Welcome to Sun Devil Debrief, your weekly update of everything in the world of ASU athletics.
Football claims Union Jack Classic
By Bryan Adams
ASU football improved to 2-1 after dispatching Kansas 24-17 at Wembley Stadium in the Union Jack Classic on Saturday.
Across the first three games of 2026, the ASU defense has allowed just 285 yards per game. Against KU, they racked up three turnovers.
The Sun Devils forced the Jayhawks to fumble twice, with the second flipping the game on its head. Sophomore Hyrum Vaeono forced a fumble and took it all the way back to the KU 2 yard line; before junior quarterback Cutter Boley scored a touchdown to give ASU a 24-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing drive Kansas found itself in ASU territory, but junior linebacker Owen Long stepped in front of a pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall and picked up an interception with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Long finished the game with 12 tackles and an interception, earning Big 12 defensive player of the week honors. Postgame, head coach Kenny Dillingham raved about Long's performance.
"He led the country in tackles last year," Dillingham said. "I'm probably going to see him and say, 'Yep, that's just another day.'"
Against Kansas, the ASU offense struggled and punted nine times during the game while only gaining 228 yards. The lone passing touchdown from Boley was to senior wide receiver Reed Harris with only 20 seconds left in the first half.
Dillingham said postgame that the ASU offense struggled more this week than last but appreciates the win on the scoreboard more than what is on the stat sheet
"Offensively, we played significantly better last week than we did this week,” Dillingham said. "Last week, we won the stats and lost the game. Give me losing the stats and winning the game a hundred times out of a hundred."
After a bye next week, ASU will return to Tempe to take on another Big 12 opponent — Baylor on Oct. 3.
READ MORE: ASU football conquers Kansas in first FBS London game
Soccer sets the tone for conference play
By Jakob Arnarsson
ASU opened Big 12 play in convincing fashion, beating Utah 3-1 on Friday. The Sun Devils are now 7-1-2 in conference openers under head coach Graham Winkworth.
Junior forward Kierra Blundell led the way, scoring twice to become the fourth Sun Devil to pick up a brace this season. Her second goal, a powerful long-range strike that found the top left corner, gave ASU a two-goal cushion.
The Sun Devils finished with 15 shots, seven of which were on target. Sophomore forward Bela Puccinelli also scored in the match, with Mya Angus and Miki Hayashi providing assists.
Utah's lone goal came from a corner. The Sun Devils have now conceded just five goals this season, all coming from set pieces.
Winkworth's squad is set to begin a three-game road trip, starting at Kansas before facing Kansas State and Texas Tech.
Volleyball sweeps SLO Classic, despite near upset
By Camille Leduc
No. 9 ASU volleyball picked up a statement win over No. 8 Stanford in San Luis Obispo, proving its worth as an elite team in a sweep of the Cardinal at the SLO Classic Thursday.
After upsetting Stanford and dispatching host Cal Poly in five sets, the Sun Devils (9-2) ride a four-game win streak into Big 12 play next week at West Virginia and Cincinnati.
Despite the positives, lesser opponents have given ASU the most problems. A loss to unranked UC Davis dropped the Sun Devils five spots in the national rankings, before they barely avoided another upset to unranked Cal Poly Friday.
Still, ASU has four wins over ranked opponents, including two against top 10 teams. To open their season, the Sun Devils beat Texas, then No. 2, and the next game swept then No. 14 Minnesota. Including the wins over Oregon and Stanford, ASU lost just two sets so far against ranked teams. After the weekend, ASU jumped up three spots, heading back into the top 10 at No. 9.
The Sun Devils move into conference play starting Sept. 25, hoping to claim their third consecutive Big 12 championship.
Sun Devils shoot 40 under, win Fighting Illini Invitational
By Jagger Martinez
After tying for sixth place at the Sahalee Players Championship the weekend prior, ASU golf left the Fighting Illini Invitational with a much better result, finishing 40-under-par collectively to win the weekend.
Senior Connor Williams tied for first place individually with a score of 13-under-par, shooting 63-68-66 in each of his three rounds. Freshman Oscar Couilleau burst onto the scene, making two eagles during round one and tying for sixth place, shooting a 10-under-par score (62-69-69). Sophomore Boston Bracken matched him, also going 10-under-par over the weekend.
Not a single Sun Devil shot a score over par, with senior Fifa Laopakdee shooting 5-under-par with a consistent 69-68-68 over three rounds and junior Peer Wernicke finishing 2-under-par and shooting 71-67-70 over his three days.
The Sun Devils now travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to participate in the 2026 Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational from Sept. 28-29.
Bloomquist picks up pair of prospects
By Mason Seal
Sun Devil baseball picked up two big, local commitments this week with shortstop Jace Harrell, and outfielder and right-handed pitcher Andrés Armenta. Harrell, from Chandler, will be a big piece in Willie Bloomquist's 2027 recruiting class, while Armenta, a Queen Creek native, will join ASU's 2028 class. Harrell is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Arizona, according to Prep Baseball, and is known for his athleticism, running a 6.68 in the 60-yard dash. Armenta is even faster, running a 6.45, while also having an 81-mph fastball in his arsenal.
Edited by Alex Swift, Emilio Alvarado and Senna James.
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