Cutter Boley wasted no time making a statement in his Arizona State debut.
The Kentucky transfer threw six touchdown passes Saturday night, and the Sun Devils rolled past Morgan State 70-7 in their season opener in Tempe, piling up 688 yards and flashing the kind of fast start that can bury a game before it ever settles in.
Boley completed 21 of 27 passes for 387 yards and played just one series in the third quarter before giving way. He spread the scoring around, hitting Reed Harris for two touchdowns, Grayson Rigdon for two more, and Omarion Miller and AJ Ia for one apiece.
Arizona State opened with a jolt. Kyson Brown ripped off a 46-yard touchdown on the Sun Devils’ second play from scrimmage, then the team recovered an onside kick on the ensuing possession and needed only five plays to find the end zone again, this time on a 10-yard strike from Boley to Miller. By halftime, Arizona State had already built a 49-7 lead.
Harris and Miller did most of their damage before the break. Harris finished with six catches for 137 yards, while Miller had eight receptions for 102. Rigdon’s two touchdowns covered a combined 110 yards.
Brown also gave Arizona State a strong night on the ground, finishing with 80 yards on six carries.
The Sun Devils’ first-half surge was more than enough against a Morgan State team that managed just 188 total yards. The Bears’ lone first-half touchdown came on Jordan Barnett’s 2-yard run, set up by Marquez Spells’ 39-yard carry.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said his team’s offseason work showed up immediately.
“I think that they showed that they put in a lot of work this offseason,” Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said of his team. "But we’ve got an unbelievable challenge ahead of us.”
He also noted the unusual ending to the game, which featured a fourth quarter shortened to 10 minutes by mutual agreement of the coaches.
“The referees came over and said, (Morgan State coach Damon Wilson) asked if we could shorten the quarter, and I said, yeah, of course, whatever he wants, we will do," Dillingham said. "And I’ve never been a part of a game like that. I didn’t know that was legal."
Boley said the atmosphere and the team’s preparation made the night even better.
“It was awesome how the fan base showed out,” Boley said. “It’s just a lot of credit to the guys on the team for how we played tonight and how bought in they were all week to the game plan.”
Morgan State coach Damon Wilson pointed to the value of the matchup, even in defeat. The Bears took home $600,000 for making the trip from Baltimore to Tempe, and Wilson said the game gave him useful tape and a chance to see more players in action.
“A lot of guys who hadn’t played got some snaps," Wilson said. "A lot of times, guys say they are ready to play and now we have film to show you if you’re ready or you’re not. All in all, we got through it and we gotta get ready for the home opener.”
The win also extended a remarkable opening-drive streak for Arizona State. The Sun Devils scored on their first possession for the 11th straight season, the longest such run in the country.
Arizona State nearly reached a school scoring mark that has stood since 1969. The Sun Devils fell just short of their record of 79 points against Colorado State, though they matched the 70 they scored against rival Arizona in 2020.
The performance served as a sharp tune-up before Big XII play, with the schedule about to tighten. Arizona State next heads to No. 8 Texas A&M, then travels to London for a meeting with Kansas.
Morgan State, now 1-1, will play Virginia-Lynchburg in its home opener next Saturday.
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The tricky part now is sorting out how much of that opener says about Arizona State and how much says about Morgan State. Big early results can look loud without answering the harder questions, especially for a team that turned over so much of its roster and is stepping into a Big 12 schedule that will ask far more than a one-sided opener ever could. For Dillingham, the message was clear enough on the field, but the real measure of this group will come once the competition tightens and the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]