Baylor came to Mountain America Stadium and put the game away fast, and the Sun Devils never found a clean answer.
Junior quarterback DJ Lagway turned in a career night with four passing touchdowns as the Bears rolled past ASU 55-19 on Saturday. Baylor’s offense kept finding space, especially on third down, and ASU spent much of the night trying to recover from mistakes that kept stacking up.
"DJ threw some really nice footballs on third downs to convert," head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "They made some plays in one-on-one situations."
The opening half was rough for the Sun Devils from the start. A dropped first-down catch by senior wide receiver Reed Harris cost ASU a chance to get into the red zone, and the drive ended with a field goal instead. On the next possession, senior wide receiver Omarion Miller fumbled, and Baylor turned that into the second of three straight first-half touchdowns.
"(Omarion) was targeted more down the field," Dillingham said. "The game got out of hand, but he was going to be targeted."
Miller eventually gave ASU a spark late in the second quarter, hauling in a 30-yard touchdown to get the Sun Devils on the board. He finished with five catches for 85 yards and that score.
ASU tried to ride that momentum into the second half while trailing by 11, but Baylor shut the door quickly. The Bears scored on all three of their third-quarter possessions, and the first play of the period was the biggest punch of all: sophomore running back Caden Knighten broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run.
"I can't just point out one thing," ASU junior linebacker Owen Long said. "We had a great preparation, came in feeling really good about our game plan.
They're a good team; they make good plays. We also got in our own way a lot.
It's kind of the ups and downs of a season."
The defense’s toughest moment came on a play that summed up the night. Junior quarterback Cutter Boley felt pressure immediately, tried to escape the rush, and ended up floating a ball right to senior defensive end Ryan Davis.
Boley completed 58% of his passes and threw for 304 yards and a touchdown.
"There's a lot of areas where we got to get better," Boley said. "We got to find our identity and what we want to lean on, what's our bread and butter."
ASU also couldn’t get the run game moving. Dillingham is still sorting through the backfield, and five different players got carries. Senior Kyson Brown led the group with seven rushes for 34 yards, and the Sun Devils finished with 99 rushing yards on 30 total carries.
Harris was one of the few steady bright spots, finishing with seven receptions for 125 yards. Sixth-year kicker Carson Smith was another, going 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 46 yards. The first-year Sun Devil is now 7-for-7 to open the season.
"I don't feel like we're overachieving," Dillingham said on figuring out how to get his team to reach their standard. "I felt like we've honestly overachieved in most of my time here, and I do not feel that right now.
I got to figure out why. Why are we not overachieving?"
ASU now turns the page after a strange stretch that took the team to College Station and then straight to London from Texas before last week’s bye. The Sun Devils return home next weekend against Hawaii to begin an eight-game run to close the season.
In Other News...
ASU's Blowout Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Baylors 55-19 win over Arizona State did more than extend a four-game streak. It also offered a clear snapshot of an offense finding its footing, with quarterback DJ Lagway throwing a career-high four touchdowns while the running game and offensive line both took noticeable steps forward. The defense held up its end, too, making it a complete performance on a day the Bears looked much more balanced than they had earlier in the season.
For ASU, the loss came with plenty to sort through, especially because Baylors attack looked sharper and more varied under offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. The Sun Devils were left chasing a game that had already tilted hard in Baylors favor, and the margin only magnified the concerns fans have been raising about where this team stands after a result like this. [Read more 🡒]
ASU Suddenly Has An Identity Problem Kenny Dillingham Must Fix
Arizona States 55-19 loss to Baylor was more than just a rough Saturday, it was the kind of game that forces a team to take a hard look at what it is right now. The defeat was the Sun Devils largest margin since joining the Big 12, and it left Kenny Dillingham visibly frustrated afterward as his team tried to sort through a performance that never found much traction.
Cutter Boley was among the players acknowledging the mistakes and the need to get better, which is where the conversation turns for ASU heading into its final nonconference game against Hawaii. With conference play looming, the bigger issue is not just cleaning up one bad result, but figuring out how quickly this group can recover its footing and show a clearer identity. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Gets A Big Opportunity In Baylors Shorthanded Late-Night Test
A late start in Waco adds a little extra intrigue to an already useful measuring stick for Arizona State, which walks into a Baylor team trying to keep its winning streak going while still sorting out its offense. The Bears have quarterback DJ Lagway back after an ankle injury, but the bigger picture remains the same for both sides: this is one of those early-season games where availability can shape everything, especially with both teams carrying a long list of players who are unavailable or up in the air.
For the Sun Devils, that creates a chance to lean into the disruption and see how Baylor handles a test without all its usual pieces. Arizona State does not need the schedule or the circumstances to be perfect to make this trip matter, and a late-night setting against a shorthanded opponent gives the game a little more weight than a typical nonconference matchup. The question now is whether Baylors depth can absorb the absences well enough to keep the streak rolling. [Read more 🡒]