Reed Harris caught nine passes for 189 yards and both Arizona State touchdowns in Saturday's 48-20 loss at Texas A&M. Omarion Miller also caught nine passes, but gained just 29 yards, with none longer than seven. Harris gave ASU a receiver who could win downfield against ranked opposition; the matching catch totals showed how far the offense remained from spreading that threat around.
Now Kansas wants to make Cutter Boley look past his first receiver. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald is emphasizing tighter coverage after Missouri threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns without surrendering a sack. McDonald said loose coverage undermined the rush. Watch whether ASU can punish that adjustment with separation, and whether Boley can move on when the initial throw isn't there.
Arizona State meets Kansas at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, September 19, at 9 a.m. Arizona time on FS1. Kansas is the designated home team at the neutral venue, and the game counts in the Big 12 standings. Fan Watch gives ASU a 56% chance to win. It's a winnable conference game, with little room to assume mistakes will go unpunished.
Boley threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns at Texas A&M, but both interceptions became fourth-quarter Aggies touchdowns. He acknowledged forcing throws; Kenny Dillingham took responsibility for the first interception's ill-advised play-action call and attributed the second to miscommunication. Those postgame explanations make the correction a shared responsibility. Boley needs better decisions, and his coaches need to give him plays the offense can execute safely.
Protection belongs in that discussion, too. On the first pick-six, Marco Jones drove right tackle Jalen Klemm into Boley as he threw. One official sack concealed repeated pressure. Against tighter coverage, ASU's blockers need to buy enough time for a second read without asking Boley to manufacture a completion while being hit.
Dillingham is in his fourth season, with Marcus Arroyo returning as offensive coordinator and Brian Ward as defensive coordinator. That continuity gives fans reason to expect coordinated fixes in play selection, protection and receiver assignments. Wembley can show whether the returning staff can turn those corrections into possessions that survive a covered first read.
Ward's defense supplied a reason to keep believing through the ugly score. It allowed only 255 yards and three third-down conversions in 12 attempts against Texas A&M. Lyrik Rawls added an interception. Those are encouraging results against ranked opposition, though one game cannot establish dependability. ASU's four giveaways produced 24 Aggies points, including a touchdown after a muffed punt. Cleaner offense and special teams would give the defense a fairer chance to make its stops count.
At Texas A&M, Wade Helton shifted to center during Tana Alo-Tupuola's temporary absence, then later left with an apparent injury and was replaced by Rob Lapuaho. ASU's postgame itinerary called for travel through Dallas and a roughly 10-hour flight directly to England. ASU's linemen must recover from Texas A&M and sort out their assignments during an overseas game week, with Helton's availability for Kansas still unclear.
ASU's modeled Big 12 title-game chances are 3.8% with a win and 0.6% with a loss, so even a win leaves ASU a long shot to reach the championship game. There is little reason to sweat the out-of-town scoreboard this week. The interactive guide has the matchup probabilities, with the methodology behind them.
Keep looking for Harris downfield. But when Kansas covers Boley's first option, a completion elsewhere or a timely throwaway can be a satisfying play, too. ASU needs to leave itself another snap.