ASU’s quarterback situation is suddenly the loudest question in Tempe after a 53-25 beatdown at the hands of Texas Tech at Galaxy Stadium pushed the Sun Devils to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play.
Starter Cutter Boley was pulled after the first half, with sixth-year quarterback Mikey Keene taking over once the game had already tilted hard toward the defending conference champions. Kenny Dillingham said Keene brought some life to the offense.
"There was a spark there," coach Kenny Dillingham said on Keene's entrance into the game, per Brad Denny. "We moved the football; we were efficient."
Dillingham also said he plans to take a hard look at everything after the tape review.
"I'm going to assess all personnel after I watch the tape," Dillingham added about the future of the quarterback and other positional groups.
Boley’s day looked rough almost from the start. On his first passing attempt, he threw a pick-six.
He did later hit sophomore wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright on a 74-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, but ASU was already trailing 21-0 by then. Without that long strike, Boley went 5-for-10 for 124 yards with two interceptions in a shortened outing.
The Sun Devils actually opened with a promising defensive play, forcing a fumble at the two-yard line to stop Texas Tech on its first drive. But that brief momentum didn’t last. The Red Raiders answered by scoring on their next seven possessions, and by the end of the night they had points on nine of 12 drives.
"I saw a team come out and punch us in the mouth and then we didn't really respond too well," Keene said per DevilsDigest.
Keene’s relief appearance at least gave ASU a more functional passing rhythm. He leaned on a quicker, shorter game and finished with 256 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Texas Tech had plenty going on the ground, too. Junior running back J'Koby Williams shredded the ASU front for 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15 yards per carry. Junior quarterback Will Hammond added 232 passing yards, one passing touchdown and a score on the ground.
ASU never found traction in its backfield rotation. Freshman Cardae Mack, who had flashed against Hawaii, was part of a committee approach that also included sixth-year Marquis Gillis and senior Kyson Brown. Gillis carried eight times, Mack seven and Brown five, but the trio managed just 95 yards combined as the offensive line struggle deepened.
"There’s nobody (that’s) magically going to come save us," Dillingham said per Brad Denny. "We have to look at it as a staff and say, 'OK, where are we getting beat?'"
Dillingham and his staff are still trying to settle on the right group up front to "continuously make plays."
There were a couple of individual bright spots through the wreckage. Senior wide receiver Derek Eusebio, in his first action of the season, led ASU with seven catches for 89 yards. Senior receiver Reed Harris added seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, sophomore defensive back Jessiah McGrew stood out. He forced the opening-drive fumble and finished with 14 total tackles.
The loss leaves ASU sitting at .500 at the midpoint of the season, with six weeks left and no bye week to catch its breath. The Sun Devils go home Oct. 24 to face Kansas State.
"We do all this s--- in the summer, work our a---- off the entire summer to earn 12 opportunities," Keene said per DevilsDigest. "But that doesn't mean that we get to earn that opportunity; we have to go out and take it."
In Other News...
Arizona State Suddenly Has A QB Decision Kenny Dillingham Can't Ignore
Arizona States trip to Lubbock turned into a very different kind of quarterback conversation after halftime, when the Sun Devils went to backup Mikey Keene and left starter Cutter Boley on the sideline. Boley had already thrown two interceptions along with a touchdown before the switch, and the change came amid a rough night for the defense, which had already surrendered 404 yards in the first half.
Keene gave the offense a steadier look in relief, completing six of eight passes for 58 yards and a touchdown after the break, which only sharpened the focus on what comes next for Kenny Dillingham. With Kansas State up next, Arizona State now has to sort out whether the halftime move was a one-game reset or the beginning of a much bigger quarterback decision. [Read more 🡒]