Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham began his victorious postgame interview with a Marshawn Lynch-esque remark after officials added extra time — and an extra possession for the Texas State Bobcats — saying the Sun Devils had given the ball away on downs on their final play of the game.

ASU thought quarterback Sam Leavitt had taken a knee after the clock read 0:00, but after the Sun Devils celebrated, they were called back to defend one more play by Texas State.

“You and I are finally talking, because after a while they turned back a second on the clock and ran a different play,” ESPN sideline reporter Harry Lyles Jr. told Dillingham. “Can you explain what the referee told you there?”

“Yeah, I’m just here to not get fined. That’s all I can say, because that was ridiculous,” Dillingham said after the Sun Devils’ 31-28 win.

“I’m only here now to avoid a fine” hahaha photo.twitter.com/t519dBBABB

— Kyle Martin (@StrangersAstory) September 13, 2024

He had reason to be confused and a little impatient.

ASU’s strange ending against Texas State leads to Kenny Dillingham’s meme moment

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt took a few seconds to put his knee on the ground and blow the whistle, thinking the game was over.

Leavitt met Dillingham with a celebratory mid-air body bump. And Dillingham even reached Lyles on camera to prepare for a post-game interview, but was caught saying, “If they put one more second on this clock…” before running off to prepare his team for one final play.

Officials had to pull all players off the field and reconvene with the announcement that they were giving the ball back to Texas State at their own 30-yard line for one more play.

A small bubble screen and a sideways pass from ASU yielded nothing, but it did delay the play-offs.

Dillingham made it clear at his podium press conference that it wasn’t the fault of the on-field officials. He said the clock went to a replay review room, but wasn’t sure why.

And despite Dillingham seeming quite upset in the second interview with Lyles, he promised reporters afterward that he wasn’t mad at the race officials and that he didn’t mind standing next to Lyles.

He admitted that his sarcasm was a bit too much.

“Let’s start at the beginning: I said something on TV… That was a joke, right?” Dillingham later said.

“They said they’re watching the clock. … To be clear, it’s not the fault of the guys on the field,” Dillingham added. “Not fun for them, obviously. … I thought for sure we could take two seconds (off the clock) and take a delayed knee. If that’s how it’s going to work, we’ve got to throw it away, which is fine.”

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