Sam Leavitt's passing and running rallies Arizona State past Texas State 31-28

SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) — Sam Leavitt passed for a touchdown and ran for another, as Arizona State rallied twice to earn a tough 31-28 win over Texas State on Thursday night.

Cam Skattebo ran for two short touchdowns, and the Sun Devils defense forced two fourth-quarter turnovers. The first, a fumble recovery, set up Ian Hershey's short field goal with 6:29 left that proved to be the game winner for Arizona State.

Arizona State is 3-0 heading into the program's first Big 12 game next week at Texas Tech. The Sun Devils went 3-9 last season.

“Best thing in the world,” said Sun Devils defensive back Shamari Simmons, who forced the fourth-quarter fumble. “I’m in the clouds right now.”

Leavitt's 52-yard touchdown throw to Jordyn Tyson and his 7-yard touchdown run on the next possession pulled the Sun Devils out of a 21-7 deficit in the second quarter. Leavitt passed for 246 yards in his first road start after transferring from Michigan State.

“We responded really well with two quick touchdowns that got us back in the game,” Leavitt said.

Skattebo, who rushed for 262 yards last week against Mississippi State, was held in check for most of the night by a stout Texas State defense, but he was a wrecking ball near the goal line. His 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter tied it at 28-28.

Skattebo finished with 62 yards on 24 carries, and earned the critical first down that let the Sun Devils run out most of the final 2 minutes.

“When the game mattered the most, the best players made plays,” Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Very good for our football team to win that game.”

Jordan McCloud passed for 268 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Jaden Williams, for Texas State (2-1). But he threw an interception after Arizona State took the lead in the fourth quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona State: The running game that mauled Mississippi State a week ago got pushed around at the line of scrimmage and will face bigger teams in the Big 12. Leavitt provided the biggest runs, including a 40-yard scramble that set up the tying touchdown in the third quarter.

Texas State: The Bobcats will rue this missed opportunity for a second victory over a Big 12 team in two years and another big win in a game televised nationally on ESPN. The Sun Belt program is usually overlooked, and second year-coach G.J. Kinne is looking for a breakthrough moment. The Bobcats beat Baylor and won their first bowl game last season.

“I hate it for the kids that we weren’t able to get that win, but I think we performed well," Kinne said. "I think we earned a lot of respect around the country tonight.”

TEXAS FOOTPRINT

Arizona State named four native Texan players as game captains. As new members of the Big 12, the Sun Devils will be spending a lot of time in the Lone Star State.

“The Texas guys on the roster, coming home, we brought it,” said Tyson, who is from Allen, Texas.

“We recruit Texas,” Dillingham said. “Texas is definitely a footprint for us because we play games here.”

FINAL PLAY

The game appeared over when Leavitt took a knee on fourth down and the teams shook hands and started heading toward the locker room. But after video review, game officials determined there was 1 second left. Texas State completed a short pass but an attempted lateral was fumbled and recovered by Arizona State.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Plays at Texas Tech on Sept. 21 in the Sun Devils' first game in the Big 12.

Texas State: Hosts Sam Houston State on Sept. 28

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Texas State wide receiver Joey Hobert (10) leaps over Arizona State defensive back Myles Rowser (4) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in San Marcos, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, center, dives for a touchdown against Texas State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in San Marcos, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas State quarterback Jordan McCloud (3) scramble against Texas State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in San Marcos, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi (21) runs against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in San Marcos, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated false claims that Chinese automakers are putting up large factories in Mexico, vowing during a stop in the automaking state of Michigan to slap 200% tariffs on any vehicles the unbuilt plants make and ship to the United States.

Trump also claimed during an event in Flint that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in November, there will be no more auto industry in the U.S., because work building electric vehicles will go to China.

That statement came even though automaking employment has grown since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, after dropping during Trump's first term.

“If I don't win, you will have no auto industry within two to three years," Trump said, calling any increases under Biden and Harris temporary. “You will not have any manufacturing plants. China is going to take over all of them because of the electric car.”

He told the crowd he would make foreign automakers build factories in the U.S. by imposing tariffs on imported autos, saying it “will be like taking candy from a baby.”

Foreign automakers already have multiple U.S. factories, mainly in southern states.

Auto jobs dipped 0.8% during Trump's term to just over 949,000 in January 2021, when he left office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since Biden took office that month, auto and parts jobs rose 13.6% to 1.07 million in August, so there's no evidence of the industry disappearing. Auto sales were up 2.4% in the first half of this year.

Trump said his tariffs would make Chinese vehicles built in Mexico unsellable in the U.S., forcing automakers from China and elsewhere to set up factories in the U.S.

“They’re owned and built by China in Mexico, and there are a number of them going up right now,” Trump said of Chinese factories.

Although some Chinese automakers aspire to sell in the U.S., industry analysts say there are no large Chinese-owned auto factories under construction in Mexico, and there's only one small Chinese auto assembly factory operating there. It’s run by a company called JAC that builds inexpensive vehicles from kits for sale in that country.

Trump also promised to charge tariffs on vehicles made in other countries if those countries tax U.S.-made vehicles. But often tariffs end up being passed on to consumers in the country that assesses them.

The Harris campaign issued a statement from Michigan Sen. Gary Peters saying that a second Trump term would crush auto jobs, “ceding Michigan's global auto manufacturing leadership to the Chinese government.” He said Harris has a plan to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs home "and ensure Michigan workers continue to lead the world in auto manufacturing.”

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)