‘Doubters have been the gas’ that powered ASU to Peach Bowl matchup vs. Texas

TEMPE — There’s only so long a team can feed off doubt the way ASU has all the way to Wednesday’s Peach Bowl agianst Texas. At some point, it just doesn’t have the same juice as before.

The Sun Devils have not reached that point, if you ask them.

“I wouldn’t say it gets old,” defensive tackle C.J. Fite said. “I mean, most people that are here have been underdogs our whole life. You build on it, you thrive off of it, you kind of get used to it. I’m not gonna say, like, you need it, but when you have it, it’s normal for you, so it’s like it’s just another day where it happens or people don’t believe you.”

Safety Xavion Alford, a former Longhorn and close friend of Texas’ Thorpe Award-winning defensive back Jahdae Barron, said outsiders’ refusal to give Arizona State credit powered this season’s run.

“It’s been like ASU is a car and, you know, the doubters have been the gas. We’ve been putting that in our engine the whole year. We’re sitting here 11-2 in the Peach Bowl, still doubted. You know, we love that,” Alford said. “That gives us, you know, extra edge (when) we go out to practice every day. You turn on the TV, turn on your phone, first thing you wake up in the morning, seeing ASU is doubted. OK, that’s cool. You’re gonna get up and attack the day.”

ESPN ranked all 52 teams to ever make the CFP after the field was set and it had ASU dead last. CBS and Sports Illustrated were more willing to give credit in their quarterfinal round reseeding, each listing ASU ahead of Boise State, but none others.

Furthermore, the betting line for the quarterfinal opened with the Sun Devils as 13.5-point underdogs, and the public has bet it down to 12.5-point underdogs, per FanDuel.

“We won the Big 12 Championship and people still got stuff to say. So at this point, it’s like keep doing what we can do and keep winning, ’cause we’re gonna have doubters,” linebacker Caleb McCullough added.

When asked what the players are most excited to show a more national audience in the CFP, all said a variation between proving the doubters wrong and showing what the culture of Arizona State is under Kenny Dillingham.

“It’s ain’t no pressure on us. It’s really all the pressure on them,” Shamari Simmons said.

What have the ASU leaders been telling the team heading into Peach Bowl?

The team has exhibited a high level of confidence entering the game, with Sam Leavitt declaring he’s the better quarterback in the matchup and Cam Skattebo saying ASU just needs to play the same football it has all year.

“We have to play our game. We have to constantly do what we do,” Skattebo said on Saturday. “We have to play the same game we played against Wyoming, we have to play the same game we played against BYU, we have to play the same game we played against Utah.

“We have to play the same football we’ve played all year, and if we do that, we’ll be just fine. We either blow it out or we keep the game close, why not? If we can play our game and fight until the end, I think we’ll be just OK.”

Skattebo said the game starts with setting the tone physically, both for him as a runner and for the offensive line that opens his lanes.

McCullough said practicing against ASU’s group has prepared the ASU defense to handle Texas’ physicality on offense, which features two dynamic backs in Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue.