ASU’s fall slate delivered a little bit of everything: a freshman quarterback nearly stealing a road win, hockey opening league play with a split, volleyball rolling through the weekend, and soccer finding just enough late magic to keep its postseason hopes alive.
The football team came closest to the biggest comeback of the bunch, but No. 7 BYU held off the Sun Devils 27-20 on Halloween in Provo.
Freshman quarterback Jake Fette made his first career start and took a beating early, getting sacked six times in the first half as ASU fell behind 17-3. The Sun Devils clawed back and tied the game before the fourth quarter, only to come up short on the road.
Fette finished with 166 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 22-for-42 line. Both scores were the first of his career. Freshman running back Cardae Mack kept his recent surge going with 123 yards on 23 carries, and the Fette-Mack pairing became the first time true freshmen started at quarterback and running back for ASU.
Senior wide receiver Reed Harris was limited to one catch, while Derek Eusebio led the team with seven receptions for 48 yards. Omarion Miller and Anthony Miller accounted for the two touchdowns. On defense, the Sun Devils forced two turnovers, with senior defensive back Montana Warren picking off a pass and senior safety Adrian “Boogie” Wilson recovering a fumble.
There was also a replay controversy early in the first quarter. The Big 12 later acknowledged the mistake, saying BYU should have had third-and-goal from the two-yard line instead of being awarded the opening touchdown that gave the Cougars the early edge.
ASU now heads back home for a Nov. 7 meeting with Colorado.
On the ice, ASU hockey opened conference play against St. Cloud State and left with a split, its third split of the season.
Game one belonged to senior captain Kyle Smolen, who scored in the first period for his 30th career goal and 70th career point. That puts him alongside Johnny Walker, Matthew Kopperud and Brinson Pasichnuk as the fourth Sun Devil to reach 30 goals with the program.
Sophomore forward Jack Beck added the deciding touch in the opener, scoring his second game-winning goal of the season as ASU held on for a 3-2 win. The second game went the other way.
Sophomore defenseman Richard Baran scored in the first period, but St. Cloud State answered with both of its goals in the opening frame and the Sun Devils couldn’t find an equalizer in a 2-1 loss.
The result moved new head coach Dave Hakstol to 3-1 with the program.
Hakstol’s first home game comes against reigning national champion Denver on Nov. 6 and 8.
Volleyball kept the momentum rolling with a Halloween weekend sweep of UCF and Houston. Against the Knights, the Sun Devils were in control from the start, with sophomore outside hitter Maéva Schalk, senior opposite Noemie Glover and junior outside hitter Una Vajagić all finishing in double figures in kills.
Schalk had 13, Glover 12 and Vajagić 11. Senior setter Isabella Costantini posted 39 assists and 10 digs for her third double-double of the season.
Against Houston, Vajagić led the offense again with 15 kills, but the defense did plenty of the heavy lifting. Faith Frame, Schalk and Glover all finished with double-digit digs, while Costantini added 29 assists and four blocks in the 3-0 win. ASU now heads to Lubbock for a Nov. 6 matchup with Texas Tech.
Soccer’s night against Arizona stretched long because of lightning delays, but the Sun Devils still found the result they needed. In the Territorial Cup, junior forward Kierra Blundell delivered the only goal in a 1-0 win that kept ASU’s faint Big 12 tournament hopes alive. Freshman defender Gator DeMark sent in the cross to the back post, Blundell controlled it, slipped past her defender and finished low into the bottom left corner.
The Sun Devils celebrated like a team that knew what it had earned. All 11 starters played the full match, ASU outshot Arizona 22-9 and put eight shots on target.
Now comes the harder part. ASU travels to face No.
16 BYU in Provo, and the path to the Big 12 tournament remains narrow. A win alone won’t do it; the Sun Devils also need West Virginia to lose or draw at Cincinnati.
On top of that, ASU must earn its first road win over a ranked opponent since 2021.
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