Haves and have-nots: Sun Devils loss to No. 10 Texas Tech displays who can reach full potential

(Photo: Connor Gleason/WCSN)

While Arizona State’s road trip to Lubbock to take on No. 10 Texas Tech reflected a do-or-die scenario with two losses and various pressing concerns in tow, a look back nearly a full calendar year provided proof that the team could find a way to rise up to such an occasion.

The Sun Devils started out the 2025 season by dropping two of their first six games of the season, but rather than backing down when then-No. 7 Texas Tech rolled into Mountain America Stadium, the ensuing 26-22 upset confirmed they could hang with the nation’s best when firing on all cylinders.

Despite receiving the opportunity to overcome its early-season shortcomings with a statement win over one of the Big 12’s best for a second consecutive year, ASU (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) had no answers for Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0) finally reaching its full potential in a 53-25 defeat on Saturday.

“Absolutely shocking,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We had a good week of practice. Our guys practiced hard. They came out with great energy, but you have to make certain plays in the game (that) are critical.”

Although the Red Raiders lined up against the Sun Devils as the defending conference champions and a top-10 opponent, their start to in-conference play was far from seamless.

Then-No. 20 Houston walked into Lubbock and put up over 450 yards of offense, but Texas Tech held firm on a last-minute two-point conversion to pull off the 28-26 victory. Four defensive takeaways proved to be the difference in a 29-7 win over Colorado two weeks later, yet third-year quarterback Will Hammond threw for just 134 yards and the Red Raiders only led 12-7 going into the fourth quarter.

If the crowd of over 60,000 fans at Galaxy Stadium was dreading another down-to-the-wire affair, their fears appeared to be confirmed when Tech marched down to ASU’s 8-yard line on its opening drive before third-year defensive back Rodney Bimage Jr. fell on a loose ball right outside the end zone.

Rather than capitalizing on the sudden shift in momentum right off the bat, the Sun Devils instead put together a sequence of events that all but put the game away before the end of the first quarter. 

A pass from third-year quarterback Cutter Boley intended for fourth-year wide receiver Reed Harris on the third play of the team’s opening possession was snagged for a pick-six. Two minutes later, Boley was swarmed before he could sneak the ball on a fourth-and-one at ASU’s 35-yard line. 

It only took the Red Raiders 26 seconds to go up 14-0, planting the seeds for an eventual 21-7 deficit after 15 minutes of play.

“You talk about plays in a game that, yeah, they ran away with it, but plays in a game that could drastically change it,” Dillingham said. “We were on the wrong side of all of them early in the game.”

The Sun Devils entered the matchup with the 63rd-best total defense in Division I FBS, allowing 27.8 points and 347.4 yards per game on average. Even against an offense that ranked outside the top 50 nationally in both rushing and passing, the unit once again proved to be an Achilles heel.

With minimal pressure in the pocket, Hammond completed 18-of-26 for 232 yards and a touchdown. Third-year running back J’Koby Williams rushed for two touchdowns and a season-high 165 yards on 11 carries.

Texas Tech also picked up a gain of at least 20 yards on the first play on four of its six opening possessions. By the time the second quarter came to a close, the Red Raiders racked up 404 total yards and led 43-10; the worst halftime deficit ASU had seen since going down 49-0 to No. 6 Oregon during the 2023 season.

The final tally of 502 yards and 53 points against breaks the Sun Devils’ streak of not allowing more than 50 points in a game following the 2023 edition of the Territorial Cup. However, this is also the second instance of ASU’s opponent gaining at least 500 yards in the past three weeks.

“Unbelievable game by them,” Dillingham said. “They had a good plan, and they blocked well, and you got to give them a lot of credit. But you’ve got to be able to tackle. You’ve got to be able to fit runs, and it’s back-to-back Power Four opponents that we can’t do either at all.”

On the other side of the ball, Texas Tech’s usual calling card of sturdy defensive play lived up to its billing. The stat sheet may reflect 25 points and 404 yards total yards of offense on ASU’s end, yet two turnovers and a third-down conversion rate of 35.7% tell a different story.

Despite getting third-year offensive lineman Wade Helton back on the field for the first time since Week 2, the Sun Devils allowed six sacks to a unit that had just 11 sacks through five games.

Outside of a 74-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright in the first quarter, Boley had completed 5-of-10 passes for 50 yards in the first half. As a result, Dillingham made the decision to start fourth-year quarterback Mikey Keene the rest of the way.

“We’re down 40 and (you’ve) got to change something,” Dillingham said. “Mikey’s on the leadership council for a reason. You saw there was a spark when he went in the football game. We moved the football. We were efficient.”

The game can best be described as a representation of the haves and have-nots in the Big 12. Although both teams are the last two squads to hoist the conference’s championship trophy, Texas Tech has demonstrated the ability to put it all together for 60 consecutive minutes in the current year.

Arizona State, on the other hand, has not done so after defeating Morgan State in Week 1. With three losses at the halfway point of the year and a home contest against a Kansas State team also trying to avoid elimination approaching, the Sun Devils are running out of time to correct their mistakes before this season spirals further out of control.

“(We’ve) just got to get drastically better in the key areas of the game,” Dillingham said. “I’m going to assess all personnel after I watch the tape on all phases, all sides of the ball.”

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