TEMPE — It takes years of constant watering, fertilizing and care for bamboo culms to break the surface of the soil, but once it does, it grows rapidly. After the Sun Devils’ 27-24 loss to Colorado, first-year coach Kenny Dillingham made the connection between his program and bamboo.
“We’re playing winning football,” Dillingham said emphatically after the game. “But we’re not winning, which means we’re very, very close.”
When Arizona State finished its improbable 94-yard drive with a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Colorado, it felt as if it were finally time for the Sun Devil’s to break the surface of the soil.