Football falls in blowout loss
By Bryan Adams
ASU's self-inflicted wounds derailed the Sun Devils as the 2026 season hit an early standstill, losing 55-19 to Baylor.
ASU scored first, taking their first and only lead with a field goal three minutes in. Baylor's offense responded with a 63-yard rushing touchdown from freshman running back Ryelan Morris, opening the floodgates.
Baylor scored on three of its final five drives in the half, with two touchdown passes from junior quarterback DJ Lagway and 24 points before halftime.
On the other side of the ball, the Sun Devil offense couldn't match the Bears' production. A fumble and two punts left ASU down 21-3 early in the second quarter.
Another field goal from sixth-year kicker Carson Smith and a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Cutter Boley to senior wide receiver Omarion Miller cut into the lead, but a Baylor field goal put the Bears up 11 at the break.
The Boley-to-Miller connection was one of the few positives from the ASU offense the rest of the game. In the second half, Baylor outscored ASU 31-6; the Sun Devils threw an interception and had two possessions end with a turnover on downs.
Lagway and the Baylor offense finished with 564 total yards, including 244 rushing yards, the most the ASU defense has allowed in either category this season.
READ MORE: Baylor routs ASU behind Lagway's career day
Postgame, ASU coach Kenny Dillingham took accountability for the loss and not getting the most out of his players.
"I am not maximizing the team that we have," Dillingham said. "We're falling short of the ability that we have."
The Sun Devils will stay home and host Hawaii next Saturday, looking to get back on track against the 1-4 Rainbow Warriors.
Hockey splits season opener, pays tribute to Mayich
By Brooklyn Smith
Despite a tumultuous start to its season, ASU hockey showed out on its first game against Lindenwood before falling to the Lions in its second.
Assistant coach Mike Corbett took over head coaching duties for the series at Lindenwood after head coach Greg Powers was placed on paid administrative leave on Sept. 30. Despite Corbett's position for the weekend, ASU is expected to hire an interim head coach for the 2026-27 season within the next week, according to athletic director Graham Rossini.
As they took the ice, the Sun Devils wore a sticker with a ribbon and the number 27 on their skates as a tribute to Matthew Mayich, who collapsed during a team workout on Aug. 20 and has remained hospitalized since.
READ MORE: The latest on ASU hockey, Matthew Mayich. What has happened since Aug. 20
The first game of the series allowed ASU to showcase its new talent, with four of the five goals scored by the Sun Devils coming from transfer forwards Ben Muthersbaugh, Daniel Shlaine, Nic Chin-DeGraves and Olivier Houde.
Returning senior forward and team captain Kyle Smolen scored the fifth goal, and the 5-0 victory was aided by lights-out goalkeeping from sophomore Samuel Urban. The netminder recorded 37 saves, setting a program record for the most saves in an opening-night game.
Game two saw the Sun Devils fall to Lindenwood 9-6. The team tried to keep pace with the Lions after falling behind early in the first period, but the comeback faltered when Lindenwood scored two empty-net goals in the third period.
The Sun Devils will travel back to Tempe for their home-opening series against Holy Cross on Oct. 9 and 10.
Slow start sees soccer drop to No. 14 Texas Tech
By Jakob Arnarsson
In the final game of a road trip, ASU took on No. 14 Texas Tech. The grueling, physical battle saw the Sun Devils lose 2-0, showing the challenge ASU faces against the Big 12's top teams.
Texas Tech piled up 14 shots in the first half alone, while ASU failed to take even one. The Sun Devil defense attempted to keep a clean sheet through constant Red Raider pressure, forcing shots from distance and blocking multiple efforts.
A scrappy goal from Texas Tech's Lauren Alvarez opened scoring in the 41st minute.
Despite Red Raider domination in the first half, the Sun Devils regrouped at the break. They came out more aggressive, with both Sierra Bergen and Ella Kettles forcing fully outstretched saves from goalkeeper Addie Todd.
ASU's mounted pressure left them vulnerable to counterattacks. Taylor Zdrojewski was played in behind both ASU centerbacks after a long clearance. This forced a late challenge from Natalie Drotzmann, which drew a penalty.
Kaitlyn Giametta converted from the spot, coolly sliding into the bottom right corner. The Red Raiders would hold on, outshooting the Sun Devils 20-5.
The loss drops ASU to 2-2-0 in Big 12 play and 1-2 on its three-game road trip. Next, ASU returns to Tempe to face Iowa State on Oct. 8, beginning a home stretch of five of its last seven conference contests.
Volleyball unphased by Cyclones
By Mason Seal
The Sun Devils had a relatively quiet week with just one contest against Iowa State on Oct. 4. ASU returned home for conference play after nearly three weeks of travel.
The Sun Devils dominated the first two sets, both 25-18, before coming out flat in the third set, 22-25. ASU bounced back in the fourth set, 25-14, for a home conference-opening victory.
Junior outside hitter Una Vajagić dominated on both sides of the floor for the Sun Devils, leading them in both kills (18) and digs (12). Senior and junior middle blockers Ella Lomigora and Zoey Burgess provided defensive support with five and four blocks, respectively.
The Sun Devils are idle until next weekend when they welcome Colorado and TCU to Desert Financial Arena on Oct. 9 and 11.
Cachot sets swim record, golf falls short-handed, tennis battles in bay
By Josh Cooper
ASU swim and dive opened its 2026-27 season with two wins against UNLV on Friday, Oct. 2, at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe. The No. 6-ranked men's team won 245-55, and the No. 18-ranked women's team took it 231-68.
Sophomore Albane Cachot swam the women's 100-yard freestyle in 47.23 seconds, breaking her own school record.
Cachot was not the only name in the swimming history books, as sophomore Noah Mudadu won the men's 1,000 freestyle in 8:48.87, the second-fastest in program history.
However, ASU men's golf did not fare as well, finishing last in the 16-team competition at the Sept. 28-29 Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas.
Four Sun Devils competed elsewhere, with Nguyen Anh Minh and Fifa Laopakdee finishing T-17 and T-19 at the Asian Games in Japan while representing Vietnam and Thailand, respectively. The other two, Bowen Mauss and Boston Bracken, played in the PGA Tour Bank of Utah Championship in Ivins, Utah, failing to make the cut.
Men's tennis hit the courts in San Francisco with the Battle in the Bay Classic from Oct. 1-4. Ofek Shimanov bested Boise State's Izan Orgiles, while Niels Villard took down Georgia's No. 101 Julian Alonso in an extra singles match outside the main championship bracket. In doubles, Shimanov and Villard lost 8-6 to Stanford's Gus Grumet and Mark Krupkin in the round of 16.
Edited by Alex Swift, Alan Deutschendorf III and Sophia Keeling.
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