Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham addresses the media Monday ahead of the Sun Devils’ historic first Big 12 Conference game against Texas Tech. (Photo by Spencer Barnes/Cronkite News)
TEMPE – Kenny Dillingham was quieter than usual in his Monday afternoon press conference. While his team reaped the rewards of a long weekend after Thursday’s 31-28 win over Texas State, the coach stayed hard at work.
“Friday … I was in San Marcos, then went (from) San Marcos to San Antonio, saw five schools in San Antonio, then left San Antonio and went to El Paso,” he said. “Saturday we had a day off, so I got to hang out with the little guy.”
Such is the schedule of the modern college football coach. Between his team posting a 3-0 start for the first time since 2019 and being a dad, Dillingham doesn’t have time to slow down. His team doesn’t either.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils return to the Lone Star State for the program’s first-ever league game as a part of the Big 12 Conference against Texas Tech.
“This will go down in literally history,” he said. “Very few times in sports do you get to accomplish a first, like a real first.”
Rather than nervous, the looming moment has the young coach excited.
“The crowd there, I’m excited for the tortillas. I’ve heard there’s tortillas that get thrown around,” Dillingham said. “I’m excited for it because it’s a challenge but it’s what college football is supposed to be.”
The conference has four members located in Texas, so visits to the state will become annual for Arizona State. This two-week stretch has been a learning experience and allowed the Sun Devils to find a formula for playing down south.
“The time change piece of it, we’re used to playing a game on a two-hour time change, so that type of stuff and the guys adjusting, I would say there’s a little comfort there now that we’ve done it,” Dillingham said.
One question the ever-supportive Dillingham was eager to answer didn’t come, so he took it upon himself to discuss it. He wanted to talk about Texas Tech’s do-it-all tight end and former Sun Devil Jalin Conyers
“He was one of the most liked people in our program. I brought him to media days as a captain here. We went to Vegas together here,” Dillingham said. “Couldn’t be happier for him and what’s happened for him in the first three games. Hopefully, there’s one bad game for him, maybe week four?”
The senior transferred to Texas Tech after spending one season at Oklahoma and three in Tempe under former coach Herm Edwards and Dillingham. He has totaled 11 receptions for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Red Raiders so far this season.
The dynamic Conyers has been a great fit as part of a dynamic offense. Texas Tech has scored over 50 points in both of its wins this season, with the exclusion being a 21-point loss to Washington State in Pullman, Washington.
“They score a lot. I mean that stands out. I know that’s a stupid answer but like, they score a lot,” Dillingham said.
History has a funny habit of repeating itself. The last time Arizona State started 4-0 in a season was 2016. The second win of that run came against none other than Texas Tech under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. The Sun Devils will try to experience a little déjà vu and continue the hot start Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
