In a reversal from last week, the Arizona State starting quarterback picture is much clearer. Sort of.
After coach Kenny Dillingham declined multiple times to announce who the quarterback would be for the game against Kansas State on Oct. 24, Dillingham was much more forthcoming for this week’s upcoming road matchup at BYU on Oct. 31. Dillingham said that senior Mikey Keene (knee) is “honestly questionable” for BYU and that freshman Jake Fette will start if Keene is unable to go.
This confirms what Dillingham initially said following the Kansas State game.
“(Keene will) go out there and we'll see what he does in practice tomorrow,” Dillingham said in his weekly press conference on Oct. 26. “But that's a tough competitor and a fighter. I know he's
going to want to be on the field, so we'll see what happens throughout the week. But if he's not in, it's going to be Jake. And I think regardless of who takes the field, we're going to put together a plan and we're gonna practice hard and prepare to try to win a football game.”
Fette, a four-star prospect getting his first extended action of the season, replaced Cutter Boley against Kansas State late in the third quarter down 17-14 and helped lead the team to a comeback 28-17 win.
“I liked his eyes; I like his progression,” Dillingham said about Fette. “The way he communicated in the game gave me a lot of confidence in who he is. We've had a lot of confidence in him since we recruited him.”
Dillingham said he believes that Fette can be the face of the program.
“Everybody in the country was trying to get him to visit their programs, and he said, ‘No, I want to be at Arizona State,’ because of everything that's happened in the last two years,” Dillingham said. “My response when he (got) here is, ‘I'm gonna protect you.’ We only wanna put you in the game when you're ready, for the most part, to go perform at the highest level, because we believe that he can be the future here.”
Another Big 12 honor for Cardae Mack
Freshman running back Cardae Mack was named the Big 12 freshman of the week after his historic game against Kansas State. Mack rushed for 159 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries, scoring all the touchdowns for ASU in the win.
The four touchdowns tied a freshman school record set in 1955 by Leon Burton. It was the first time that an ASU running back scored four touchdowns in a game since Kalen Ballage had seven against Texas Tech in 2016.
Mack has now won Big 12 freshman of the week twice, picking one up earlier this season after his breakout game against Hawai’i (154 yards, two touchdowns) on Oct. 10.
Time for Colorado game announced
There is now an official time for Arizona State’s home game against Colorado on Nov. 7.
The game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MST and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State QB Mikey Keene 'honestly questionable' for BYU game
