After a week off following its venture overseas to London, Arizona State played its first home game at Mountain America Stadium in 28 days, hoping for a win in the team’s Maroon Monsoon match in front of a sellout crowd.
What started as anticipation turned into shock and horror. ASU’s defense allowed over 500 yards, and the offense turned the ball over and stalled in the red zone. It became the Sun Devils worst defeat in Tempe since their 59-23 loss to in-state rival Arizona in 2023.
Here are three takeaways from ASU’s 55-19 loss to Baylor:
ASUâs defense with no answers for D.J. Lagway
Heading into Saturday, the Sun Devil defense was the teamâs strength. They had a great fall camp and had played fairly well in their first three games of the season, which makes what happened against Baylor even more of a surprise.
After allowing 285.7 yards per game to begin the season, Baylor exploded: 564 total yards for the Bears, 244 of which came on the ground.
Baylor was 9-for-15 on third-down conversions, with no pressure on those downs playing a big factor. Lagway had virtually all day to throw, while his receivers were lost by the Sun Devil secondary.
âWe’ve got to create a better pass rush, and that starts with what we’re doing to create a pass rush as a coaching staff,â coach Kenny Dillingham said of his front four.
Combine that with an unusual off night for tackling, and it led to the first 50-point game the Maroon and Gold have allowed in three seasons.
With Hawaiâi on the schedule next week, the Sun Devils have a chance for the defense to rebound before conference play picks back up on the road against Texas Tech.
Turnovers and red zone playcalling plague offense
In ASUâs 24-17 win against Kansas two weeks ago, the biggest concern was the offense not generating much yardage, thus keeping the Jayhawks in the game despite the defense and special teamsâ efforts.
On Saturday, the problem wasnât that they couldnât move the ball; ASU had 409 yards of offense. But turnovers and failure to produce on the opponentâs side of the field made it a frustrating day at the office.
Aside from senior wide receiver Omarion Millerâs touchdown, the Sun Devils didnât produce much success inside or near the red zone. Whether it was missed throws by sophomore quarterback Cutter Boley or conservative play-calling, the offense couldnât convert in those situations.
Speaking of Boley, despite throwing for over 300 yards, it wasnât a game to remember. It included an interception while scrambling from pressure, eventually throwing up to what seemed like nowhere; right to Baylor.
âI was sloppy with the ball in the 1st and 2nd half; I made a few poor decisions that put us behind the ball and things like that canât happen to good teams,â Boley said of his performance.
While the yardage was there, consistency issues still linger for the Sun Devils. Even with the poor play from the defense, these mistakes canât happen in a conference game, and ASU needs to eliminate them for a chance to reach its pre-season expectations.
The effects of the London game may be more damaging than initially thought
Traveling overseas and back in a short period of time can mess up anyone for a bit, but in the case of Sparky, it seems like the effects were more damaging than anticipated.
It raises the question of whether a game overseas during the season should continue. It can throw off a teamâs rhythm and momentum, and the Sun Devils might be the latest victim of this.
However, the players need to show more fight. It was the teamâs 10th consecutive sellout, and to lay an egg like that at home is concerning, especially against a Baylor team that hasnât shown much offensive prowess in its preceding games.
Hawaiâi is next on the schedule, giving ASU a chance to pick back up some momentum before resuming conference play against Texas Tech.
If the cards fall in the right place, this loss might mirror last seasonâs 42-10 defeat against Utah, where the Sun Devils followed with a 26-22 victory against No. 7 Texas Tech. If itâs anything like that, then thereâs reason to believe the Maroon and Gold can bounce back.
But the next couple of weeks will be the most pivotal of the season, and itâll be up to coach Dillingham to show if this team can compete for the Big 12 Championship.
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