Early Returns On Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State Are Positive
By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME
Kenny Dillingham engineered an elite Oregon Ducks offense last season.
Oregon ranked 12th nationally in points per game, 8th in yards per game, and 5th in yards per play.
After one impressive season, Dillingham earned the head coaching job at Arizona State, and is hoping to bring that high-powered offense with him.
Brad Denny covers ASU football for CBS 5 TV in Phoenix and is the host of the Speak of the Devils podcast. He joined John Canzano and talked about how the fanbase has reacted to its new coach so far.
“Very positive,” Denny said on 750 The Game. “Now granted, it comes with the obvious caveat that he hasn’t won a game here. But in terms of the six months in what he’s been able to do – if you have to give him a letter grade, you have to give him an ‘A’.”
The worst word in college football when describing a program is apathy – and Denny said Dillingham has done well to combat that emotion at Arizona State which had started to build in recent years.
“I think the number one most crucial thing that he’s been able to do early on is kind of ward off the apathy that was really starting to set in with the Sun Devils fanbase and community in general,” said Denny.
“In terms of shifting that narrative and stopping the bleeding of that fan interest… there really has been a palpable amount of buzz here in the community.”
Having an alum in Kenny Dillingham as the new football coach has brought back the excitement at ASU. Whether that leads to wins remains a question. But at least the apathy is gone and there is a sunrise on the horizon in Tempe.
Listen to the full interview with Brad Denny in the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.
