What ASU’s new kicker Jesus Gomez will — and will not — change on 4th down

TEMPE — Transfer kicking addition Jesus Gomez has a chance to bring consistency Arizona State’s way after it endured a roller coaster season in 2024.

But there are some situations that won’t change no matter how effective Gomez ends up being, coach Kenny Dillingham said on Monday.

“We’re still going to be aggressive on fourth down. I wholeheartedly believe in being aggressive,” the coach said. “I think it’s a mindset for your football team that you’re not going to play scared. And while some people rule it as a negative to the defense, I rule it as a positive to our football team.

“We’re going to play this game aggressive as if we’re going to be successful. Not as we’re scared to fail. And are we going to try to be smart with it? Of course. But does that mean we’re going to be scared of it? Absolutely not.”

Where Gomez does change things is the confidence the team feels kicking in a situation like a 52-yard field goal on fourth-and-6, Dillingham said.

When comparing the Eastern Michigan transfer’s numbers from 2024 to ASU’s numbers as a team, the upgrade is clear. For example, he made more field goals from at least 30 yards (14-for-19) than ASU attempted (4-for-12).

You might not even need one full hand to count the misses Gomez had throughout all of fall camp.

“Since the moment he got here, he has been dialed in to be the very best,” Dillingham said. “Nothing really rattles him. He’s the hardest critic on himself and he’s very, very consistent. … You’re going to get a dude who’s going to walk his line, he’s going to walk his steps in pre-practice. He’s going to have the exact same process over and over again.

“And I’ve got the utmost confidence in him. I actually joke around to the team how much confidence I have with him kicking field goals.”

At the end of the day, Dillingham is going to fall back on his core philosophies, which include being able to prove you’re a good team by converting on fourth-and-short.

“Everybody knows it from our stats. If we get to a fourth-and-1, like, buckle up. The odds are we’re going for that thing,” the coach said. “We get to a fourth-and-2 and it’s a high percentage, people have watched our film. It’s not a secret. We have a philosophy in terms of how we want to be aggressive, and that’s going to stay consistent.”

Jesus Gomez’s Arizona State journey comes full circle

When Gomez first attempted field goals in a Division I game, it was at the stadium he’ll be kicking at on Saturday.

The three field goals Gomez made for Eastern Michigan on Sept. 17, 2022, provided the nine-point difference in an upset win over Arizona State that ended the Herm Edwards era.

The next time he suits up at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday against Northern Arizona, he has a chance to provide a great deal of catharsis for a fan base that previously held its breath when scoring was left up to the kicker.

Catch ASU-NAU at 7 p.m. MST on the Arizona Sports app, ESPN 620 AM or 98.7 FM HD-2. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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