TEMPE, Ariz. — Kenny Dillingham screamed during an adrenaline-fueled interview and got caught in a student mosh pit.

The sea of ​​humanity that enveloped him joined in, jumping and screaming with the students after Arizona State's 27-19 victory over No. 16 Utah on Friday night.

“I was one of those guys! I did this!” Dillingham said, skipping along with the crowd before disappearing.

A year after an injury-plagued 3-9 first season, the Sun Devils from Dillingham have already made a name for themselves in the Big 12.

Arizona State (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) is off to its best start since the start of the 2019 season at 5-1 and earned its biggest win under Dillingham despite being without quarterback Sam Leavitt for much of the second quarter.

Cam Skattebo had a lot to do with it.

The bulldozing running back punished the Utes all night, finishing with 158 yards and two touchdowns.

In the third quarter, Skattebo broke several tackles, lowered his hand for balance and fended off another tackler for a 50-yard touchdown run. Skattebo all but put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter by breaking a tackle and then outrunning Utah's defense with a 47-yard touchdown dash.

“We beat the No. 16 team in the country,” Skattebo said. “Who says we can’t beat anyone?”

The Utes (4-2, 1-2) had plenty of opportunities in quarterback Cameron Rising's return after he missed three games with a finger injury.

Rising was largely ineffective and was limited by the hand injury and a leg injury in the first quarter that limited him for the rest of the game. The seventh-grader threw three interceptions and finished the game with 16 for 37 and 209 yards.

“Those guys did a great job of getting the lead, but I wasn’t able to get them the ball and throw it accurately,” Rising said. “Because of that, we just couldn’t move it.”

Rising's problems were just part of Utah's problems.

The Utes spent most of the evening failing to capitalize, scoring one touchdown in seven drives to Arizona State's 30.

Rising threw an interception at Arizona State's 9, Utah turned it over on downs early in the fourth quarter and the Utes had to settle for field goals on four more attempts inside Arizona State's 30. The last time Cole Becker scored was from 46 yards in the fourth quarter, coming after a pass interference penalty against Money Parks that wiped out Mycah Pittman's 12-yard touchdown catch.

Micah Bernard ran Utah's offense most of the night, running for 129 yards and a touchdown.

“As long as we continue to have our problems in the red zone, we may not win another game,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “That’s how important it is.”

McCullough's night

Caleb McCoullough was entering his senior season after spending his entire career at Arizona State despite consecutive three-to-nine seasons.

The linebacker had his best game against Utah.

McCullough had 12 tackles – 1 1/2 for a loss – and snagged two interceptions, including the game-winning fourth-quarter score.

“He's a guy who was here despite all the mess and all the bad things that happened,” Dillingham said. “He was one of the few guys who stayed and it’s great that he played like that.”

The takeaway food

Skattebo has been one of the most versatile running backs in the country and seems to be improving as the games go on. His hard running and improved defense could lead Arizona State to its first seed since 2021. Utah will likely fall out of the AP Top 25 after its second straight loss.

Next

Utah: Hosts TCU next Saturday.

Arizona State: Next Saturday at Cincinnati.

——

Get AP Top 25 poll alerts and updates throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football