One of college football’s “new bloods” expressed deference to one of its “old bloods” ahead of Wednesday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
But Arizona State, champion of the Big 12 and in a meaningful game for the first time since the 1997 Rose Bowl, isn’t going to open a path to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff for Texas, winners of four national titles and 33 conference titles.
“If you don’t believe that you can win the football game — I mean, we’re a 14-point (underdog), we’re facing a team that was picked to win the national championship preseason by a lot of people — if you don’t have that belief that you can win the football game, if you don’t show that you believe you can match up, then you have no chance,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said Tuesday.
Dillingham was defending comments made by players to the media Monday in which their self-confidence was interpreted by some people as cockiness.
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after rushing for 1,568 yards and 19 touchdowns, said he doesn’t think there’s a defense that can stop him. Texas’ finished second in scoring defense (13.3). Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who passed for 2,663 passing yards and 29 total touchdowns, said he is better than Texas’ Quinn Ewers, who passed for 2,867 yards and 27 total touchdowns.
“I think sometimes the 18- to 23-year-olds just say what they believe, and that sometimes gets twisted,” Dillingham said. “Both those kids are incredible kids. I do believe that’s a reason where we’re at is we got a lot of guys (who have) that chip on their shoulder. We’re counted out. We’re underdogs, and we’re still underdogs. But that shouldn’t change your own belief in yourself.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, whose mentors include national championship winners Pete Carroll and Nick Saban, had no problem with Arizona State’s confidence. Sarkisian, who was beaten by Washington in last season’s playoffs, said it’s a coach’s job to build confidence through physical, mental and emotional preparation.
“Our job as coaches is to put a team out there that believes in what we’re doing, but it’s not a false sense of belief,” he said. “It’s true belief, because of the preparation and the plan and the guys next to him, that he’s going to do his job, so on and so forth. That’s the life of a coach, right? That’s what we do every day. That’s why we get to be around young people and try to instill things in them, not only for this game, not only for this season, but for life.”
Injury updates: Sarkisian said that wide receiver Isaiah Bond and tackle Cam Williams are practicing and the length of their availability for Wednesday’s match may be determined in the morning by how they feel.
Bond, who is from Buford, had 33 receptions for 532 yards and five touchdowns. He suffered an ankle injury in the SEC Championship game loss to Georgia on Dec. 7.
Williams suffered a knee injury Dec. 21 in the victory against Clemson in the first round of the playoff.
Hall of Fame: Former Tennessee All-American defensive back and Fairburn native Eric Berry, former FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, and former Peach Bowl chairman Neill Cameron Jr. will be inducted into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Hall of Fame, the organization announced Tuesday. With the trio, there are 67 members of the bowl’s Hall of Fame.
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