(Photo: Jakob Brooks/WCSN)
TEMPE — Fourth-year wide receiver Reed Harris had nearly the entire right side of the field to himself, with only a defensive back — whom he had a five-inch height advantage on — between him and the end zone.
Harris had been in this situation before.
Just a week prior, the Boston College transfer ran a slant route in the red zone, but the pass from third-year quarterback Cutter Boley slipped right through Harris’ gloves. The play was among several missed opportunities that snowballed into ASU’s worst home loss in three years.
One Saturday later, the two plays were mirror images of each other, except for the ending.
Harris ran the same slant route that had previously ended in a blunder. But, this time around, Harris caught the ball and cut upfield for the Sun Devils’ first touchdown of the game.
Harris and ASU corrected many of the mistakes that doomed it against Baylor to come out with the 30-12 win over Hawaii.
After 10 straight home sellouts, Sun Devil fans did not extend the streak to 11 on Saturday. A rainy, cloudy day, along with clouded perceptions on how the team would bounce back after a 55-19 rout at the hands of Baylor, kept fans on their couches instead of in the stands.
“I thought we were closer to where we needed to be today,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Not perfect by any means, but we were closer to where we need to get.”
After a performance that saw 18 missed tackles and 55 points allowed against Baylor, the fans who did scatter the seats of Mountain America Stadium witnessed noticeable improvements on both sides of the ball, with standout performances from fresh faces.
First-year running back Cardae Mack exploded for 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns, a performance worthy of celebration on the running back’s 19th birthday.
Mack’s birthday meal was Boley feeding him the ball, as the Houston native earned new career highs in carries, yards and touchdowns, as well as having the most yards for an ASU freshman since 2005, when Keegan Herring recorded 197 against Northwestern.
First-year defensive end Julian Hugo also recorded his breakout game, cementing a strong beginning for the Sun Devils’ 2026 signing class. Hugo earned his first two collegiate sacks on Saturday. He was a key piece of a maroon wave of pressure that kept Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado scrambling to escape all night long.
“Both fronts played good football games,” Dillingham said. “We stopped the run and we ran the ball. When you do that, you’re going to win most games.”
ASU’s improved defensive performance translated to offensive success, even allowing newly-reappointed play caller Marcus Arroyo to reach into his bag of tricks.
On ASU’s third offensive drive of the game, a Harris catch landed the Sun Devils at the one-yard line. Arroyo took the opportunity to dial up some plays reminiscent of backyard football.
On first down, Boley tucked the ball as if he were going to run before jumping into a floater pass intended for fifth-year defensive lineman Rashad McKenzie. Arroyo has successfully pulled off passes to linemen in years past, but Sun Devil fans will still have to wait for a big-man touchdown this season. Boley’s pass floated just beyond the reach of the 6-foot-5 McKenzie and fell incomplete.
Just two plays later, Mack replaced Boley under center in a formation typically called “Wildcat,” but is dubbed “Sparky formation” in Tempe. Mack, a former high school quarterback, took the snap and ran untouched for his first collegiate touchdown.
“Having the ball in my hands, directly from the center, is just a blessing,” Mack said.
While ASU dialed up an array of trick plays, Hawai’i struggled to execute the fundamentals.
A rainy second half left Hawaii receivers unable to bring down several passes, squandering away scoring opportunities. Procedural penalties and offensive line struggles left the Rainbow Warriors scoreless on a drive after reaching the Sun Devil two-yard line.
A false start, delay of game and two ASU sacks backed up Hawaii from being an arm’s reach away from the goal line to the 33-yard line. Instead of a nearly guaranteed touchdown, the Rainbow Warriors settled for a 51-yard field goal attempt, which fourth-year kicker Sean Olvera-Harle missed wide right.
With around seven minutes left in the third quarter, Alejado rolled out right and found first-year wide receiver Kainoa Carvalho downfield. As Carvalho dove to secure the ball and his hands hit the turf, the ball popped straight up, into the awaiting mitts of third-year defensive back Kyan McDonald.
The circus act play marked ASU’s first interception in front of its home crowd this season.
Following a much-needed rebound, the Sun Devils travel to Lubbock, Texas, next weekend to face Texas Tech, opening a Big 12 gauntlet that will test ASU throughout the remainder of the season.
ASU saw its game against Hawaii as a reset to make critical corrections before it has to face Texas Tech, BYU, UCF and Arizona on the road.
Dillingham was the first to admit that his team’s performance wasn’t perfect, but he sees clear growth from last week, which gives him hope that the Sun Devils can find ways to piece together wins going forward.
“This is a team that can continue to grow,” Dillingham said. “You’ve got to find a way to win games while you’re growing… We found a way to win three so far. We got to find a way to win more.”
