Controversial Jalon Daniels sequence leads to livid Lance Leipold, Clayton Smith ejection

Things got heated in a hurry on Saturday night’s game between Arizona State and Kansas. It all started when Arizona State got a blatant offsides on a play, with Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels rolling out to his left to escape that pressure. It was then when he was greeted by Clayton Smith, who flew in with pressure and drilled Daniels to the ground.

The hit caused KU head coach Lance Leipold to erupt on the sidelines. He even ran out on the field and needed to be restrained by members of the Jayhawks coaching staff.

Here’s video of the offsides/late hit/targeting on Arizona State, plus Lance Leipold erupting on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/XAm92juCpg

— Scott Chasen (@ChasenScott) October 6, 2024

Leipold’s tirade might have been extreme, but it got officials to review the hit for targeting. And they ejected Clayton Smith from the game. Since he was ejected in the second half, Smith will miss the first half of their next game against Utah.

Kansas lost in a classic on Saturday night, 35-31. The Jayhawks simply could find no answer to stop ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt. He threw four touchdown passes, including the three-yard strike to Jordyn Tyson with 16 seconds left. The game had six lead changes in the second half.

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo ran for 186 rushing yards, including a crucial 39-yard run on the game-winning drive. Even though Kansas has lost five straight, many of those have been close games. Four of the losses have been by a touchdown or less.

Jalon Daniels put up a season-high on a hot night

The weather was an absolute scorcher on Saturday night in Tempe, Arizona. The temperature at kickoff was 107 degrees, setting the mark for the hottest October game there dating back to 2000. Jalon Daniels did finish with a season-high of 260 passing yards and two touchdowns. His numbers this year simply haven’t been what they have in the past.

For his college career thus far, Daniels has completed 61.6% of his passes for 5,102 yards, while tossing in 36 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Kansas running back Devin Neal ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Besides Clayton Smith, Arizona State also had Keyshaun Elliott ejected for targeting on Saturday night in the second half. The two players are two of their team’s top defensive players and now, they’ll have to miss the first half of their next game against Utah.