes over at ASU’s 41-yard line. It’s still Arizona State 7, Cincinnati 7.

CINCINNATI TOUCHDOWN: Just two plays after Cam Skattebo’s fumble, Brendan Sorsby scores on a 14-yard run Draw at 7:7 7:26 left in the first quarter.

ASU FUMBLE: Cam Skattebo fumbles on the first play after the interception and Cincinnati recovers. The Bearcats have the ball at the ASU 22-yard line.

DEPARTURE THE STATE OF ARIZONA! Keith Abney tackles Brendan Sorsby on Cincinnati’s second possession. Sorsby tried to hit a go route down the right sideline on third-and-long, and Abney was in perfect position. ASU takes over at its own 16-yard line and leads 7-0.

ARIZONA STATE TOUCHDOWN! After ASU’s defense made a three-pointer, Jeff Sims marched the Sun Devils down the field with a run-heavy first drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by Cam Skattebo. Arizona State leads 7-0 10:35 minutes before the end of the first quarter. The six-play, 66-yard drive included five runs and one pass – Kenny Dillingham’s tough, physical formula.

Arizona State wins the toss and advances to the second half. Cincinnati will start with the ball. The official kickoff time was 9:02 a.m. MST.

PRE-MATCH UPDATES

The temperature at kick-off will be around 62 degrees. Beautiful, clear fall weather in Cincinnati. Stay tuned for live updates at 9:00 a.m. MST.