Quarterback change could help Arizona State upset BYU

The Arizona State Sun Devils will get a third crack at a top-10 team this week when they travel to Provo, Utah, for a Big 12 showdown against Brigham Young, ranked eighth in one national poll and ninth in the other.

ASU's last two outings against nationally ranked foes didn't go too well. The first came against Texas A&M, a game ASU lost 48-20, although the Sun Devils were in striking distance at 24-20 after three quarters. The other came just two weeks ago in Lubbock, where coach Kenny Dillingham's squad was throttled by Texas Tech 53-20.

"This will be the biggest challenge yet," Dillingham said. "This is a big, physical football team with a lot of experience, not a lot of young guys," Dillingham said. ”This is one of the best fan bases, one of the most consistent fan bases. This is one of the best coaching staffs, most consistent coaching staffs. When you have the consistency that they have as a program from the top, I think they’re reaping what they sow from that perspective, so this place is definitely one of the hardest places to play in college football."

Arizona State (4-3, 2-2) at BYU (6-1, 3-1)

Time/site: 12:30 p.m. MST, Saturday, Oct. 31, LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo.

TV: FOX (Connor Onion (PxP), Robert Griffin III (Analyst), Alexa Landestoy (Sideline). Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 (Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst, Kevin Turner, Jeff Munn).

Series history: ASU leads 21-8. The last meeting in Provo was in 2021 and was won by BYU, 27-17. That was a game in which the Sun Devils had 16 penalties for 121 yards. The Cougars have played ASU more than any other school in the Big 12 besides Utah, though only two games have been played since 2000.

Last meeting: ASU defeated the Cougars 28-23 in Tempe in 2024, en route to winning its first Big 12 title.

Storylines

The Cougars were in the driver's seat in the Big 12 title hunt, but that was before being upended by Central Florida 39-31 in double overtime last week. BYU is one of four teams that start the weekend with one conference loss, a shade behind Utah, which has not yet lost a conference game.

BYU is playing without the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, running back L.J. Martin (344 yards, 44 carries), who has missed the last three games with a lower leg injury.

Arizona State true freshman Jake Fette is likely to make his first career college start this week, after finishing up last week's 28-17 win over Kansas State when Mikey Keene was injured in the closing seconds of the first half. It could also be an all-freshman backfield, with Cardae Mack the likely starter at running back.

Coaching matchup

Kenny Dillingham, ASU (fourth year, 26-20: Dillingham, 36, was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2024, the season when ASU won the conference championship. He served in offensive capacities at several major programs before taking the job in Tempe.

Kalani Sitake, BYU (11th year, 90-46): Sitake, 51, is the 14th head coach in BYU history and just the fourth since 1972, when LaVell Edwards took over the program. He was the 2025 Big 12 Coach of the Year and has led BYU to double-digit victory seasons in four of the past six seasons.

Arizona State will win if . . .

It can run the ball: The best way to take pressure off a freshman quarterback is to run the ball. ASU averages 144 yards rushing, which ranks 90th of 138 FBS schools. This is an area where the Sun Devils have been up and down this season. Much will also depend on an offensive line that has struggled and has not had a consistent personnel group. It's up to all the personnel on offense to do the job so the burden doesn't fall on Fette.

The defense can generate takeaways: This has been an area of disappointment, with ASU only able to generate six takeaways — and three of those came in the same game. Extra possessions loom large against heavily favored teams, especially on the road.

The defense repeats its performance from last week: The Sun Devils played with a passion and intensity that had been missing in previous weeks. The other area in which ASU improved and will need to continue that progress was in not giving up explosive plays, which had been problematic in the first half of the season.

BYU will win if . . .

It doesn't look past ASU: The Cougars will play their bitter rival and the current frontrunner in the Big 12, Utah, next week. So this could have the makings of the ultimate "trap" game. Of course, it would have been more of a trap game had BYU not lost one last week.

The defense turns up the pressure: BYU boasts one of the best defensive fronts in the conference, led by tackle Keanu Tanauvasa. This is an area in which BYU has a mismatch and can use its physicality. BYU has 12 sacks and 38 tackles for a loss. Linebackers Cade Uluave and Isaiah Glasker are also among the best in the conference, so Fette will be faced with quite a challenge if he does make his debut as a starter.

Bear Bachmeier controls the game: The sophomore has thrown for 1,154 yards and completed 63% of his passes. He has thrown just three interceptions, so he does a good job of taking care of the ball. He has also taken just four sacks.

Injury report

Arizona State: DL My'Keil Gardner, TE Khamari Anderson, LB Zyrus Fiaseu, DB Nigel Pringle, WR Harry Hassmann, OL Tana Alo-Tupuola are out. S Lyrik Rawls, QB Mikey Keene, OL Wade Helton are questionable.

BYU: CB Evan Johnson, RB L.J. Martin, OL Trevin Osleter are out.

By the numbers

6 — Consecutive games in which ASU has started a different offensive line combination. With one starter out and another questionable this week, that streak is likely to stretch to seven.

13 — Tackles for a loss the BYU offense has allowed through seven games. That is the fewest in the country. BYU has also allowed just four sacks this year, tied for the fifth-fewest nationally.

373 — Receiving yards for BYU sophomore Kyler Kasper, a local product of Williams Field High School. Kasper originally signed with Oregon, and it was Dillingham who recruited him there when he was on the staff at that school.

800 — Receiving yards for ASU's Reed Harris through seven games. That ranks him sixth among all FBS receivers. His 114.3 yards per game rank fifth, and his eight touchdowns tie for sixth.

They said it

Dillingham on the other players needing to pitch in to help Fette: "They have a lot of confidence in him. Everybody knows how talented Jake is. It’s not a secret around here. It’s them having to make plays for him. What’s that connection like? Those guys, and everybody on the team, needs to know that they have to step up and they have to help him. We have to protect a little longer. We have to make a play we haven’t made in the past. Everybody’s got to step up their game to win a football game like this.”

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo on preparing freshman QB Jake Fette: "It'll be a really big learning experience. It's a good opportunity for him to really dive in this week and really try to focus on things that he can try to see and feel, and for us to put in a plan that hopefully suits him and make good adjustments."

Who will win and why

BYU 35, Arizona State 21: This would be a difficult game under the best of circumstances, but it's a tough ask for a team that will be starting a true freshman at quarterback, whose playing time at the college level consists of one half.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Quarterback change could help Arizona State upset BYU