Arizona State will turn to Mikey Keene for his first start as a Sun Devil against Kansas State on Saturday, a clear sign that Kenny Dillingham is looking for a reset after a difficult stretch for the Sun Devils.
The move comes after Arizona State lost 55-19 at home to Baylor on Oct. 3, a result that added to the sense that the program has not sustained the momentum it built last season. Dillingham, who arrived in 2023 when Arizona State was still recovering from the Herm Edwards era, has already had to navigate a wide range of expectations in Tempe.
Dillingham is looking for answers, not excuses
After the Baylor loss, Dillingham said, “I am letting our football team down.” That was a strikingly blunt assessment, and it underlined how seriously he is taking the dip in form.
He has since said the coaching staff went back and assessed where things stand and what needs to improve in the future. Following the loss to No. 10 Texas Tech, he also held a nearly four-hour meeting with the coaching staff, which suggests this is being treated as more than a simple quarterback change.
Dillingham has not suggested wholesale upheaval. He said, “Do we need to make drastic changes? Absolutely not,” which points to a staff trying to correct course rather than tear everything down.
Why the change matters now
Arizona State’s rise in 2024 was dramatic. The Sun Devils won the Big 12 championship and made a College Football Playoff appearance after being projected to finish last in the conference, a turnaround that changed the conversation around the program.
But that success has not carried cleanly into this season, and the current record tells the story. The challenge now is to rediscover the basics that made the team function so well a year ago.
Defensive lineman C.J. Fite put that idea simply when he said the focus is on “going back to the basics” and “knowing who we are, our culture, our standard and not trying to do anything special.” That is exactly the kind of message that usually accompanies a team trying to settle itself after a rough run.
Keene now becomes part of that effort. His first start against Kansas State is not being framed as a grand reset, but it is a practical move from a coach who knows the season needs stability.
Saturday at Mountain America Stadium will not solve everything, but it will show whether Arizona State can use a new quarterback to re-establish some control. For Dillingham, it is another chance to prove that the Sun Devils can still respond when the season starts to wobble.
