Sam Leavitt left the game against Utah in the second quarter due to injury, substitute Jeff Sims came on

Arizona State Starting quarterback Sam Leavitt left Friday night's game against Utah with an apparent injury to his right side and throwing arm after a hard hit in the 2nd quarter. He was replaced by a substitute player Jeff Sims.

After sitting through a commercial break, Leavitt was back on his feet and walking away under his own power. He appeared to be in considerable pain and discomfort.

The two teams were tied 6-6 at the time of Leavitt's injury, with Arizona State driving in the red zone. Leavitt was 6 of 10 for 99 yards and a touchdown and an interception at the time of his injury.

After Sims came in, the Sun Devils ran a series of wild plays with their star running back Cam Skattebo Taking snapshots, including a fourth down conversion. Then Sims took a shotgun snap, ran right and scored a two-yard touchdown run that gave Arizona State a 13-6 lead.

Leavitt was taken to the locker room and appeared to be holding his right side, according to the ESPN side reporter Paul Carcaterra.

Leavitt came into the game Friday night leading the Sun Devils 4-1 from beyond the arc. He had completed 59% of his passes for 1,012 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions and also brings a running threat – 257 yards and four more touchdowns. The hit that injured Leavitt occurred during a scramble.

Both Leavitt and Sims come to Arizona State from Big Ten schools with varying levels of experience. Leavitt began his career as a signee with Michigan State left high school in the 2023 signing class and joined the Sun Devils after a year in East Lansing.

Sims arrived after one season at Tempe NebraskaHe began the season as a starter before being replaced. Sims began his college career at Georgia Tech.

In five games with the Huskers last season, including two starts, Sims threw for 282 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions while completing 59.6% of his throws. Sims was slightly better on the ground with 189 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries.

However, turnovers were a problem for the quarterback. The six interceptions were mentioned, but there were also four fumbles. Nebraska ended up losing all four games and Sims was involved in 10 turnovers throughout the season.