👋 GOOD MORNING - Happy Monday! Victory Monday if you’re a football fan in Arizona!

If you somehow missed ASU receiver Jordyn Tyson’s mind-blowing touchdown on Saturday, make sure you scroll down and check it out. It was one of the most athletic, acrobatic touchdowns you’ll see at any level.

Let’s not forget about the Wildcats, who moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2015. They enter their bye week at 3-0 and a date with No. 12 Iowa State in Ames looming on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Finally, congrats to former Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo, who recorded his first NFL touchdown yesterday with the Giants. Many more to come, I’m sure.

On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Football in Arizona was three-for-three over the weekend.

The Cardinals, Sun Devils and Wildcats all emerged with victories, and each were monumentally important for very different reasons. The Birds, for example, are 2-0 for the first time since 2021 — the last time they made the postseason — while UA is off to its best start in a decade.

And ASU? Well, Sun Devil faithful needed to see a dominating win against an overmatched Texas State team, and that’s exactly what they got.

So, yeah, solid weekend all around.

Here’s how everything went down.

No one said winning in the NFL was easy.

Arizona jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead behind solid defense and timely scoring, and then padded it to 27-3 after James Conner’s two-yard touchdown run six minutes into the third quarter.

The Panthers battled back, though, recovering an onside kick with under two minutes to play after cutting it to 27-22. A parade of penalties kept the end result in doubt until 39-year-old Calais Campbell sacked Bryce Young to force a turnover on downs.

The game was well in hand, or so it seemed, but for the second consecutive week the Cardinals clung to a lead late in a one-score game. Credit where credit is due, Arizona emerged with the win, but has been outscored 16-0 in the fourth quarter so far this season.

Late-game penalties, might I add. The Panthers had a few drives extended in the waning moments because of ill-timed (and honestly, sometimes nit-picky) infractions. That’s got to be cleaned up.

The Cardinals put on a master class on how to start a game — capitalizing on turnovers and building a big lead. It’s a good thing, too, considering how close it was at the end.

Catch up on all of the PHNX Cardinals podcasts!

The Arizona Wildcats absolutely embarrassed Kansas State in the first half of Friday’s 23-17 win, but the (other) Wildcats responded with 14 third quarter points to make it a close one, though the defense shut them out from there.

Have yourself a game, Ismail Mahdi! The running back broke out in a huge way, rushing for 189 yards on 22 carries, and he added two receptions for 32 yards. U of A finished with 234 rushing yards and 178 passing yards, holding Kansas State to 193.

Arizona possessed the ball for 36:55, compared to Kansas State’s 23:05, and it showed. UA also won the turnover battle 2-1.

No T-Mac? No problem. Quarterback Noah Fifita found seven different receivers on Friday, led by Chris Hunter’s three receptions for 37 yards. And Fifita? All he did was rush for 48 yards and two touchdowns — UA’s only two of the game.

No one was really THAT worried, right? Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson re-established their connection as ASU got back on the right side of .500 with a 34-15 win over Texas State. The Sun Devils had to have it, and their stars shined brightly when they needed it most.

Tyson finished with 105 receiving yards and one touchdown, a welcome sight for a fanbase that packed Mountain America Stadium to capacity for a second straight game. Shoutout to Chamon Metayer, who chipped in six receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

And Tyson’s highlight-reel tuddy? You can find that below.

Brown averaged 12 yards per carry with one touchdown after accumulating 144 yards on 12 carries, an unbelievable showing that truly opened things up for the passing game. Leavitt finished with 12 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.

That’ll do it for the non-conference portion, and a challenge awaits in Waco this Saturday. How do the Bears stack up against the Sun Devils? Well, you can check that out in our PHNX Sports Daily Big 12 Power Rankings on Wednesday.

Oh, so Close: The Mercury dropped the opening game of their First Round matchup against New York yesterday, falling 76-69, in overtime, in the best-of-three series. It’s do-or-die for the Mercury now, and they’ll have to win in New York on Wednesday to force a decisive Game 3.

Playoffs?!: The D-backs continue their improbable march to a postseason berth after taking two of three from the Twins over the weekend. Arizona is just two spots behind the Mets in the Wild Card spot race, and host the team directly in front of them — the Giants — for three games beginning tonight.

Talk about a meaningful series. Go get to Chase!

Another Day, Another Draw: Rising FC finished with its third straight draw after a 2-2 final against Sacramento on Saturday, but honestly, that’s a small victory considering Phoenix trailed 2-0 at the half. Rising FC continues to hang around the postseason picture, occupying the seventh spot (out of eight) in the USL Western Conference table.

I could literally watch this on a loop.

The football weekend for AZ fans: