Kenny Dillingham wouldn’t let his players leave field after loss

Nov 23, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham against the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kenny Dillingham wouldn’t let some of his Arizona State players leave the field after their 39-31 overtime loss to the Texas Longhorns in their College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Wednesday night. His reasons all came down to proper sportsmanship.

Dillingham saw some of his players looking to head off the field after the loss and had to round them up. When asked after the game for his reason, Dillingham explained.

“You lost the game doesn’t mean you just get to leave. You shake hands — that’s what you do. That’s sportsmanship,” Dillingham said. “So nothing more than, if we would have won, you shake the team’s hand. You lose, you go out there and it’s not fun, but that’s part of life.”

Despite the loss, @ASUFootball's Kenny Dillingham made sure his players shook Texas' hands after the game 🤝 pic.twitter.com/7ZBbQ51Pxc

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 1, 2025

Dillingham may only be 34 years old, but he sure is old school when it comes to his mentality on sportsmanship.

His Sun Devils had a fantastic season despite their loss to Texas. They went 11-3, won the Big 12 and made the College Football Playoff, where they showed they belonged. This was their best season since a 10-3 campaign under Todd Graham in 2014.