Arizona State has plenty to clean up after getting punched in the mouth in a 55-19 home loss to Baylor, and the Sun Devils don’t have the luxury of fixing just one thing.
Kenny Dillingham made that clear after the defeat.
"There's no secret sauce," Dillingham said after the Baylor loss. "I wish there was.
I'm not just going to tell you we're going to do one magical thing that's going to fix it. We're going to do a bunch of things that are very, very small."
That leaves ASU heading into Saturday’s matchup with Hawai'i trying to solve several problems at once. The Rainbow Warriors come in 1-4, but they also bring the Mountain West’s top passing attack with 1,375 total passing yards. That puts immediate pressure on a Sun Devil defense that just got torched for four passing touchdowns and more than 300 passing yards by DJ Lagway and Baylor.
The defensive side is where the alarm bells are ringing loudest. ASU gave up 55 points, the most it has allowed since the 3-9 2023 season, and defensive coordinator Brian Ward owned the result afterward.
"We didn't play as hard as a group," Ward said. "You could see it. Ultimately, that falls on my shoulders."
Dillingham has already shifted his own role in response, giving up play-calling duties so he can take a wider view of the program. This week, he was seen spending most of practice with the defense. Against Hawai'i, the question is whether that changes anything when Micah Alejado has the ball.
Alejado has shown he can flip a game when he’s throwing for over 300 yards. He is 5-2 in his college career in those games, and even though he has struggled this season after a successful 2025, the sophomore still has the ability to take over. ASU now has to prove it won’t let another visiting quarterback walk in and control the night.
The offense brings its own uncertainty. Marcus Arroyo is back handling the play sheet after Dillingham stepped in for the Sun Bowl, and he’s had this job before. He called the plays during ASU’s 2024 conference championship season and continued in 2025 until Dillingham took over late.
"When the head ball coach says he needs something, you fall in line. I think over the course of two decades I've been doing this as a coordinator, that's exactly what I do." Arroyo said this week.
The issue is whether this version of the offense can finish drives. Arizona State was second in the conference in total points and first in touchdowns in 2024, then slipped all the way to 11th in total points and 12th in touchdowns in 2025, even while ranking third in rushing yards and seventh in passing. Those numbers point directly to the kind of scoring problems that helped force the change, including the 23-7 loss to rival Arizona.
Some around the program have pointed to the quality of the personnel Arroyo had in the past, with names like Cam Skattebo and Jordyn Tyson. But this week could also work as a test of whether he can get more out of the pieces ASU has now, including Omarion Miller.
Then there’s the quarterback spot. Cutter Boley’s second game at Mountain America Stadium was a rough one, with the Kentucky transfer throwing one touchdown and one interception in a sluggish offensive performance. That led to questions about whether he’s the right fit.
Dillingham shut that down quickly.
"If there was ever a situation where I thought we had to make a change somewhere, we're always going to be able to make a change at any position that makes us better," Dillingham said about the QB position. "But do I think that is even close to the realm of possibility right now? Absolutely not."
Still, Boley’s play can’t be separated from what’s happening around him. Arizona State has allowed 8.75 pressures on the quarterback per game, tied for third-most in the Big 12, according to Damon Allred of Arizona Sports. Boley was sacked three times against Baylor, his highest total of the season, and ASU’s eight sacks allowed are tied for fourth-most in the conference.
The offensive line has already been hit by injuries through four games, and until that group gets healthier and steadier, Boley’s path to real success looks steep.
So ASU enters Saturday with a long list of issues and no easy fix. The Sun Devils host Hawai'i on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. AZT in Tempe.
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