Sun Devils play host to new-look Baylor in Big 12 showdown

(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)

With 12 seconds left on the clock and his team down by seven points in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Auburn, Baylor’s third-year quarterback DJ Lagway found fourth-year wide receiver Gavin Freeman on an out route for a touchdown.

Instead of kicking the extra point in an attempt to send the contest to overtime, head coach Dave Aranda chose to roll the dice on a two-point conversion. Lagway floated a pass to fourth-year tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, but before he could cross the plane, an Auburn defender brought him down right outside of the end zone.

Less than a yard separated Baylor (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) from kicking off the season with a last-second stunner at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and in the eyes of Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, completely altered the narratives surrounding the Sun Devils’ (2-1, 1-0 Big 12) Week 4 matchup.

“They’re four inches away from being 4-0, and if they reach the ball four more inches, this is a top 25 team coming to town,” Dillingham said.

The Bears haven’t visited Mountain America Stadium since Sept. 8, 1990, when they dominated the Sun Devils for a 34-13 victory.

35 years later, ASU made the trip to McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, to kick off both teams’ in-conference schedule. A plus-three turnover margin and fifth-year kicker Jesus Gomez nailing a 43-yard field goal as time expired handed the Sun Devils a hard-fought 27-24 win.

Baylor finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 record, and entered the ensuing offseason at a critical juncture. Several key starters either ran out of eligibility, such as quarterback Sawyer Robertson, wide receiver Josh Cameron and tight end Michael Trigg, or entered the transfer portal like running back Bryson Washington.

As a result, the Bears brought in Lagway on top of 29 other transfers. The former consensus five-star prospect out of Willis High School in Texas threw for 4,179 yards, 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 24 games at Florida.

In Week 11 of the 2025 season, Lagway faced Arizona State third-year quarterback Cutter Boley while he was the starter at Kentucky. Lagway threw one touchdown and three interceptions as Boley threw two touchdowns and one interception, helping the Wildcats pull off a 38-7 dismantling of the Gators.

After tossing for 333 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn, Lagway missed the next two games due to an ankle sprain. His return in Week 4 versus Colorado saw him complete only 48% of his passes, but another two touchdowns were the difference in a 23-13 win.

While the signal-caller’s limited time on the field this season puts ASU’s coaching staff in a difficult position in terms of analyzing tape, defensive coordinator Brian Ward doesn’t need an introduction to what Lagway is capable of.

“He can make every throw,” Ward said. “He has a lot of confidence in himself and in his arm talent. He has a presence on the field. You can tell he’s a leader. He has the NFL written all over him.”

The Sun Devils also don’t need an introduction to Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, who they have crossed paths with twice during the Dillingham era.

Cal rushed for 196 yards to grab a 24-21 victory over ASU during his one-year tenure as the Golden Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2023. When both sides met again two years later, Baylor did most of its damage through the air with 250 yards and three touchdowns from Robertson.

“They have a very clean and clear plan,” Ward said. “They’re not trying to develop or scheme you up in terms of trying to be tricky or getting their plays from Madden. It is a very clean system that centers around the quarterback and their ability to run the football.”

Baylor’s passing offense is the fourth-best passing offense in the Big 12 with an average of 285 yards per game. Regardless of whether Lagway or third-year quarterback Nate Bennett is under center, Freeman has proven to be the team’s most reliable weapon.

The Oklahoma State transfer has 35 receptions – tied for first in NCAA Division I FBS – for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Furthermore, his all-around effort when the Bears’ offense is on the field hasn’t escaped Dillingham’s notice.

“If you want to see why it all works together, watch him go out and block people in the run game and when the ball is handed off and he was on a route and go block somebody,” Dillingham said. “No plays off for that kid.”

A year after finishing with the nation’s 15th-worst defense after surrendering 32.6 points per game, Aranda has helped his unit see significant improvement by focusing on winning in the trenches.

It only took four games for Baylor to rack up 15 sacks, three more than the team’s tally through 12 games in 2025. The Bears’ current total also has them in a tie for fourth-best in the country with four other teams, including No. 1 Texas.

In addition, last year’s rushing defense totals of 197.2 yards allowed per game and 30 touchdowns against have been supplanted with the seventh-best unit in the Big 12 to the tune of just 97 yards allowed on average.

The transfer portal window brought fifth-year defensive end Garrick Ponder, fourth-year defensive end Jordan Mack, fourth-year defensive end Ryan Davis and fourth-year defensive lineman Kamren Washington. All four have combined for six sacks and 28 total tackles.

“They’ve got a really deep defensive front,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “They’re going to rotate those guys. It’s going to be like a hockey substitution at times with the front.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. MST at Mountain America Stadium. The year prior, ASU completed a 17-point comeback to upset No. 24 TCU 27-24 in front of over 53,000 fans during an 8:00 p.m. kickoff. Since joining the Big 12 in 2024, the Sun Devils are 7-2 when facing in-conference opponents at home.

“This is our first conference night game at home,” Dillingham said. “We haven’t really played many games at home, so I think this is new for a lot of the guys on the team. I’m excited to get them to see it.”

The contest will also be the Sun Devils’ first game in two weeks as they are coming off its one-and-only bye week of the season after defeating Kansas 24-17 in London on Sept. 19.

Being one of eight teams in the Big 12 to win the first in-conference game of the season is a strong start, but the slate will only become more difficult with opponents like No. 10 BYU, No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 19 Oklahoma State waiting in the coming weeks.

After ASU was limited to only one 40-minute practice during their week off, Dillingham is focused on returning the team’s energy level back to normal and adopting a mindset of “one day at a time, one game at a time”.

“Week 10 doesn’t matter if you don’t take care of Week 3,” Dillingham said. “Week 9 doesn’t matter if you don’t take care of Week 4. The most important game is the game right now, and if you look too far ahead, those games aren’t going to make as much of a difference anyways.”