Football returns home to face Baylor

TEMPE — Arizona State returns to Mountain America Stadium after its bye to host Baylor on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on ESPN. The Sun Devils opened Big 12 play with a 24-17 win over Kansas in London.

The Bears

• Arizona State leads the series with Baylor 2-0. The Sun Devils won 34-13 in Tempe in 1990 and 27-24 at Baylor in 2025 on Jesus Gomez’s 43-yard field goal as time expired.
• Baylor won their Sept. 26 conference opener against Colorado and are 3-1 this season with the lone loss being decided at the last second in the team’s season opener against Auburn.
• Baylor is making its first trip to Tempe since 1990. Last year in Waco, Arizona State won the Big 12 opener on Gomez’s fourth field goal of the game.
• The 2025 Baylor victory was ASU’s first win in a conference road opener since 2014. The Sun Devils followed it with another conference-opening road victory against Kansas in London this year.
• Baylor will be playing in its first true road game of the season this Saturday (Auburn game was a neutral site affair)
• The Bears put a three-game winning streak on the line, its longest since a six-game stretch to end the 2024 regular season.
• Baylor has held four straight foes to under 20 points, the longest such streak since 2005.

Big 12 Home Opener

• Arizona State is 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 play after defeating Kansas 24-17 in the Union Jack Classic. The Sun Devils have won consecutive conference openers for the first time since 2016-17.
• The Sun Devils are looking to start 2-0 in conference play for the second consecutive season. That number is incredibly notable as it has happened just nine times TOTAL since ASU joined the Pac-10 in 1978.
• It would be just the second time in since that 1978 debut that ASU has gone 2-0 in league play in back-to-back seasons - also doing so in 2011-12.
• Only Dirk Koetter (2002 and 2004) and Dennis Erickson (2007 and 2011) have multiple seasons where they started 2-0 in conference play, a feat Kenny Dillingham would achieve with a win on Saturday.
• A win over Baylor would give ASU three consecutive conference home-opening victories for the first time since 2016–18. Kenny Dillingham would become the first ASU coach to win three-straight since Bruce Snyder won four from 1994–97.

Over the air

• Saturday’s game against Baylor will air nationally on ESPN with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time (9:30 p.m. Central). Roy Philpott will provide the play-by-play alongside former Sun Devil Football quarterback Brock Osweiler as analyst with Sherree Burruss providing insight from the sidelines.
• The Sun Devil Radio Network broadcast will air on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
• Long-time Voice of the Sun Devils Tim Healey will provide the action alongside Rose Bowl winning former quarterback-now-analyst Jeff van Raaphorst with Kevin Turner providing insights from the sidelines. Turner joins Jeff Munn and recently graduated Sun Devil lineman Ben Coleman on the pre-game show with Munn and Coleman hosting the halftime and postgame shows as well.

An ASU victory would …

• Give Arizona State a 3-1 start and its second Big 12 victory of the 2026 season.
• Extend ASU’s series lead over Baylor to 3-0, with two victories in Tempe.
• Give the Sun Devils victories in their first two Big 12 games for the second consecutive season - a feat it has only achieved in back-to-back years once since joining the Pac 12 in 1978 (in 2011-12).
• Be just the 10th time ASU has started a season 2-0 in conference play since the team joined the Pac 12 in 1978.
• Improve ASU to 28-20-1 in conference home openers since joining the Pac-10 in 1978.
• Give ASU three consecutive conference home-opening victories for the first time since 2016–18. Kenny Dillingham would become the first ASU coach to win three straight since Bruce Snyder won four from 1994–97.
• Give Kenny Dillingham his 25th victory as Arizona State’s head coach.
• Improve ASU to 4-2 coming out of a bye week under Dillingham.

Schedule odds and ends (mostly odds)

• Arizona State’s road schedule features two teams that took part in the College Football Playoff this past season (Texas A&M and Texas Tech) and one that was one of the first two teams left out of the CFP (BYU).
• With two road games and a bye following the Morgan State tilt, 2026 marks the first time since the 1991 season that ASU will play just a single home game before the month of October (ignoring the unique circumstances of the COVID-altered 2020 season in which ASU didn’t have a home opener until December). The 1982 season was the last time it occurred before it became more commonplace, pre-1975, when the season typically did not start until the second or third week of September.
• ASU will leave the continental United States to play a football game for the first time since taking part in the 2006 Hawai’i Bowl when it heads across the Atlantic to historic Wembley Stadium to take part in the first-of-its-kind FBS contest in the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Sept. 19 in London. It will be just the second time ASU has traveled internationally for a game, after the 1990 Coca-Cola Classic in Tokyo against Houston.
• ASU played the inaugural Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 19, in the first college football game played on British soil and defeating Kansas 24-17.
• The Kansas game in London counted as a Jayhawk home game and ASU’s Big 12 opener. The Sun Devils won 24-17 and improved to 1-0 in conference action.
• All told, Sun Devil Football will post over 17,000 round-trip miles over the course of the coming season. For perspective, ASU logged about 9,000 air miles during the 2025 campaign. 
• In fact, ASU will be making two of its longest road trips of all time this season alone. The approximate 5,200 miles between Phoenix and London represents the second-longest trip in history, behind only that 1990 Coca-Cola Classic in Tokyo. The Sun Devils have played seven games all told in Honolulu, Hawai’i (four regular-season games at Hawai’i and three appearances in the Aloha/Hawai’i Bowl, ~2,900 miles). Arizona State took on Miami (FL) in a road tilt in 1997 (~1970 miles), and then ASU’s contest at UCF this season (~1,850 miles) is next on the list.
• ASU will be playing games in Orlando and College Station for the first time in program history. ASU previously played Texas A&M in a neutral-site game in Houston in 2015, and both contests in program history against UCF have taken place in Tempe. 
• The Sun Devils will play games in nine consecutive weekends following its Bye Weekend on Sept. 26. That will be the most since ASU closed with 11-straight weekends in the 2009 season. The 2003 season started with 11 consecutive weekends of action prior to a bye week ahead of the Territorial Cup. There were also nine-game stretches in the middle of the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

By the numbers

17K
All told, Sun Devil Football will post over 17,000 round-trip miles over the course of the 2026 season. For perspective, ASU logged only about 9,000 air miles during the 2025 campaign. In fact, ASU will be making two of its longest road trips of all time this season alone. The approximate 5,200 miles between Phoenix and London represents the second-longest trip in history, behind only the 1990 Coca-Cola Classic in Tokyo.

The Sun Devils have played seven games all told in Honolulu, Hawai’i (four regular-season games at Hawai’i and three appearances in the Aloha/Hawai’i Bowl, ~2,900 miles). Arizona State took on Miami (FL) in a road tilt in 1997 (~1970 miles), and then ASU’s contest at UCF this season (~1,850 miles) is next on the list.

When ASU heads to Wembley Stadium to take part in the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Sept. 19 in London, it will be just the second time ASU has traveled internationally for a game outside of the 1990 Coca-Cola Classic in Tokyo against Houston.

36
Removing garbage time, ASU has 36 scoring drives in the final five minutes of either the first or second half over the last two-plus seasons - good for 15th in the country. For perspective, in the previous three seasons from 2021-23, ASU managed just 28 TOTAL scoring drives in the final five minutes of a half (28-97) - a 28.9 percent score percentage that was 102nd in the FBS. The Sun Devils have a 32.2 percent (19-of-59) offensive touchdown drive rate in the final five minutes of the first half dating back to the start of 2024, the 18th-best percentage in the nation (does not include pick six against UCF in 2024, which makes it 20 total touchdowns). The 19 offensive touchdowns are seventh-most in the FBS in that time. For perspective, in the previous five seasons (2019-23), ASU scored just 17 TOTAL touchdowns in the final five minutes of the first half - at a 17.7 rate (17-of-96) that was 112th in the FBS. Conversely, ASU has allowed just five touchdown drives in the final five minutes of the first half dating back to 2024 and held opponents to a 9.4 touchdown drive percentage in that stretch (5-for-53) that is tied for seventh-lowest in the nation (drives that end at any point in the final five minutes of the half).

28
Arizona State defensive total of just a 28.3 conversion rate allowed on third or fourth down attempts (13-of-46) is 10th in the country. Through three games, opponents have converted just 12-of-40 third downs against ASU (30.0 percent) - the 27th-lowest tally in the nation. Opponents have just one fourth down conversion against ASU this season (1-for-6). Overall, opponents managed just a 36.5 percent conversion rate on third downs against the ASU defense last season, tied for 37th nationally. ASU was 97th in the category in 2024 (43.0 percent). Since Kenny Dillingham took over in 2023, the Sun Devils have gone for it on fourth down 120 times - sixth-most in the nation in that stretch (though third in the Big 12 behind Baylor’s 142 fourth down attempts and West Virginia’s 122.). ASU has converted 6 of 10 fourth-down attempts (60.0 percent) and the six conversions are tied for 15th-most in the country. Last season, ASU struggled mightily to move the ball on third- and fourth- and short situations, managing a paltry 56.0 conversion percentage (28-of-50) on 3rd and 4th and 1-2 yard scenarios — the sixth-worst total in the nation. The team has shown improvement early this season, going 8-for-12 on those this year (66.7 percent).

19
First half dominance has been a cornerstone of Kenny Dillingham’s time at Arizona State as the Sun Devils are 19-4 when leading at halftime (2-0 this season) in his tenure. The Sun Devils are allowing just 121.3 first half yards per game to opponents this season, the 15th-lowest total in the country. ASU was 39th a season ago at 172.8 first half yards per game. ASU has allowed just 170 TOTAL first half passing yards (56.7 per game), ranking first in the FBS in fewest yards and fourth in fewest yards per game. Last season ASU ranked 57th with 110.9 allowed per game. Opponents have scored just four offensive touchdowns in the first three quarters of games this season - the 23rd-lowest total in the country. ASU has a 175-77 advantage since the start of 2024 in points scored in the “middle eight” of games (points scored in the last four minutes of first half, first four minutes of second half).

11
Arizona State has one of the top honors colleges in the nation; Barrett, the Honors College, is consistently ranked high in several areas. The 11 football players in Barrett this year include Kyson Brown, Cory Butler, Cam Dyer, Jake Fette, Martell Hughes, Isaiah Iosefa, Davis Kinney, Cardae Mack, Mason Marden, Landen Miree and Uriah Neloms.

Additionally, 11 different Sun Devils have already earned their undergraduate degrees from Arizona State University and will compete as graduates this season with two others who earned their degrees prior to arriving at Arizona State:

• Kyson Brown (BA in interdisciplinary studies, 2026)
• Derek Eusebio (BA in business (sports business, 2026)
• Zyrus Fiaseu (BA in liberal studies, 2025)
• C.J. Fite (BS in business entrepreneurship, 2025)
• My’Keil Gardner (BS in family and human development, 2026)
• Jaren Hamilton (BA in liberal studies, 2026)
• Roman Pitre (BA in interdisciplinary studies, 2025)
• Clayton Smith (BA in liberal studies, 2025)
• Zac Swanson (BA in liberal studies, 2026)
• Tyler Wigglesworth (BA in mass communication and media studies, 2026)
• Blazen Lono Wong (BS in communication, 2025)
• Mikey Keene (BS in business administration, 2024 (Fresno State))
• Lyrik Rawls (BS in business administration, 2024 (Oklahoma State)).

2
The Sun Devils are looking to start 2-0 in conference play for the second consecutive season. That number is incredibly notable as it has happened just nine times TOTAL since ASU joined the Pac-10 in 1978. In fact, It would be just the second time in since that 1978 debut that ASU has gone 2-0 in league play in back-to-back seasons - also doing so in 2011-12. Only Dirk Koetter (2002 and 2004) and Dennis Erickson (2007 and 2011) have multiple seasons where they started 2-0 in conference play, a feat Kenny Dillingham would achieve with a win on Saturday. A win over Baylor would give ASU three consecutive conference home-opening victories for the first time since 2016–18. Kenny Dillingham would become the first ASU coach to win three-straight since Bruce Snyder won four from 1994–97. Baylor will be playing in its first true road game of the season this Saturday (Auburn game was a neutral site affair) Baylor has held four straight foes to under 20 points, the longest such streak since 2005

10 things

1. Arizona State has allowed just 121.3 first half yards of offense per game to opponents this season, the 15th-lowest total in the country. The team has allowed just 170 TOTAL passing yards in the first half - fewest in the nation.
2. Arizona State’s defense has not allowed 450 total yards in a regular-season game since the start of 2024, one of three teams in the nation with such a claim (Indiana and Toledo). Kansas had 414 yards on Sept. 19.
3. Opponents have just a 28.3 conversion percentage (13-of-46) on third and fourth-down attempts this season, the 10th-lowest total in the country.
4. Arizona State has 36 scoring drives in the final five minutes of a half in non-garbage time since the start of 2024, good for 15th in the FBS.
5. Arizona State is 18-7 under Kenny Dillingham when winning time of possession and 6-11 when it does not.
6. Big 12 teams were just 19-24 (.442) in the second game of back-to-back road games (no bye between) since the 2021 season prior to ASU’s win against Kansas. All FBS Power Four teams were 113-122 (.481) in that time.
7. Arizona State receivers are leading the nation wity 9.4 yards after the catch this season and rank sixth in the country with 305 yards after contact.
8. The Sun Devils are one of just 19 teams to score on 100 percent of ther red zone drives this season (8-for-8) after finishing 106th in the category last season at 78.72 percent.
9. Arizona State is 11-2 over the last two seasons in games decided by seven points or fewer, the second-most such victories in the FBS.
10. Arizona State holds a 175-77 scoring advantage in the middle eight minutes of games since the start of 2024.

Opening statement

• Arizona State enters its Baylor game at 2-1 (1-0 Big 12) following a 24-17 victory over Kansas in London. The Sun Devils overcame a 414-228 deficit in total offense with a 100-yard kickoff return and three takeaways.
• Linebacker Owen Long had 12 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against Kansas. Martell Hughes added a career-high 11 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss.
• Wide receiver Reed Harris caught a 25-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half. His 19 receptions for 374 yards and five touchdowns through three games lead the Sun Devils. The last time a Sun Devil wide receiver had at least five receiving touchdowns through each of the first three games of the season was Keith Poole in 1995 (also five touchdowns).
• ASU held Kansas to 119 first-half yards, forced three turnovers and won despite having just 228 total yards. It was the Sun Devils’ first victory with fewer than 250 yards of offense since the 2019 win over Michigan State. The 186-yard discrepency was ASU’s largest in a victory since it was outgained by Florida State by 188 yards in the 2019 Sun Bowl.
• The victory gave ASU a win in its conference opener in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2016-17 (vs. Cal, vs. Oregon). It gave ASU wins in conference road openers in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2014-15 (at Colorado, at UCLA).
• It was the first time ASU has had consecutive seasons winning its conference opener when it was both the first conference game of the season AND the first ROAD conference game of the season since the 1960-61 seasons when ASU defeated West Texas State on the road in back-to-back seasons to open Border Conference action.
• Winning the back half of consecutive road games is no small feat as Big 12 teams were 19-24 (.442) since 2021 in the second game when playing a road game in consecutive weeks with no bye in between. Among ALL Power Four teams, the record stood at 113-122 (.481) since the 2021 season.
• Arizona State was the first FBS team to play a true road game one week followed by an international game seven days later since Navy in 1996, when it played an Oct. 26 game at Wake Forest followed by a contest in Ireland
  against Notre Dame on Nov. 2.
• Jaren Hamilton’s kick return in the third quarter was the first for a Sun Devil since DJ Taylor took the opening kickoff to the house in Arizona State’s 70-7 win over Arizona on Dec. 11, 2020.
• Kansas came into the game having converted 5-of-8 on fourth down through their first two games. Arizona State held them to 0-for-3 on fourth down, forcing three turnover on downs.

Reed all about him

• Reed Harris has recorded 374 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions through Arizona State’s first three games, the most in both categories since Derek Hagan’s 2004 season where he had five touchdowns and 385 receiving yards.
• The 374 yards are good for 16th in the nation this season, despite already having a bye week and only playing a half and change in the team’s opener.
• Harris became just the third player in Big 12 history to record at least 325 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns through his team’s first two games of a season. He joined Baylor’s Corey Coleman (2015) and Texas Tech’s Darrin Moore (2011).
• Harris has nine receptions over 20 yards through ASU’s first three games - good for third in the FBS and tied for first in the Big 12. His 19.68 yards per reception are sixth in the country among players with 15 catches this season.
• He is tied for fifth in the nation with 15 explosive plays (receptions over 15 yards).
• Harris’ 90.6 receiving grade is third in the nation behind while he has a 90.7 overall offensive grade that leads the Big 12 and is 12th among all FBS players, regardless of position
• His 15 receptions for a first down/touchdown are tied for 28th in the country, while his 146 yards after the catch are 33rd in the country. His 78 yards after contact are 28th nationally.

Cutter Boley became the first Sun Devil quarterback to throw for six touchdown passes since Andrew Walter in 2004.

Holy Boley

• Through three games, Cutter Boley has completed 53-of-84 passes (63.1 percent) for 736 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He added a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown against Kansas.
• Boley has thrown for at least one touchdown in each of ASU’s first three games, including six against Morgan State, two at Texas A&M and one against Kansas.
• Boley is 36th in the nation with an overall offensive grade of 80.4 from Pro Football Focus.
• Boley ranks 28th in the nation with his NFL QB rating of 116.7.
• Boley’s big-time throw percentage from PFF (excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window) of 7.1 percent is 17th in country.
• Much ado has been made over his career interception numbers, but as always, context is important. Of his 18 career interceptions - all but two came while Boley was trailing in a game and attempting to come back. Additionally, of those 18, all but five came in the final five minutes of the first or second halves and/or came on 3rd-and-10 or longer.

A cut above the rest

• Kenny Dillingham announced Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley as the team’s starting quarterback ahead of the team’s opening against Morgan State.
• Boley was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for Week One after completing 21-of-27 (77.8%) of his passes in the opener and ended up as one of just four quarterbacks nationally with a perfect NFL QBR for the week
  (158.3).
• He became the first Sun Devil quarterback to throw for six touchdown passes since Andrew Walter in 2004 - tied for the second-most with Danny White and Walter and one off the school record of seven set by Mike Pagel (1981)
• His 22.2 touchdown percentage (six touchdowns on 27 passes) was the seventh-highest in the FBS since the 2020 season. Since 2020, Boley is now one of just 30 FBS quarterbacks to throw for six or more touchdowns with no interceptions.
• Boley threw for 387 yards in his first game in the Maroon and Gold, the most by an Arizona State quarterback in a debut performance in program history
• It was the most passing yards in a game for an ASU quarterback since Trenton Bourguet’s 435 against Colorado on Oct. 29, 2022, and just the second time since 2015 an ASU quarterback has thrown for over 380 yards.
• Boley completed 65.8 percent of his passes last season as a redshirt freshman (198-of-301), breaking the UK freshman record for completion percentage in a season previous held by Jared Lorenzen in 2000
• In 2025, Boley the school freshman record for touchdown passes in a season in SEC games with 12 and set the UK freshman record for touchdown passes in a game with five vs. Tennessee.
• He became the first UK quarterback with a completion percentage of at least 74 percent in four games (min. 20 attempts) in one season since Tim Couch in 1998 (vs. Texas, Tennessee, Florida and Tennessee Tech) and became the first UK freshman quarterback with a touchdown pass in five straight games since Jared Lorenzen had six in the 2000 season (vs. Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt).
• He was the first UK quarterback to complete at least 74.3 percent of his passes (min. 30 attempts) in consecutive games since Dusty Bonner in 1999 and the first UK quarterback with at least 26 completions in consecutive games since 2015 (Patrick Towles) and consecutive conference games since 2010 (Mike Hartline)
• In eight SEC games, Boley ranked 3rd in pass completion percentage (66.52), behind UGA’s Gunner Stockton (71.1) and Vandy’s Diego Pavia (70.1), 6th in pass completions (155), 7th in passing TDs (12) and 8th in total offense TDs (13). In his last six SEC games, completed 144-211-8 for 1,422 yards and 12 touchdowns. His pass completion percentage in those six games was 68.2 percent.

In 2025, Cutter Boley set the school freshman record for touchdown passes in a season in SEC games with 12 and set the UK freshman record for touchdown passes in a game with five vs. Tennessee.

Who's this guy?

• There are no shortage of new faces on the Sun Devil roster in 2026, featuring 30 collegiate transfers from all levels and 18 incoming freshman - with the 48 combined newcomers making up 44.9 percent of the team’s current 107-man roster.
• All those new faces put ASU in a vastly different position than it found itself in at the beginning of last season, when the Sun Devils entered the year with 16 players that had started at least six games during the 2024 College Football Playoff run - a total that was tied for the most in the nation.
• The 2026 roster, however, features just three such players—DL C.J. Fite (13), DB Boogie Wilson (10) and OL Wade Helton (7). And of that trio, only Fite started on Opening Day last season, with Wilson and Helton filling in later in the year to replace injured starters.
• The longest active starting streak in ASU games for the Sun Devils is Fite, with 28, followed by a steep drop-off to Helton with six and Maki Stewart with four.
• Another example of the fresh look for the 2026 edition of the Sun Devils comes along the offensive line. Last year, the ASU group at that position recorded 134 combined starts. The 2026 version will feature just 33 - 14 of which coming by way of Luke Baklenko, who did not start a game at Oklahoma last season.
• In fact, the entire Sun Devils roster features just 118 combined starts—a smidge over one start per player on the team. 

Hold on to your butts

• The Sun Devils are 11-2 over the last two seasons in games decided by seven or fewer points — the second-most victory in that time in the FBS
  (Arkansas State, 12)
• ASU’s .846 winning percentage in that span is fifth-best in the nation among teams that have played in at least five such games.
• ASU’s 10 such victories in a two-year span from 2024-25 were tied for the most over a two-season span in Big 12 history and tied for the eighth-most for any FBS team since the 1996 season.
• Since Kenny Dillingham took the reins in 2023, 15 of the 24 Sun Devil victories in that time have been by 10 points or less.
• The Big 12 had 30 conference games decided by eight points or fewer last season. ASU was in six of them, and went 5-1. Thirteen games were decided by three points or fewer, and ASU was 3-0 with wins over Baylor and TCU (both 27-24) and West Virginia.
• The Sun Devils have won seven games in the past two seasons in which they were trailing or tied at some point in the fourth quarter - including four last year (Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia).
• Last season, the Sun Devils scored 51 points while trailing in non-garbage time in the fourth quarter of games - 15th-most in the FBS - and scored on 9-of-19 fourth quarter drives when trailing, a 47.4 conversion rate that was 35th-best in the FBS. Those nine scoring drives were tied for eighth-most in the FBS.
• Since the start of the 2024, ASU has scored on 16-of-35 fourth quarter drives while trailing in non-garbage time - a 45.7 rate that is 25th nationally. 
• The Sun Devil defense deserves credit as well for allowing the comebacks, posting a -.105 EPA when trailing in the fourth quarter of non-garbage time of games over the last two-plus seasons that is 24th-best nationally.
• Opponents are averaging just 4.1 yards per play when ASU is trailing in the fourth quarter in non-garbage time over the last two seasons - the 11th- lowest tally in the FBS.
• Over the last two-plus seasons with ASU trailing in the fourth quarter of non-garbage time, opponents have picked up a first down just 27 times on 123 opportunites - a 21.9 conversion rate that is 17th-lowest in the FBS.
• Only three times over the last two-plus seasons has a team added to its lead when the Sun Devils were within eight points in the fourth quarter - at Texas Tech in 2024, at Arizona last season and at Texas A&M this year.
• The 13 total points allowed in such a scenario over the last two-plus seasons (excluding lead-extending extra-point tries) is tied for the 22nd-lowest total in the country.

Setting the tone

• First half dominance has been a cornerstone of Kenny Dillingham’s time at Arizona State as the Sun Devils are 19-4 when leading at halftime (2-0 this season) in his tenure.
• The Sun Devils are allowing just 121.3 first half yards per game to opponents this season, the 15th-lowest total in the country. ASU was 39th a season ago at 172.8 first half yards per game.
• ASU has allowed just 170 TOTAL first half passing yards (56.7 per game), ranking first in the FBS in fewest yards and fourth in fewest yards per game. Last season ASU ranked 57th with 110.9 allowed per game.
• Opponents have scored just four offensive touchdowns in the first three quarters of games this season - the 23rd-lowest total in the country.
• Removing garbage time, ASU has 36 scoring drives in the final five minutes of either the first or second half over the last two-plus seasons - good for 15th in the country. For perspective, in the previous three seasons from 2021-23, ASU managed just 28 TOTAL scoring drives in the final five minutes of a half (28-97) - a 28.9 percent score percentage that was 102nd in the FBS.
• The Sun Devils have a 32.2 percent (19-of-59) offensive touchdown drive rate in the final five minutes of the first half dating back to the start of 2024, the 18th-best percentage in the nation (does not include pick six against UCF in 2024, which makes it 20 total touchdowns). The 19 offensive touchdowns are seventh-most in the FBS in that time. For perspective, in the previous five seasons (2019-23), ASU scored just 17 TOTAL touchdowns in the final five minutes of the first half - at a 17.7 rate (17-of- 96) that was 112th in the FBS.
• Conversely, ASU has allowed just five touchdown drives in the final five minutes of the first half dating back to 2024 and held opponents to a 9.4 touchdown drive percentage in that stretch (5-for-53t) that is tied for seventh-lowest in the nation (drives that end at any point in the final five minutes of the half).
• ASU has a 175-77 advantage since the start of 2024 in points scored in the “middle eight” of games (points scored in the last four minutes of first half, first four minutes of second half).

Keep them in front of you

• Arizona State has allowed just seven plays over 20 yards this season, tied for the third-lowest total in the country.
• ASU has allowed just 16 total plays of 50 or more yards to opponent offenses in the Dillingham/Ward era, tied for 25th-lowest since 2023.
• ASU has allowed just 28 plays over 50 yards to opponents since the 2018 season over 96 games - tied for third-fewest in the FBS (Washington 22, Wisconsin 23). The FBS average in that span is 52.95 such plays. ASU ranked in the bottom 10 nationally in 50+ yards played allowed each year from 2014-17, giving up a nation-leading 55 such plays in that span - 13 more than any other school in the FBS.
• ASU has allowed just 18 catches for 50 or more yards since 2018, tied for sixth-lowest in the FBS in that time. The team has allowed just 11 in the Dillingham/Ward era.
• ASU’s has allowed just 67 total plays of 30 or more yards in three-plus seasons under defensive coordinator Brian Ward, tied for the 23rd-lowest total in the FBS.
• Since 2018, ASU has allowed just 153 plays OVER 30 yards (1.58 per game /97 games). That is the fifth-lowest tally in the FBS in that time. (Kennesaw State excluded as they joined the FBS after 2018). For perspective, from 2014-17, ASU gave up 38, 44, 40, 40 such plays each SEASON, respectively ranked 116th, 124th, 117th and 119th.

Rule of thirds (or fourths)

• Through three games, opponents have converted just 12-of-40 third downs against ASU (30.0 percent) - the 27th-lowest tally in the nation.
• Opponents have just one fourth down conversion against ASU this season (1-for-6) and Arizona State defensive total of just a 28.3 conversion rate allowed on third or fourth down attempts (13-of-46) is 10th in the country.
• Overall, opponents managed just a 36.5 percent conversion rate on third downs against the ASU defense last season, tied for 37th nationally. ASU was 97th in the category in 2024 (43.0 percent).
• Since Kenny Dillingham took over in 2023, the Sun Devils have gone for it on fourth down 120 times - sixth-most in the nation in that stretch (though third in the Big 12 behind Baylor’s 142 fourth down attempts and West Virginia’s 122.).
• ASU has converted 6 of 10 fourth-down attempts (60.0 percent) and the six conversions are tied for 15th-most in the country.
• The team’s 24 third OR fourth down conversions in the fourth quarter of one-score games in the last two-plus years are 19th in the FBS.
• Opponents have managed just a 27.9 first down conversion rate in non-garbage time in the fourth quarter of games over the last two seasons (132-of-473), a total that is 37th-lowest in the FBS.
• Last season, ASU struggled mightily to move the ball on third- and fourth-and short situations, managing a paltry 56.0 conversion percentage (28-of-50) on 3rd and 4th and 1-2 yard scenarios — the sixth-worst total in the nation. The team has shown improvement early this season, going 8-for-12 on those this year (66.7 percent).
• Last season marked the first time ASU had held two opponents (vs. NAU, at Iowa State) for two or fewer third down conversions on ten or more attempts since the 2010 season (vs. NAU and Oregon).
• On offense in 2025, the Sun Devils had six fourth down conversions in the fourth quarter of one-score games - tied for the 10th-most in the FBS. The team’s 13 third OR fourth down conversions in the fourth quarter of one- score games were 13th in the FBS.

No fly zone

• The Sun Devils have allowed just six passing plays over 20 yards this season, tied for the seventh-lowest total in the country.
• Arizona State has allowed just 161.3 passing yards per game this season (19th-lowest in the country), and opponents have completed 52.4 percent of their passes (10th-lowest in the country) through three games.
• The Sun Devils are accomplishing the feat despite having four new starters in the secondary this season - including having to overcome the departures of NFL Draft selection Keith Abney and transfer Javan Robinson — a duo that had started 26 consecutive games together at corner for ASU up until the Sun Bowl to conclude last year.
• Rodney Bimage and Ashton Stamps rank ninth and 12th among Big 12 corners with a completion percentage allowed when targeted of 41.7 and 46.2 percent, respectively. Bimage’s 54 yards allowed in coverage this season are eighth-lowest among Big 12 corners and he has not been credited with a touchdown allowed.
• Bimage was perhaps the hottest player in the Sun Devil lineup prior to his season-ending concussion sustained in the West Virginia victory last season. Among FBS corners with at least 100 snaps played in coverage, his 4.4 yards allowed per reception were third-lowest in the country. Only 35.7 percent of opponents passes in Bimage’s direction resulted in a reception (on 107 snaps) - the 13th-lowest tally nationally. He allowed just .21 yards per coverage snap last season, the third-lowest total among FBS corners with at least 100 coverage snaps, while tying for second with his 1.6 yards allowed per coverage target. His 7.1 1D/TD percentage when targeted was tied for the lowest allowed in the FBS.
• While Stamps saw limited game action last season, he was a lockdown corner when it mattered most in 2024 while at LSU and did not allow a single touchdown while in man coverage on the season and posted a 72.0 grade in man defense — where ASU loves to stick its corners — that was 25th-best among the 150+ corners with at least 100 man coverage snaps for the
  season.
• Boogie Wilson is the only returning Sun Devil defender outside C.J. Fite to start at least 10 games last season, where he was fourth among all Big 12 secondaries with just 10 receptions allowed (min. 250 coverage snaps) in the regular season. Opponents threw Wilson’s way just 18 times, the third-lowest total among Big 12 secondary players in the regular season.
• Lyrik Rawls was not credited with a touchdown allowed in coverage last season — one of just nine Big 12 safeties with 250+ coverage snaps with such a claim. His 13.3 forced incompletion rate while targeted was seventh among Big 12 safeties, and he was credited with 10 defensive stops in coverage, good for 10th among league safeties.
• Jessiah McGrew was the nation’s 27th-highest graded safety in coverage (83.6) at FIU last year, and his 19.4 forced incompletion percentage when targeted was 22nd among FBS safeties, while his 12.9 percent interception
  rate was 18th.
• ASU ranked 13th in the FBS with 74 passes defended last year (66 PBUs, 9 INT). The Sun Devils were 16th in the nation with 69 passes defended in 2024 and 14th with 16 interceptions.
• ASU’s exceptional work in harrying opposing quarterbacks was due in large part to ASU’s coverage down the field. The Sun Devils had an average time to force a pressure of 2.70 seconds, which was the second-longest time in the FBS to pressure an opposing QB — a credit to ASU’s secondary given Arizona State’s gaudy sack and pressure numbers.

Bring the heat

• The Sun Devils has forced a QB pressure on 34.8 percent of its defensive snaps, a top-50 percentage in the country after finished 116th in the nation in the category last year (29.0).
• ASU has done so while blitzing just 20 total times, tied for the fewest of any FBS team the nation this season.
• The Sun Devils were 23rd in the FBS with 34 sacks last season and 19th with 86 tackles for loss. The sack total was especially notable as the team had just 24 TOTAL sacks during the 2024 season.
• Last year’s results in the categories were marked change in trend from the previous couple seasons, where ASU finished in the lower half of the country in both categories (73rd and 70th in sacks in 2024 and 2023, 83rd and 96th in TFLs).
• ASU had that success despite blitzing just 20.4 percent of the time, the third-LOWEST total in the country. The team brought four or fewer pass rushers 446 times this year - the seventh-MOST in the country.
• Arizona State 28 sacks with four or fewer pass rushers were the ninth-most in the FBS in 2025.

C.J. Fite's 72.6 grade on run defense in 2025 was 15th among defensive interior players with at least 250 run-defense snaps that season.

In the trenches

• The Sun Devils will look toward veteran and Pat Tillman Leadership Council
  member C.J. Fite to anchor the defensive front this season. Fite has played
  in 41 games in his Sun Devil career and started in 34 of those (29 in a row)
  and has racked up 79 tackles (40 solo)
• Last season, his 72.6 grade on run defense was 15th among defensive interior players with at least 250 run defense snaps on the season 
• His 1,562 career snaps are the sixth-most among active interior linemen in the FBS over the last three-plus seasons. Ironically, that’s also fifth-most in the Big 12 as he is ranked behind Texas Tech’s A.J. Holmes Jr. (1,843), Baylor’s Hosea Wheeler (1,629) Colorado’s Santana Hooper (1,623) and BYU’s Keanu Tanuvasa (1,563).
• Among active interior linemen with at least 500 run defensive snaps, his 75.7 run defense grade is sixth in the FBS. His 18 tackles for loss or no gain on run plays are the third-most among FBS interior defenders among active interior linemen, and his 1.13 average depth of tackle is the fifth closest to the line of scrimmage.
• Jalen Thompson currently has the fifth-best pass rush score in the Big 12 (80.6) and the 15th-best overall defensive grade (81.0) in the league.
• Thompson’s 11 quarterback pressures this season are tied for ninth in the Big 12 and he has been credited with a “win” on his pass rush snaps 23.7 percent of the time - third in the Big 12 and 16th in the FBS.
• Thompson, a veteran from Michigan State, brought over 1,000 defensive snaps with him this season. His 19 plays last year where he was credited with beating his defender but denied an opportunity at a QB pressure last season were tied for the eighth-most in the Big Ten.
• Emar’rion Winston recorded eight tackles for loss or not gain as an edge defender on run plays last season at Baylor, tied for the sixth-most among edge defenders in the Big 12

Middle of the lineup

• Sun Devil linebacker Owen Long was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and the Bronko Nagurski National Defender of the Week for his effort against Kansas, where he recorded 12 tackles, an interception, a fumble forced and a fumble recovered.
• Long was the FBS leader in tackles per game and total tackles in 2025 at Colorado State (12.6 tackles per game/151 tackles) - the next closest player averaged 11.8 per game with 142 tackles.
• A Third-Team All-American by the AP, Long recorded 33 “stops” on run defense as a sophomore, good for 30th among FBS linebackers.
• The Sun Devils found themselves in a position where they had to replace nearly 23 percent of their tackles from a season ago with the departure of linebackers Jordan Crook (101) and Keyshaun Elliott (98).
• Elliott was a fifth-round selection by the Bears this offseason while Crook joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL where he has 42 tackles this season. The duo started every regular season game at linebacker last year and 20 games between them in 2024, leaving a massive hole to fill in ASU’s base nickel formation that only ever features two linebackers on the field at a given time.

Where's the beef?

• Maki Stewart has been a highlight along the offensive line for the Sun Devils this season. His 88.2 pass blocking grade is fourth among all Big 12 players and 12th among all guards in the nation.
• He has been credited with just one pressure allowed, tied for the fifth-fewest in the Big 12 and second-lowest among guards.
• Stewart is fresh off one of the most promising freshman lineman campaigns in recent Sun Devil memory. Stewart made four starts on the interior line over the second half of the season and recorded the sixth-best run-blocking grade among Big 12 interior lineman with a score of 74.2 (min. 200 total snaps)
• That was the third-highest grade among ALL freshmen (true or redshirt) interior linemen in the FBS for the season (min. 200 snaps). His 72.0 overall offensive grade was fifth among freshmen interior lineman for the season.
• Fellow ASU interior linemen in center Tana Alo-Tupuola and guard Rob Lapuaho also have just one QB pressure allowed this season.
• For two consecutive seasons, the Sun Devil offensive line had been one of the most experienced in the nation entering the season - a note that will change as it it entered the 2026 campaign with a combined 33 career starts among the position group - 14 of which come from Luke Baklenko, who didn’t start a single game at Oklahoma last season.
• To put that into perspective, ASU entered the 2025 season with 134 starts to its collective credit across the FBS/FCS level, good for the 12th highest total in the nation coming into the year. Last year the group entered with a combined 156 career starts spread amongst them entering the 2024 season, the fifth-highest tally in the country.
• What the team may lack in experience, however, it more than makes up for in size as the 2026 version of the road grades might be the robust in program history. Taking all the offensive linemen into consideration, the group has an average height of just a tick under 6-5 with an average weight of 317 pounds. For perspective, ASU’s 2024 Big 12 Champion roster had an average height of just under 6-4 and 309 pounds.
• Beef in the trenches is the cornerstone of any program hoping to be a contender. Just take a look at last year’s final Top-10 teams in the AP polls, which checked in with a combined OL height/weight average of 6-5 and 312 pounds.
• Wade Helton is the only returning offensive player for the Sun Devils to start at least six games a year ago as a redshirt freshman. Helton’s 422 snaps at center were the eighth-most among centers designated as true or redshirt freshman in the FBS last season and second among Power Four freshmen.
• ASU was one of just 19 schools in the FBS that had two freshmen linemen (true or redshirt) play 200 or more snaps last season. 
• Overall in 2025, ASU had a team pass blocking grade of 74.8 according to PFF, good for 27th in the FBS despite running out seven different starting combinations of that offensive line last season. ASU’s offensive linemen received a 82.0 pass blocking grade from PFF as a group in 2024, the 23rd-best tally nationally.
• The Sun Devils allowed just two sacks in their last five contests last season - which was tied for the second-lowest total from Week 10 onwards. ASU had allowed 24 sacks in the first eight games of the season (3.0 per game) prior to the 0.40 over the final five games of the season.
• As a team, ASU was 40th in the country in only allowing 1.50 sacks per game in 2024 after ranking 96th in 2023 with 2.50 allowed per game.
• The team gave its quarterbacks 3.26 seconds to throw per play last year, 38th-most nationally. ASU’s quarterbacks had an average time to throw of 3.51 seconds in 2024, which was good for 14th-best in the FBS after ranking 128th in the country in 2023 at 2.48 seconds.

Getting defensive

• Arizona State is allowing just 285.7 yards per game to opponents early this season, the 33rd-lowest total nationally. The Sun Devils gave up just 342.3 yards per game in the regular season last year, good for 42nd in the FBS. ASU allowed just 339.6 yards per game in 2024, good for 38th nationally after ranking 89th a in 2023 (396.8).
• ASU’s yardage tally last year was especially notable as the team faced five teams ranked in the FBS’s Top-25 in total offense yards per game (Texas Tech, Texas State, Utah, Baylor, TCU) in the regular season. 
• The Sun Devils are allowing just 4.68 yards per play this season - 36th in the country. ASU allowed an average of just 5.13 yards per play last season, good for 36th in the country. Opponents averaged just 5.23 yards per play in 2024 - 40th-lowest in the country after being 93rd at 5.95 in 2023. Only 22.2 percent of opponent plays gained 7 or more yards, the 23rd-lowest tally in the country after ranking 105th in 2023 at 35.1 percent.
• Arizona State has not allowed an FBS opponent to drive more than 80 yards to score a touchown this season. The team has held FBS opponents to just 1.26 points per drive when starting between their own 20-to-40 yard lines - the 24th-lowest total in the country.
• ASU avoided letting teams get going when pinned deep as opponents scored just .73 points per drive on drives starting inside their own 20-yard line against ASU, the 14th-lowest total nationally.
• Opponents are picking up just 39.7 percent of their available yards this season - the 34th-lowest total in the country. As a result, ASU has found itself receiving the ball back with an average starting field position of its own 33.6 yard line - the 11th-best tally in the country.
• The Sun Devils currently boast a defensive EPA per play of -0.229 this season, the 10th-best mark in the country. ASU’s -0.105 defensive EPA per play in the regular season last year ranked 26th in the FBS. In 2024, ASU’s defense ranked 21st in overall defensive EPA at -0.070.
• Only 74.5 percent (38-of-51) of opponent non-garbage time drives that reached the ASU red zone season resulted in points for the opponent - the 11th-lowest tally in the FBS. Teams scored a touchdown or recorded a field goal attempt just 83.0 percent of the time when reaching ASU’s red zone in the season - the ninth-lowest total in the FBS.
• Opponents are only managing a touchdown or field goal attempts 64.3 percent of the time when reaching ASU’s 40-yard line this season - the seventh-lowest mark in the country. Last year, opponents had a field goal attempt or scored a touchdown just 75.7 percent of the time time when reaching the ASU 40-yard line - the 21st-lowest total in the FBS.
• Last season, ASU allowed opponents to pick up just 45.6 percent of the yards available to them, good for 47th nationally. The team allowed offenses to pick up just 45.2 of their available yards in 2024, the 48th-lowest total nationally. ASU was 124th in the country in 2023 in allowing 56.3 percent of available yards.
• Opponents picked up just 65.4 percent of their available yards up to their own 40-yard line last season - the 42nd-lowest total in the country - and just 57.3 percent of the yards to the ASU 40, which was 36th. In 2024, ASU was much improved in keeping opponents from getting across the 50, allowing other teams to pick up just 67.6 percent of their available yards up to their own 40-yard line - the 62nd-lowest total in the FBS while also allowing only 58.5 percent of opponent yards up to the ASU 40 - 51st nationally. For perspective on this improvement the last two seasons, ASU ranked 121st and 126 in those categories in 2023.
• Arizona State has held opponents to 400 or less yards of total offense 29 times in 43 games (67.4 percent) under Kenny Dillingham and Brian Ward. Since 2018, ASU has done so on 58 occasions over 98 games (59.2 percent of the time). For comparison, ASU accomplished the feat just 24 times in the 65 previous games (36.9 percent) from 2013-2017.
• ASU is one of just three FBS teams to not allow 450 or more yards in a single regular season game since the start of 2024 (Indiana and Toledo).
• ASU has held opponents to 30 points or less 33 times in 43 games (76.7 percent) under Kenny Dillingham and Brian Ward. ASU held opponents under the 30-point mark in in 67 of 98 games since 2018 (68.4 percent). This is notable as it DID allow 30+ in 32 of the 43 previous games (74.4 percent) in a span from 2013- 17. 
• ASU held 10 of its 11 FBS regular season opponents to fewer points than they were averaging per game coming into the contest (Miss St. 24/34.0, Texas State 15/47.5, Baylor 24/38.0, TCU 24/41.7, TTU 22/47.5, Houston 24/29.4, Iowa State (19/29.0, WVU 23/23.4, CU 17/22.0, ARIZ 23/33.5) ASU was 11 for 14 in holding opponents under their season scoring average in 2024., following the season opener: Mississippi State (23/56.0), Texas State (28/41.5), Texas Tech (30/44.7), Utah (19/28.3), Cincinnati (24/31.0), Oklahoma State (21/30.5), UCF (31/33.2) Kansas State (14/31.2), BYU (21/31.6), Arizona (7/23.1), Iowa State (19/31.2).
• Last year, the Sun Devils faced four teams that entered the contest averaging over 500.0 yards of total offense per game and held those teams to an average of 301.25 yards per game (Texas State/Baylor/TCU/Texas Tech).

Grayson Rigdon and Reed Harris (pictured) had two touchdowns vs. Morgan State, and it was the first time two different Sun Devil receivers recorded two or more receiving touchdowns since Chris Coyle and Rashad Ross against Washington State (two each) in 2012.

Golden receivers

• Omarion Miller’s 78 yards after contact are 23rd in the country.
• Among FBS receivers with at least 15 targets, Reed Harris ranks 12th with an NFL QBR rating when targeted of 154.6.
• The Sun Devils are sixth in the nation with 305 yards after contact this
  season on receiving plays.
• Sun Devil receivers have recorded 543 total yards after the catch this season (includes yardage on catches behind the line of scrimmage) - good for 31st in the nation. The team is averaging 9.4 yards after catch per reception, a total that is pacing the nation.
• Arizona State had three 100-yard receivers in the opener: Harris (137), Grayson Rigdon (110) and Omarion Miller (102) - a feat that had not been achieved at Arizona State since at least 1996.
• Rigdon and Harris had two touchdowns and it was the first time two different Sun Devil receivers recorded two or more receiving touchdowns since Chris Coyle and Rashad Ross against Washington State (two each) in 2012. ASU was the only team in the country in Week One to have two players achieve that feat. For perspective, that only occured on 14 different occasions in all of the FBS last season.
• Arizona State’s transfer group featured the No. 2 (Harris) and No. 4 (Miller) wideout transfers in the nation, according to 247Sports.
• Harris started all 12 games at wide receiver in 2025, totaling 39 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns - career highs in each category. His 17.26 yards per reception on the year were 30th in the FBS and third in the ACC
• Miller earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2025 and played in 11 games during the 2025 season, starting in eight. He finished the season leading Colorado in all three receiving stats with 45 receptions forn 808 yards and eight touchdowns.
• Miller had either 100 yards receiving or a receiving touchdown in each of the last four games of the season. His 17.9 yards per reception were tops in the Big 12 and 18th in the FBS and his 11 catches on contested targets were fourth in the Big 12 and 30th in the FBS.

Gold rush

• ASU ranked 27th in the country in averaging 193.62 rushing yards per game last season after ranking 20th in the FBS in averaging 199.9 rushing yards per game in 2024. The team is averaging 165.67 yards per game this season.
• ASU was the only team in the country that had two different players rush for over 200 yards in a game last year. Four different Sun Devils had a 100+ yard rushing game last season in Raleek Brown, Kanye Udoh, Jeff Sims and Jason Brown. It was the first time that had happened at ASU since the 1996 season.
• ASU was one of just 13 teams in the country to have four separate players reach the century mark for the year.
• The team has rushed for 200 or more yards 17 times under Kenny Dillingham, compiling a 13-4 record when it does. ASU has rushed for 100+ yards in 32 of the team’s 43 games under Kenny Dillingham. 
• ASU has rushed for a first down or touchdown on 29.0 percent of its rushes since the 2023 season, good for 39th nationally.
• Arizona State’s 3.35 yards after contact per rush since the 2023 season is tied for 35th in the country.
• The team’s 0.28 missed tackles forced per rush since 2023 are tied for second in the FBS.
• The Sun Devils forced 120 missed tackles on running plays last year, good for 22nd in the FBS. ASU forced 177 missed tackles on run plays in 2024, second-most in the FBS. Through its first two games of 2026, the team forced 14 missed tackles on running plays.
• ASU has received a team rushing grade of 96.4 from PFF since the start of 2023, good for 15th-best nationally.
• The Sun Devils have produced a 1,000-yard rusher 11 times in the last 15 seasons - with one of the lone exceptions being the shortened 2020 season. For comparison, from 1976-2010, ASU had just eight 1000-yard rushers over 34 years.

But also no rush

• The Sun Devils are allowing just 124.33 rushing yards per game this year.
• The Sun Devils held opponents to just 112.9 rushing yards per game in 2024 in the regular season, the 21st-best total in the country and tops in the Big 12. That came despite ASU playing four of the Top-15 teams in the nation last season in rushing offense (5. UCF/11. Kansas State/13. Kansas./15. Texas State). No other team in the Top-30 faced more than two such opponents in the regular season. ASU was 36th in the FBS in allowing just 133.5 rush yards per game to opponents in 2023.
• ASU has held opponents to 140 or fewer rushing yards in 29 of 43 games (67.4 percent) in the Kenny Dillingham era. 
• The team has rushed for over 200 yards on 17 occasions under Kenny Dillingham, going 13-4 in those games.
• The Sun Devils have held opponents under 100 rushing yards 19 times in the 43 games in the Dillingham/Ward era. Between the 2018-22 seasons, it had happened just 13 total times in 55 games.
• ASU has held nine of its last 19 opponents dating back to the 2024 season under 100 rushing yards.

Time and time again

• ASU has controlled the ball for over 32 minutes in 18 of 43 games (41.9 percent) under Kenny Dillingham. It had reached the 32-minute mark just 17 times in 55 games from 2018-22 (30.9 percent)
• The Sun Devils are 18-7 under Dillingham when leading in time of possession compared to a 6-11 mark when they don’t.

Kenny the Giant Slayer

• Kenny Dillingham had won six straight games vs. ranked teams in the regular season, the best mark in the nation entering 2026. That streak ended at No. 10 Texas A&M in Week Two.
• The Sun Devils have won six-straight games over Big 12 teams ranked in the AP Top-25 (2-0 last season), which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in Big 12 history.

Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils

• Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics announced a multi-year naming rights partnership in 2023 with Mountain America Credit Union to form one of the most dynamic naming rights deals in college athletics.
• The 15-year partnership with Sun Devil Athletics, the most important deal in athletics department history, includes ASU’s football stadium, which will now be called Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils.
• Both Mountain America and ASU are committed to giving back to the community, and this partnership will provide support to the community and student-athletes in a variety of ways:
  • Football Field Goals: Mountain America will donate $250 to the Sun Devil Club for every field goal made to enhance ASU’s student-athlete experience. 
  • Shoe Donation Program: ASU and Mountain America will develop a donation program to provide brand-new shoes to community members in need. 
  • Scholarships: Each year, Mountain America will provide $20,000 to ASU student-athletes, with $10,000 for women’s sports and $10,000 for men’s sports.
  • Financial Education Programs: Mountain America will offer special student-athlete financial education programs, including personal coaching sessions.
  • Internship Program: Mountain America will also offer an internship program to help student-athletes develop the skills and experience needed for future endeavors.

Smart Devils

• Arizona State has one of the top honors colleges in the nation, as Barrett, The Honors College is consistently ranked high in several areas. Football players in Barrett this year include Kyson Brown, Cory Butler, Cam Dyer, Jake Fette, Martell Hughes, Isaiah Iosefa, Davis Kinney, Cardae Mack, Mason Marden, Landen Miree and Uriah Neloms.
• Additionally, 11 different Sun Devils have already earned their undergraduate degrees from Arizona State University and will compete as graduates this season with two others who earned their degrees prior to arriving at Arizona State:
• Kyson Brown: BA in interdisciplinary studies, 2026
• Derek Eusebio: BA in business (sports business), 2026
• Zyrus Fiaseu: BA in liberal studies, 2025
• C.J. Fite: BS in business entrepreneurship, 2025
• My’Keil Gardner: BS in family and human development, 2026
• Jaren Hamilton: BA in liberal studies, 2026
• Roman Pitre: BA in interdisciplinary studies, 2025
• Clayton Smith: BA in liberal studies, 2025
• Zac Swanson: BA in liberal studies, 2026
• Tyler Wigglesworth: BA in mass communication and media studies, 2026
• Blazen Lono Wong: BS in communication, 2025
• Mikey Keene: BS in business administration, 2024 (Fresno State)
• Lyrik Rawls: BS in business administration, 2024 (Oklahoma State)

Milestone Watch

• Linebacker Owen Long reached 200 career tackles earlier this year (currently at 221 tackles). It is tied for the 17th-highest total among active players at the FBS level.
• Defensive lineman Clayton Smith is 1 sack away from 15 career sacks (currently at 14 sacks). The 14 sacks are tied for the 16th-most among active players at the FBS level. Smith is 2 games away from having played in 50 career games (currently at 48 games played)
• Running back David Avit eclipsed 300 career rushing attempts earlier this season (currently at 302 rushing attempts). Avit is 378 rushing yards away from 2,000 career rushing attempts (currently at 1,622 rushing yards). Avit is 2 rushing touchdowns away from 20 career rushing touchdowns (currently at 18 rushing touchdowns)
• Running back Marquis Gillis eclipsed 450 career rushing attempts in the last game (currently at 455 rushing attempts). Gillis surpassed 2,500 career rushing yards earlier this year (currently at 2,566 rushing yards). Gillis has now played in over 40 career games (currently at 41 games played)
• Wide receiver Jalen Moss is 435 receiving yards away from 2,000 career receiving yards (currently at 1,565 receiving yards). He has the 33rd-most career receiving yards among active players at the FBS level. Moss now has over 2,000 career all-purpose yards (currently at 2,052 all-purpose yards). Moss is 2 games away from having played in 40 career games (currently at 38 games played)
• Wide receiver Reed Harris is 465 receiving yards away from 2,000 career receiving yards (currently at 1,535 receiving yards). He has the 40th-most career receiving yards among active players at the FBS level.
• Wide receiver Omarion Miller is 93 receiving yards away from 1,500 career receiving yards (currently at 1,407 receiving yards). Miller is 14 receptions away from 100 career catches (currently at 88 catches)
• Quarterback Mikey Keene is 223 passing yards away from 8,500 career passing yards (currently at 8,277 passing yards). Keene is 5 passing touchdown passes away from 70 career passing touchdowns (currently at 65 passing touchdowns). Keene played in his 40th career game in the win over Morgan State.
• Kicker Carson Smith is 12 points away from 200 career points (currently
  at 188 points)
• Both defensive backs Ashton Stamps and Lyrik Rawls are 2 passes defended away from 20 career passes defended (currently at 18 PDs).
• Rawls is 1 tackle away from 150 career tackles (currently at 149 tackles). Rawls is 1 game away from having played in 45 career games (currently at 44 games played)
• Quarterback Cutter Boley is 1 touchdown away from accounting for 30 career touchdowns (currently at 29 total TDs)
• Defensive lineman E’Marrion Winston is 5 games away from having played in 50 career games (currently at 45 games played)
• Defensive lineman C.J. Fite has now played in over 40 career games (currently at 41 games played)
• Defensive lineman Blazen Lono-Wong is 1 game away from having played in 40 career games (currently at 39 games played). All have come in a Sun Devil uniform.

Six degrees of Sun Devil-ation

• Arizona State wide receivers coach Hines Ward played alongside Baylor wide receivers coach Dallas Baker on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008.
• ASU defensive line coach Diron Reynolds coached at Oklahoma with BU assistant coach/offensive line coach Austin Woods in 2015.
• Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward coached at Syracuse with Baylor assistant nickels coach David Orloff from 2018-2019. Ward coached alongside BU assistant offensive line coach Craig Watts at Nevada in 2021.
• Watts was a defensive analyst at Oklahoma in 2021 at the same time that Arizona State defensive linemen Clayton Smith played there. Smith played with Baylor cornerback Jayden Rowe in 2022 at Oklahoma.
• ASU offensive lineman Jalen Klemm was at Kansas State when Baylor defensive coordinator/safeties Joe Klanderman and Orloff were on the Kansas State staff during the 2022 season.
• Klemm and Baylor safety Colby McCalister played at Kansas State together in 2022.
• Arizona State defensive lineman Emar’rion Winston played for Baylor in 2025. Winston and Baylor safety Tyler Turner both played for Oregon in 2023 and 2024.
• Arizona State wide receiver Omarion Miller played alongside Baylor wide receiver Dre’lon Miller at Colorado during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. 
• Baylor wide receiver Gavin Freeman played at Oklahoma State with ASU defensive back Lyrik Rawls in 2024.
• Arizona State offensive lineman Luke Baklenko and Baylor cornerback Devon Jordan played at Oklahoma together in 2025.
• Baylor quarterback Edward Griffin and Arizona State wide receiver Harry Hassmann played football together at Coppell High School.
• Baylor wide receiver Jayden McGowan and Arizona State wide receiver Reed Harris played alongside each other at Boston College in 2024.
• ASU safety Maurice Williams and Baylor wide receivers Jacorey Watson and Ashton Jones played together at Shadow Creek High School.
• Baylor cornerback Stilton McKelvey and Arizona State defensive lineman Kirt Vakalahi played together at New Mexico Military Institute in 2024 Arizona State long snapper Grayson Curtis and McKelvey played alongside each other at New Mexico State in 2025.
• Baylor cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt and Arizona State punter Nick McLarty played at Ohio State together in 2024.
• ASU defensive back Ashton Stamps and Baylor safety Austin Ausberry played at LSU together in 2024.
• Baylor linebackers Jamarion Phillips and JJ Shelton played with ASU offensive lineman Cortavius Tisaby at South Oak Cliff High School.
• Baylor linebacker JJ Shelton played with Arizona State defensive back Nigel Pringle in 2025 at Arkansas.
• Arizona State defensive lineman Daeshon Morgan and Baylor defensive end Daemian Wimberly played together at Vandegrift High School.
• ASU defensive lineman Landen Anderson and Baylor defensive lineman Jae’Lin Battle played together at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
• Arizona State wide receiver Omarion Miller played alongside Baylor offensive lineman Cooper Lovelace at Colorado in 2025.
• Arizona State running back Cardae Mack played at Atascocita High School with Baylor offensive lineman Nate Kibble.
• Baylor offensive lineman Connor Cameron was on the Arizona State roster in 2024.
• ASU defensive lineman Roman Pitre played alongside Baylor wide receiver Ryne Shackelford at Purdue in 2023.
• Arizona State punter Kanyon Floyd and Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein played together at Horizon High School.