Texas A&M got the kind of early-season exam coaches actually want: a game that was uncomfortable for a while, then turned into a showcase for what happens when the opponent keeps making life easier than it should be.
For three quarters, Arizona State hung around and even looked sharper in stretches. But the Sun Devils kept gifting the 10th-ranked Aggies extra chances, and Texas A&M cashed in over and over on the way to a 48-20 win Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field in front of 107,523.
The difference showed up in the fourth quarter, where the Aggies finally separated with a burst of 24 unanswered points. That run included Marco Jones’ 55-yard pick six, a back-breaking play that put the game out of reach and capped a day in which Texas A&M turned four turnovers into 24 points.
It was not a clean performance. It did not need to be.
Arizona State moved the ball efficiently for long stretches, and Texas A&M’s offense looked sluggish early after a productive opener against Missouri State. The Aggies had only six first downs in the first half and were averaging just 3.1 yards per carry at the break, a far cry from the 505-yard outing they posted a week earlier.
Still, once the game tightened late in the third quarter, Texas A&M answered the way good teams do. The Aggies forced an Arizona State three-and-out while protecting a four-point lead, then slammed the door with that fourth-quarter avalanche to move to 2-0. The Sun Devils dropped to 1-1.
The final score may look decisive, but the path there was messier.
Arizona State’s defense mostly held up against Texas A&M, and for a while the Sun Devils even led the yardage battle, 310-180, while trailing just 24-20 going into the fourth quarter. But the game tilted on the little things: nine penalties for 62 yards, compared with one penalty for 5 yards by Texas A&M; a first-quarter muffed punt inside ASU’s own 10; a failed fake punt on the Sun Devils’ side of the field in the second quarter; and a third-quarter fourth-down stop that got wiped out by an Arizona State defensive flag.
Then came the fourth-quarter sequence that broke the game open. Texas A&M’s punter fumbled, giving ASU the ball at the Aggie 34.
On the very next snap, Cutter Boley was hit, the ball popped up, and Jones took it 55 yards the other way for a touchdown. Arizona State then turned it over on one play on its next possession.
“We got to clean up our errors if we want to win a game against a top-10 team on the road,” Kenny Dillingham said on the ESPN broadcast after the first quarter.
That message held up for four quarters.
Marcel Reed was steady when Texas A&M needed him to be, throwing for 163 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest strike came early in the fourth, a 33-yard touchdown to Mario Craver that stretched the lead to 31-20. Reed also found Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton for two touchdown catches, giving the Aggies a receiving corps that can stress defenses in a hurry.
Elko had made it clear all week that he expected a real test. He respected Dillingham, understood Arizona State’s explosiveness, and said fans shouldn’t get fooled by the logo on the helmet. On Saturday, Texas A&M proved it could take a punch, then land enough of its own to control the finish.
But there were warning signs, too.
The Aggies were not great in the first half. Their run game was quiet.
Their defense had trouble containing Arizona State receiver Reed Harris, who found space too often in the secondary. Long snapping caused problems, including a botched punt attempt.
Reed also opened the second half by throwing an interception on a pass he locked onto too early.
Texas A&M survived because it did enough in the other phases and, most importantly, avoided beating itself in the same way Arizona State did. That kind of margin matters in September, but it won’t be enough once SEC play starts.
For Arizona State, the encouraging part was the emergence of a possible new passing duo. Boley, a Kentucky transfer, completed 21 of 34 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Harris, a Boston College transfer, was his favorite target by a mile, finishing with nine catches for 189 yards and both scores, including a 58-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter.
The pair gave the Sun Devils something that looked familiar in all the right ways, echoing the recent production of Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson. Tyson was drafted with the No. 12 pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Leavitt is now at LSU under Lane Kiffin.
Arizona State may have found its next connection, but it will need more than that. Omarion Miller, the Colorado transfer ranked No. 36 on The Athletic’s list of the most impactful transfers of 2026, caught nine passes for 29 yards and had multiple key drops. If the Sun Devils want Boley-to-Harris to become something bigger, they will need more weapons around them.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, gets Kentucky next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in its SEC opener, then travels to No. 8 LSU a week later.
Arizona State heads overseas for its Big 12 opener against Kansas at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday, with kickoff set for noon ET.
In Other News...
Arizona State Let A Winnable Fight Slip Away Late
Arizona State had chances to make this one a real fight, but Texas A&M kept turning those chances into trouble and steadily widened the gap in a 48-20 loss. Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes for the Aggies, while Arizona State had to deal with a defense that made life miserable throughout the night and never allowed the Sun Devils to settle in.
The frustration really piled up once the game reached the fourth quarter, when Texas A&M put the result out of reach and left Arizona State with the kind of finish that can linger. Four turnovers told a big part of the story, and the Sun Devils will be left wondering how different the evening might have looked if a few possessions had gone their way earlier. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Showed Real Promise Before One Costly Problem Took Over
Arizona State had plenty to like in the numbers against No. 10 Texas A&M, even in a 38-20 loss that got away late. The Sun Devils outgained the Aggies in total yards and first downs, and Cutter Boley put together a strong passing day with 254 yards and two touchdowns. Reed Harris also broke out in a big way, catching nine passes for 189 yards and two scores.
The problem was everything around those bright spots. Four turnovers, nine penalties and two special teams mistakes kept handing Texas A&M extra chances, and the Aggies made the most of them as the game slipped into the fourth quarter. Boleys two interceptions in the final period were especially costly, turning a competitive night into one Arizona State will spend plenty of time replaying. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Is About To Learn How Real This Hot Start Is
Arizona State opened with the kind of statement win that turns heads fast, rolling past Morgan State 70-7 behind Cutter Boleys six-touchdown day and a Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week nod. Now the Sun Devils get a much better read on where they stand, with a trip to No. 10 Texas A&M at Kyle Field offering a far steeper test than anything they saw in Week 1. The Aggies answered with a 50-0 win over Missouri State, so this one arrives with both teams carrying plenty of early momentum.
For Arizona State, the first real question is whether Boley can carry that same comfort into a much harsher environment than he saw in the opener. The second is on the other side of the ball, where the Sun Devils will have to sort out a Texas A&M offense led by Marcel Reed, a matchup that could quickly expose any softness in the early-season glow. If this start is as real as it looks, Saturday should help prove it. [Read more 🡒]