Moms and dads got the chance to witness the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron, all the while battling the hottest game time temperature ever recorded in Mountain America Stadium history (107 degrees Fahrenheit).

Despite the heat, a record student turnout watched their Sun Devils secure a dramatic late strike, propelling Arizona State to victory in a 34-31 thriller at Mountain America Stadium. While the team will take away with it a notable win over a talented Jayhawk group, the sell-out crowd emerges victorious from the athletic department's incentivized advertising.

“For the students who stay the entire game, they will get free Chick-fil-A,” Dillingham said. “This was something our athletic department has been working on, trying to create perks to keep people in the stands, especially our students.”

Shortly before the game, the athletic department announced a sell-out crowd of 54,639 fans for Arizona State’s Big 12 home opener.

A large fan atmosphere produces winning environments for many college football teams, and for players like Jordyn Tyson, it means the world.

“It’s everything,” Tyson said. “It’s the difference between a win and a loss having that crowd behind you, screaming on third downs, and getting them (Kansas) out of their minds.”

Both ASU and Kansas sat at the bottom of the Big 12 standings entering Saturday’s matchup, ensuring the final score would mark either team's first conference victory of the year.

 In Arizona State’s last 11 matchups following bye weeks, the team is 2-9 and on a five-game losing streak, a spell the Sun Devils hoped to break during Week 6.

Sam Leavitt would waste no time in the first quarter, finding Xavier Guillory in the endzone for a touchdown to complete a 75-yard opening drive and put his team up 7-0. Leavitt, who’s proven himself to be a proficient rusher, propelled the opening scoring with 25 rushing yards of his own.

However, Jalon Daniels would utilize the running game as well, running 22 yards up the middle to secure Kansas’ first touchdown and knotting the score at 7-7.

Out of the gate, both teams took advantage of their quarterbacks’ ability to run the ball. But as the defense tightened up, strategies shifted on both sides. ASU turned to fly routes with Leavitt deep in the pocket, while Kansas began to rely more on their star running back, Devin Neal, to push across yards.

Another tool under Kansas’ belt was wide receiver Quentin Skinner. A pair of 20+ yard receptions, including a 30-yard left touchdown pass, helped Kansas break the tie in the second quarter on a 10-play, 85-yard drive.

With ASU down 14-7, Dillingham turned to Cam Skattebo to get his team some distance. Skattebo responded with three consecutive 5+ yard rushes, including a 19-yard route up the middle to put Arizona State outside the red zone.

Tragedy struck, however, when a false start penalty was called against offensive lineman Leif Fautanu on fourth down, forcing the Sun Devils to kick instead of going for the two yards. As if it couldn’t get worse, ASU’s kick was blocked by Kansas’ Kenean Caldwell, ending their third consecutive scoreless drive.

With five minutes left in the first half, the Sun Devils got creative offensively to attempt to even up the score. The most notable play came on fourth down, when coach Dillingham called for their punter, Kanyon Floyd, to sneak a pass to defensive end Clayton Smith, ultimately netting the Sun Devils 15 yards and a first down.Two plays later, however, the momentum would unravel as a fumble by Tyson got recovered by Kansas’ defense, putting an end to the drive.

Coach Dillingham is known for shaking things up offensively, and his use of the fake punt further instilled this notion.

“We practiced it all week, we knew it was going to be there if we got a certain look,” Dillingham said. “We got the look, trying to win the middle eight, we converted it and then we fumbled the ball.”

ASU’s defense would get a quick stop, forcing a punt that would get returned by Melquan Stovall for an impressive 36 yards to place the Sun Devils on the home 42. From there, it was all business.

In just 46 seconds, Arizona State completed a crucial 4-play, 58-yard touchdown to conclude the half, knotting both sides up at 14 apiece. Tight end Chamon Metayer took his pass up the left side of the field to send the crowd into a frenzy.

After the conclusion of the marching band’s halftime performance, Kansas would begin the third quarter on a touchback. From there, the Jayhawks bolted down the field, including two 15+ yard passes to Quentin Skinner and Luke Grimm.

In the red zone, a pass from Daniels to Skinner was initially ruled incomplete. After review the call stood, but Keyshaun Elliot took the fall on a targeting penalty and was disqualified. The Sun Devil defense prevented the touchdown, as Kansas settled for the field goal to go up by three.

ASU’s first drive in the second half started strong, highlighted by impressive runs from Skattebo and redshirt sophomore Raleek Brown. Just as the Sun Devils were nearing the end zone, an interception by Kansas in the end zone would end the drive with a Jayhawk touchback.

No tears were shed though, as Arizona State’s next drive would bear fruit. Spanning the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, Skattebo averted the Kansas defense for his first touchdown of the game and ASU’s third. Now up by four, the eyes would quickly turn to the defense to maintain the lead.

Kansas was quick to clap back, however, as Neal finished the drive with a 31-yard run up the middle, putting the Jayhawks up by three again. For Neal, it would be the 38th rushing touchdown of his career, three shy of the all-time leader June Henley, the former St. Louis Ram.

The back-and-forth continued heading into the final minutes of the quarter. Leavitt would capitalize on a fly route, meeting Tyson for a 31-yard touchdown pass to swap the lead once more.

It was down to the final five minutes, with Arizona State holding a slim 28-24 lead. As the stadium grew in noise, so did the pressure on both sides of the ball.

Kansas nailed the first blow, as Daniels uncorked a 31-yard pass to a diving Skinner, narrowly keeping it within his clutches to put the Jayhawks back on top. The kick was good, and the score stood at 31-28 with two minutes left.

ASU, riding the momentum of back-to-back scoring drives, bid for their third in a row when Skattebo broke from the line of scrimmage for a loud 39-yard rush. As the Sun Devils inched closer, the crowd grew louder.

Finally, after placing themselves three yards from the goal line, Leavitt executed a floating pass to Tyson, who made the over-the-shoulder catch to flip the scales once again.

It was a tale of two halves for Jordyn Tyson, as the fumble and missed catches in the first half were uncharacteristic of the young receiver. In the end, Tyson would finish with 76 yards and two touchdowns, with his last marking the final tally.

Coach Dillingham complimented Tyson’s mental approach, and how his unwavering attitude set him up for success.

“I ended up giving him a game ball, because that’s what the program is about, it’s about the response,” Dillingham said. “The fact that he could regather himself, and go execute and finish with a positive attitude is everything we are trying to build here.”

In a last-ditch effort, Kansas pulled out the ole’ Hail Mary pass from the ASU 49, looking to connect for the game-winning touchdown. Unfortunately for Kansas, the ball connected with the turf, ending the game with a final score of 35-31, Arizona State on top.

The Sun Devils finished with 485 yards of offense, with 186 yards of those yards coming from the bell ringer himself, Cam Skattebo. Sam Leavitt didn’t eclipse the 200-yard passing mark, but his four passing touchdowns certainly sufficed on top of his 77 rushing yards. The stats speak to what has been seen all year: the Sun Devils run the ball well.  

Emotions are high for ASU as the victory puts them at 4-1 overall with a 1-1 conference record. Toppling a formerly ranked team helps illuminate the possibilities of a great season, a season that still has plenty of games left to play.

Arizona State will have a short week before its game on Friday against #18-ranked Utah at Mountain America Stadium. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.