Jake Fette expected to be ASU’s starting quarterback going forward amid youth movement

TEMPE — The keys have been handed over to the freshman.

Arizona State will stick with Jake Fette at quarterback barring something unforeseen with Mikey Keene’s health, head coach Kenny Dillingham said after Saturday’s 28-17 win over Kansas State.

Keene had Kansas State linebacker Darien Whitaker Jr. roll into his leg following a throw late in the first half, and the quarterback limped off the field. He was replaced by Cutter Boley, but ASU managed just 27 total yards across the 14 plays Boley was in for.

Fette replaced Boley on the fourth drive of the second half, and the Sun Devils scored touchdowns on two of his first three drives to build a 28-17 lead with 6:23 remaining.

“We felt like there was a lull, and you could see it with the guys on the sideline,” Dillingham said postgame. “Jake’s got that look in his eye. Jake’s got the swagger, the confidence when he moves around. We just wanted the spark there with Jake.

“We all know how good of a player Jake is. You just want to do everything you can to protect really good freshmen at the quarterback position. You never want to put them in a position that can ruin him.”

ASU next travels to BYU, which was upset Saturday in double-overtime at UCF in its first game being ranked No. 2 in the country, and Fette is expected to make his first college start.

“He will be the guy next week,” Dillingham said. “I say that, we’ll see what happens with Mikey. … Maybe I spoke too soon, but I would anticipate (Fette will start).”

ASU had 145 total yards across its four full drives (36.3 yards per drive) with Fette under center and 228 yards across the nine drives prior (25.3), an increase of nearly 50% in yards per drive.

Fette, who Dillingham said got fewer than 10 real reps in practice throughout the week, finished with 45 passing yards on 3 of 6 passing.

Jake Fette, Cardae Mack among ASU freshman standouts

All four of ASU’s touchdowns were scored by freshman running back Cardae Mack, who scored the most rushing touchdowns by a Sun Devil since Kalen Ballage had seven against Texas Tech more than a decade earlier.

Mack had 159 rushing yards on 26 carries (6.1 yards per carry) to get the four scores, adding a seven-yard catch to his stat line.

Mack came into the game with three touchdowns on the season, all of which came in ASU’s previous two games.

A freshman pairing in the ASU backfield of Fette and Mack could be dangerous for years to come, especially once the RPO plays that take advantage of Fette’s athleticism are added to his playbook.

The quarterback’s athleticism also has to be respected in wildcat formations, where Mack now has two touchdowns on the year and almost added a third that would’ve been his fifth overall score on Saturday.

ASU has also had two freshmen stand out on defense in defensive lineman Julian Hugo and cornerback Daquwan Dunn.

Hugo got a sack Saturday to make it three straight games with at least one, and he added a tackle for loss in the win. Dunn added two tackles, as he’s seen a consistent batch of defensive snaps in four straight games.

“We’ve had a good amount of guys that are young bucks that are making an impact early,” Dillingham said. “I think that trend’s going to continue as long as we’re here and there’s support.”

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