Welcome to Sun Devil Debrief, your weekly update of everything in the world of ASU athletics.
Football bounces back from Baylor to beat Rainbow Warriors
By Bryan Adams
Following a 55-19 loss last week, ASU bounced back with a 30-12 win against Hawaii Saturday, looking to right the ship before they face seven straight Big 12 opponents.
A 47-yard gain on the opening play of the game would be the longest gain of the night for the Rainbow Warriors, who were never able to find a consistent rhythm against the ASU defense. Hawaii sophomore quarterback Micah Alejado and the offense gained over 300 yards of total offense, but a second-quarter field goal brought the only red zone points Hawaii scored all game.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Sun Devils' success came from their star, senior wide receiver Reed Harris. ASU's first offensive drive lasted 11 plays and went 80 yards as junior quarterback Cutter Boley found Harris across the middle for an 18-yard touchdown.
Harris, who was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Oct. 7, finished the game with 91 yards and two touchdowns. However, the star of the offense was freshman running back Cardae Mack.
Mack only had 60 rushing yards on the season entering the game versus Hawaii, but he exploded onto the scene with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The first of his touchdowns came in the second quarter, out of the wildcat formation on the 1-yard line. But his highlight moment came in the third quarter.
A 67-yard touchdown rush late in the third quarter helped open up the score to 24-6 and effectively took Hawaii out of the game.
READ MORE: A step forward up front: ASU offense rebounds from loss
Hawaii cut the lead to 12 early in the fourth quarter before a touchdown from Harris sealed the 30-12 win.
Now at 3-2 and with seven straight Big 12 games on the horizon, ASU will be in for their toughest battle yet, facing Texas Tech in Lubbock on Oct. 17.
Hockey splits home opener while rumors of coaching hire swirl
By Alex Swift
Assistant coach Mike Corbett spent his second weekend taking over head coaching duties after head coach Greg Powers was placed on paid administrative leave.
After a split at Lindenwood the weekend before, ASU players entered the locker room for their home opener against Holy Cross and saw Matthew Mayich's jersey hung up in his locker.
Fans also received pins with "MM #27" as they walked into the stadium.
The first game of the series played out as a goalie battle. Neither team found the net in the first 55 minutes of the game, primarily due to great play from ASU sophomore Samuel Urban and Holy Cross sophomore Danick Leroux.
The pair combined for 59 saves Friday night, before sophomore forward Daniel Shlaine scored with five minutes left in the game to take the lead for ASU.
Holy Cross answered back with two goals 11 seconds apart to take the lead in the final two minutes of the game, leaving a sour taste in ASU's mouth ahead of Saturday.
READ MORE: 'We're playing for 27': ASU hockey splits home opening series against Holy Cross
The second game was the polar opposite, with both teams scoring in the first period before a chaotic third period.
Holy Cross scored three unanswered goals, leaving ASU down 3-1 with eight minutes left in the game.
The Sun Devils responded with three unanswered goals of their own to take a 4-3 lead in the final 90 seconds of the game. Holy Cross equalized with under 20 seconds left, sending the game to overtime.
Sophomore forward Jack Beck then stepped up, scoring an overtime winner to confirm the series split.
ASU now prepares for a road trip to UMass Lowell, with expectations that the University will hire a new head coach before the matchup with the River Hawks.
Soccer sputters in return to Tempe
By Jakob Arnarsson
After three straight road games, coach Graham Winkworth and his Sun Devils were eager to return to the desert. Unfortunately, a welcome home party wasn't what awaited them.
On Thursday, ASU faced Iowa State, which entered with one conference point. The Sun Devils started strong, with freshman defender Mya Angus scoring the first goal near the 18-minute mark.
It didn't take long for the Cyclones to equalize, with freshman midfielder Alaina Villa's long-distance effort in the 32nd minute just barely beating sophomore goalkeeper Kennedy Zorn to the top right corner.
Then came the avalanche.
The Sun Devils racked up 29 total shots; outside the opener, none found the back of the net. They saw multiple efforts careen off the woodwork, while Cyclone goalkeeper Eme McClenahan made 10 saves.
The barrage culminated in a last-second gasp that saw a shot by freshman forward Mechal Green cleared off the line before midfielder captain Peyton Marcisz slapped the rebound onto the crossbar. Amid the ensuing chaos, ASU was called for a foul with five seconds remaining.
Despite taking 25 more shots and 10 corners compared to none, the Sun Devils found themselves to be rewarded with only one point, drawing 1-1.
In the following contest, ASU could blame no one but themselves.
On Sunday, they took on Houston — once again, the Sun Devils started fast through their forwards, with Kierra Blundell slipping Sierra Bergen through the defense before rounding the goalkeeper to open the scoring less than two minutes after kickoff.
With the Sun Devils still celebrating, the Cougars responded, driving down the left side before Samira Minor put in an inviting cross met by Jocelyn Chinea, who blasted the first-time effort past Zorn.
It would only get worse for ASU.
Adelhia Ghonda scored the spot kick to put the Cougars up 2-1. Five minutes later, a challenge by Blundell led to a free kick just outside the box. Senior midfielder Ava Shannon took advantage with an excellent free kick that squeaked underneath Zorn.
Within the dying minutes, another adventurous charge from Angus led to a good cross into the box that was met by Blundell. Her effort was blocked by a stray hand, leading to a penalty.
Blundell dispatched it into the bottom right corner, giving her a goal and an assist on the day. It was too little, too late, as the game finished 3-2. Houston outshot ASU 17-15, with eight hitting the target for the Cougars compared to four for the Sun Devils.
The two games saw a continued, problematic trend for ASU. After conceding just four goals in their eight non-conference games, they have seen nine goals scored against them in their six conference contests.
The Big 12 challenge offers little relief. ASU is set to travel to face Oklahoma State before hosting current No. 9 Baylor and No. 13 Colorado.
Volleyball takes home weekend wins
By Camille LeDuc
No. 11 Arizona State defeated No. 23 Colorado on Friday and swept No. 8 TCU on Sunday, securing its third top-10 victory and sixth ranked win of the season.
ASU lost the first match 25-23 against the Buffaloes, only to come back and win three straight sets of 25-19, 25-18 and 27-25. This concludes coach JJ Van Niel's sixth consecutive win against Colorado.
Arizona State's net defense came alive against the No. 23 team with a season high of 15 blocks.
Junior middle blocker Zoey Burgess gained seven of those blocks while outside hitter Aniya Clinton covered the pin with 16 kills. Setting the tempo for the entire offense with 35 assists, senior setter Isabella Costantini earned herself over 30 assists in three of the last four matches.
But the bigger test was TCU, as the Horned Frogs came off a 12-game winning streak. The Sun Devils shut down the Horned Frogs 3-0, with the first two sets 25-16 and 25-17 and a dominating third set with 25-10. Junior outside hitter Una Vajagić anchored the Sun Devils with a well-rounded eight kills and 12 digs, alongside senior opposite Noemie Glover with 11 kills. Freshman setter Elle Mottola joined the defense at the net, adding four blocks next to Burgess' seven.
The Sun Devils will face the rival Wildcats in less than a week, continuing their journey against Big 12 opponents.
Miller opened her first season 15-0, now prepares for year two
By Joel Salcido-Sandoval
Women's basketball head coach Molly Miller is entering her second season with expectations — after opening 15-0 in her first year.
In her first season leading the maroon and gold, Miller led a team that had never played under her before. This year, she enters with some familiarity, having five returning Sun Devils.
"Last year, it was just me and my coaching staff who had to dictate what was happening in the next play," Miller said. "They'll finish my sentences, they know what to do, so they're on the sidelines coaching them up."
Coming into practice, Miller knows how important it is to have returning players with her but also to have a great coaching staff.
"I always say, I do not have assistant coaches," Miller said. "I have head coaches that assist."
Miller returns with her same staff from the season before and associate head coaches Jason Glover and Daejah Bernard from her time at GCU.
The Sun Devils play their first non-conference game Nov. 2 against Jackson State, while their first Big 12 game is Dec. 21 against Utah.
Edited by Char O'Neil, Carsten Oyer and Kate Gore.
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