The stage is set in El Paso, Texas, where the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Duke Blue Devils are battling it out in the 92nd edition of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. On a brisk New Year’s Eve, Sun Bowl Stadium is once again the backdrop for a clash that’s as much about tradition and resilience as it is about football prowess. This year’s matchup is a rematch of their thrilling 2014 encounter, which saw Arizona State edge out Duke 36-31 in a game that’s still talked about by fans of both programs.
Kickoff came promptly at noon Mountain Time (2 p.m. Eastern), with the game broadcast on CBS and streaming across FUBO, Paramount+, and the CBS Sports App. Sun Bowl Stadium, nestled on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso, welcomed fans from across the country, eager to see which set of Devils would claim bragging rights this time around.
Both teams entered the contest with impressive resumes. Arizona State arrived with an 8-4 record, while Duke boasted an 8-5 mark, fresh off a dramatic 27-20 overtime victory over Virginia in the ACC Championship game. That win not only secured Duke’s place as ACC champions but also made them the first power-conference champion to appear in the Sun Bowl’s storied history.
But the lead-up to this year’s Sun Bowl painted a picture of two teams in transition. Arizona State, under head coach Kenny Dillingham, faced the daunting task of fielding a roster missing 19 regular contributors due to NFL draft declarations, transfers, and injuries. The Sun Devils were without key players such as quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, and running back Raleek Brown. Their two-deep looked radically different, with new faces at offensive tackle, tight end, running back, and throughout the secondary. Dillingham, reflecting on the moment, shared with reporters, “It’s just a special, special time. I told them, ‘You’ll never get this team together, this amount of people ever again, for your entire life.’”
Duke, meanwhile, wasn’t immune to attrition. The Blue Devils were missing All-ACC talents Brian Parker and Chandler Rivers, but their star quarterback Darian Mensah was ready to lead the charge. Mensah, a Tulane transfer who has thrown for over 3,000 yards with only five turnovers this season, is already being touted as a potential Heisman candidate for next year and has committed to returning to Duke. Head coach Manny Diaz, in his second season at the helm and carrying a 38-24 career record, emphasized the importance of preparation and adaptability: “You’ve got 12 games of evidence of what they want to be on offense, defense, and special teams. We always assume that any team we play will be at their full strength, so it doesn’t matter what the name is on the back of jersey or which jersey number they’re wearing.”
As the game unfolded, it quickly became clear that neither side was content to let adversity dictate the outcome. Arizona State struck first, with quarterback Jeff Sims capping a nine-play, 83-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Sims, who had struggled in the Sun Devils’ 23-7 loss to Arizona in the Territorial Cup—throwing three interceptions and no touchdown passes—looked determined to bounce back. Duke responded in kind, with Mensah connecting on a 69-yard touchdown pass to Que-Sean Brown, tying the game at 7-7. The Blue Devils’ offense kept rolling, as Mensah found Cooper Barkate for a three-yard touchdown, capping a 49-yard drive and giving Duke a 14-7 lead.
Arizona State refused to fold. Sims orchestrated a five-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to Jalen Moss to knot the score at 14 with just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Sun Devils’ resilience was on full display, even as they leaned heavily on backups and underclassmen thrust into starting roles. True freshman Joseph Smith, promoted from the scout team midseason, started at cornerback, while the defensive line—one of the few units largely intact—aimed to generate pressure on Mensah. Dillingham was candid about the challenge: “We recruited them to play football, it’s time for them to go play football. Have fun, play hard, do your job and go fly around.”
The Blue Devils, who entered the game as a 3 to 3.5-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook, had plenty of motivation of their own. Not only were they seeking their second consecutive nine-win season—a feat achieved only once before, in 2013 and 2014—but they also eyed redemption after their narrow loss to Arizona State in the 2014 Sun Bowl. Diaz, however, downplayed any talk of revenge: “I don’t know revenge will be what we talk about right before we come out of the tunnel, most of our players were probably 10 years old when that game was played. What they do recognize is they recognize a chance to put a Sun Bowl championship trophy in our building.”
Injuries and game-time adjustments added to the drama. Duke defensive end Kobe Smith left the game in the first quarter with a leg injury, forcing the Blue Devils to shuffle their defensive front. Both teams’ depth was tested, and the coaching staffs were forced to improvise on the fly. The Sun Devils’ defensive strategy centered on disrupting Mensah, with Dillingham noting, “We’ve got to make him uncomfortable throughout the football game. We got to try to make him inefficient, but he’s been efficient in almost every game he’s played.”
Beyond the X’s and O’s, this Sun Bowl carried historical weight for Arizona State. A win would give the Sun Devils 20 victories over the past two seasons, something the program hasn’t accomplished in 40 years. Dillingham called it “a pretty special landmark,” adding, “Hopefully, that becomes a standard and a norm in the future. We are not there yet. But hopefully, if we slowly build, build, build, and build, hopefully, we can get you a point where we start doing things that are out of the ordinary.”
As the action continues in El Paso, both teams are fighting for more than just a trophy—they’re battling for legacy, pride, and the chance to cap their seasons on a high note. With the score tight and momentum swinging back and forth, fans can only guess which set of Devils will seize the day. One thing’s for sure: the Sun Bowl once again proves why it’s one of college football’s most unpredictable and cherished traditions.
