Sun Devils embracing underdog role in Peach Bowl matchup vs. Texas

ATLANTA (AZFamily) — “We all we got. We all we need.”

The Arizona State Sun Devils are 11-2. They won the Big 12 Conference title. They earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

What they haven’t earned, apparently, is much national respect.

“A lot of people have been counting us out. Nobody thinks we deserve to be here,” said ASU defensive lineman Justin Wodtly. “Nobody thinks we deserve the first-round bye. Nobody thinks we deserve a spot in the Big 12 championship. Nobody thinks we deserved anything.”

It’s been a season-long trend. Coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons, the Sun Devils were picked 16th—dead last—in the Big 12’s preseason media poll. Even as they reeled off wins on the way to a conference title, the doubters persisted.

But those in the locker room always believed.

“Pretty much the whole season, no one has thought we could do anything,” Wodtly said. “Most people didn’t even think we’d be bowl-eligible, now we’re here. All season long, we’ve been leaning on the people in our locker room, people closest to our program.”

That belief and confidence is baked into the Sun Devils' DNA. Head coach Kenny Dillingham has built a team loaded with transfers. Some are from smaller schools. Some are one-time blue-chip recruits who needed a second chance. Some are former Arizona high school stars coming home and betting on themselves.

And all share their coach’s dogged tenacity.

“I think Coach Dillingham has been that way of always having a chip on his shoulder to get to this point through hard work. I think we’ve all adopted that,” said ASU offensive guard Ben Coleman. “I think it’s important for fans and others to realize that there’s a lot of guys who have bonded together, all with a chip on their shoulder, and it comes from the top down.”

“We’ve always had that chip on our shoulder,” said defensive end Elijah O’Neal. “Every guy on our team has that chip on his shoulder. Having that chip on our shoulder has helped us get to where we’re at today.”

One of the key differences in this year’s Sun Devil team compared to those of recent years is their resiliency and ability to overcome adversity. That edge, fueled in part by the drive to silence their critics, has allowed ASU to post a 6-1 record in one-score games.

“It gives us an extra push knowing that people keep counting us out no matter what we do,” said ASU cornerback Keith Abney II. “We’re just going to keep coming out and being the best team we can be.”

ASU will need to be the best team it can be on Jan. 1 when they battle Texas in the Peach Bowl with a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals on the line. Despite the Sun Devils being the higher seed over Texas and having earned a first-round bye, ASU enters the game as a 13.5-point underdog.

Right where they want to be.

“We’ve proved people wrong. We’ve done it all year,” said running back Cam Skattebo said. “We’ve been underdogs all year. I’m not too worried about it.”

The eyes of the college football world will be on the Sun Devils on New Year’s Day. Most of those will be expecting to see them get pushed around by the Longhorns.

But for those in the maroon-and-gold, it’s the latest chance to shock the world.

“I want to go out there on Wednesday and prove to the world that we got what it takes to win the whole damn thing,” said Wodtly.

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