The Arizona State Sun Devils lost to the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday, September 16, in a Week 3 college football game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.
Check back for our updates on the game.
The Arizona State Sun Devils entered their Week 3 college football game against Fresno State on Saturday night having not been shut out at home since Nov. 12, 1988, a 50-0 loss to USC.
That streak of points at home ended with a 29-0 loss to the Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium.
ASU hasn’t scored a point since Elijhah Badger caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Jaden Rashada with 10:07 left in the second quarter against Oklahoma State in Week 2.
That result gave the Sun Devils a 15-7 lead over the Cowboys in a game they ultimately lost 27-15. Then they were outscored 29-0 by Fresno State.
Things didn’t go well for Kenny Dillingham in his first year as ASU coach.
ASU played three quarterbacks against Fresno State, with fourth-string QB Jacob Conover seeing much of the action after Trenton Bourguet and Drew Pyne left with injuries.
Jaden Rashada, ASU’s starting quarterback in the first two games, did not play due to injury.
ASU struggled to protect the ball all night, committing eight turnovers in the game. Yes, eight.
Pyne lost two fumbles and had two passes intercepted. Conover had intercepted two passes. Bourguet had a pass intercepted. Running back Tevin White lost a fumble.
ASU also turned the ball over on downs on a fourth-and-goal at the Fresno State 1-year line, giving it its best scoring chance of the night.
The Sun Devils were outscored 350-230 on offense. They only gained 42 yards rushing.
Fresno State had a 37:06 to 22:54 lead in possession.
Arizona State’s defense actually played admirably as the outcome could have been much worse.
It held the Bulldogs to just two touchdowns, both on Fresno State’s first possession of each half and five Dylan Lynch field goals.
However, due to ASU’s turnovers, Fresno State consistently had short fields.
Fresno State improved to 3-0 with the win. It has won 12 games in a row.
ASU fell to 1-2 with the loss.
The Sun Devils host USC in Tempe next week. Fresno State hosts Kent State.
Fresno State’s Mikey Keene, a Chandler High product like ASU’s Jacob Conover, went 32-for-49 for 281 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
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Jacob Conover just threw another interception and the Sun Devils turned the ball over eight times against the Bulldogs in this game.
Yes, eight times.
ASU trails Fresno State 29-0 with 7:40 to play at quiet Mountain American Stadium.
It was a long night in Tempe.
ASU had to kick the ball back to Fresno State.
Other than this shutout streak, there really isn’t much left to win in this game.
The Sun Devils haven’t been shut out at home since Nov. 12, 1988, a 50-0 loss to USC.
Can they keep this streak going by being on the field in this game? That’s what we need to talk about in this nightmare of a performance from the Arizona State football team.
ASU hasn’t scored a point since Elijhah Badger caught a 65-yard pass from Jaden Rashada with 10:07 left in the second quarter against Oklahoma State in Week 2.
That result gave the Sun Devils a 15-7 lead over the Cowboys in a game they ultimately lost 27-15. Now they were defeated 29-0 in this game.
The Sun Devils just turned the ball over after a Jacob Conover interception that went to Carlton Johnson.
Johnson intercepted three passes for Fresno State.
The final result secured the Bulldogs a 1st-and-10 finish at the ASU 15.
ASU Football remarkably had seven turnovers in this game.
On defense, ASU Fresno State once again held on to a field goal, this one from 33 yards.
It was Dylan Lynch’s fifth field goal of the game, with two misses.
The student area is starting to look very empty.
Score: Fresno State 29, Arizona State 0 (14:31 left in fourth quarter)
The Sun Devils had to punt the ball after a six-play, 12-yard drive that took 1:33 away from the lock.
But they didn’t turn the ball over.
Here’s an interesting note about ASU at home: The Sun Devils haven’t been shut out at home since November 12, 1988, a 50-0 loss to USC.
You have just over a quarter to make sure the stats aren’t updated after this game. It looks like fourth-line QB Jacob Conover could be the QB for the remainder of this game with Jaden Rashada missing the game due to injury and Trenton Bourguet and Drew Pyne leaving the game with injuries.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the defense? It just forced another Fresno State punt. This unit continues to play hard but has been let down by the offense.
Of course, it doesn’t help the offense that Fresno State deflected the punt at the 1-yard line, giving ASU a very long field.
In fact, Jacob Conover came on for ASU, the third quarterback of the game.
And ASU turned the ball over again before he could even attempt a pass.
Tevin White fumbled the ball on ASU’s second play of the game, giving Fresno State the ball with another very short field.
Obviously, it just wasn’t the Sun Devils’ game.
This time the Sun Devils defense was able to push Fresno State back, but Dylan Lynch hit a 50-yard field goal to make Fresno State 26-0.
Score: Fresno State 26, Arizona State 0 (6:22 remaining in third quarter)
Have we written this before?
The Sun Devils just turned the ball over…again…with an interception by Drew Pyne, his second of the game.
Pyne also lost two fumbles in the game. Trenton Bourguet threw an interception before leaving the game with an injury.
Pyne cautiously walked off the field after the pick and BYU transfer Jacob Conover, a Chandler High product, warmed up on the sideline.
The only saving grace for Arizona State this time?
Fresno State’s Dylan Lynch missed another field goal on its ensuing possession, this one from 45 yards out.
Yes, ASU is down 23-0, but it feels like it could be a lot worse, even if the offense’s inability to get anything going and protect the ball doesn’t give people much hope The rest of this game is even close to winning. Interesting.
Like on their first possession of the game, Fresno State scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half against Arizona State.
Mikey Keene completed a 42-yard pass to Jaelen Gill for the touchdown, the longest play of the game.
Fresno State needed just five plays and 68 yards to score in 1:32 of the drive against an ASU defense that had been on the field for a long time in this game.
The Bulldogs have a possession advantage of 20:59-11:58.
Now forget about trying to get back into this game. The Sun Devils simply need to get on the scoreboard, something they haven’t been able to do since the first half against Oklahoma State last week.
Score: Fresno State 23, Arizona State 0
The Sun Devils took a 3-3 lead on their first possession of the second half and had to punt for the first time.
Drew Pyne is 5 of 10 for 52 yards, with two lost fumbles and an interception in the game.
Cameron Skattebo had five carries for 15 yards.
ASU only had eight rushing yards in the game.
Well, this half of football was…interesting.
Fresno State completed a 15-play, 50-yard drive, but was forced to punt after the drive with 5:04 remaining.
ASU then attempted a long pass late in the first half, but Drew Pyne’s pass was intercepted by a tipped ball, giving the ball back to Fresno State.
Fresno State was then able to complete a 16-yard pass at the end of the half to attempt a 53-yard field goal, but Dylan Lynch missed the attempt, his first miss of the night.
ASU will get the ball to start the second half and needs to get something going on offense.
Thanks to the defense, they are only behind 0:16. The Sun Devils defense struggled with poor field position and tough situations all game long, but somehow only gave up one touchdown and three field goals.
Fresno State has a total yardage margin of 220-104.
ASU had four turnovers (two fumbles and two interceptions) and also turned the ball over once on downs.
Mikey Keene has 211 yards on 24-for-32 passing and one touchdown.
Score: Fresno State 16, Arizona State 0 (halftime)
The Sun Devils needed something, anything to break through on their fourth possession of the game after turning the ball over on all three prior possessions.
They came up just short.
ASU had a 1st down at Fresno State’s 3-yard line, but was unable to score on second and third down runs.
Drew Pyne then threw an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal to the Fresno State 1 and turned the ball over on downs against the Bulldogs.
It was such a night for the Sun Devils.
On the bright side, Arizona State is up to 104 total yards in the game after driving 69 yards on 11 plays in 4:49. But that’s really no consolation for a team that’s down 16-0.
ASU’s saving grace in this game was their ability to prevent Fresno State from scoring.
Dylan Lynch just hit a 29-yard field goal, his third of the game, to give Fresno State a 16-0 lead.
But Fresno State started the possession at ASU’s 13-yard line and couldn’t get it into the end zone, which has to be viewed as a positive for Arizona State.
Still, the ASU offense needs to get something going. The Sun Devils are fortunate to only be down 16-0.
Score: Fresno State 16, Arizona State 0 (10:25 left in the second quarter)
As bad as it is (and it is bad), it could be worse. Just 16-0, with Fresno settling for field goals three times when it could have been 7 each. QB play is not good for ASU. Two combined for three bad turnovers
— Michelle Gardner (@MGardnerSports) September 17, 2023
It’s been an offensive nightmare so far for Arizona State against Fresno State.
Drew Pyne fumbled the ball for just the second time as the Sun Devils turned the ball over three times on three possessions in the game.
There was only one turnover in the first two games of the season. This is not a recipe for success.
Fresno State now has a 13-0 lead, but it actually feels like it could and should be a bigger lead for the Bulldogs.
ASU’s defense came up with some big sacks in this game, including on Fresno State’s most recent possession, which resulted in Fresno State having to settle for a 30-yard field goal from Dylan Lynch, his second of the game Game.
Mikey Keene is 17 of 18 for 152 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State.
Score: Fresno State 13, Arizona State 0 (12:23 left in second quarter)
The stats after the first quarter of the ASU Football vs. Fresno State game tell the story.
Fresno State has 141 yards of total offense, compared to 49 yards for ASU. The Bulldogs have 129 passing yards, ASU has 47.
Fresno State has 12 rushing yards compared to 2 for ASU.
ASU turned the ball over on both possessions, while Fresno State didn’t have a turnover.
Fresno State has a 10:35 to 4:25 advantage in possession.
Mikey Keene completed all 14 of his passes in the quarter for Fresno State.
Score: Fresno State 10, Arizona State 0 (end of first quarter)
More: Arizona State QB Trenton Bourguet opted out of the game against Fresno State
Trenton Bourguet, who started the final five games for ASU last season, made another appearance for the Sun Devils on the team’s second possession.
But as the Sun Devils went ahead, Bourguet lost the ball, picked it up and threw it incomplete, but came up limping after the play and fell to the ground. As he left the field, he was shown not being able to put any weight on his leg.
ASU then replaced Bourguet with Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne on 3rd-and-9 at Fresno State’s 27-yard line.
Pyne fumbled the ball on his first play of the game when he was sacked, giving the ball back to Fresno State with two turnovers on two possessions.
Bourguet was 6-for-8 for 47 yards before leaving.
The Sun Devils were already very exhausted in this game due to injuries, and the blows keep coming as Bourguet’s situation doesn’t look good as he leaves the field.
Defensive player Clayton Smith also left the game cautiously.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team so decimated. We’re not out of the first quarter and QB Trenton Bourguet and DE Clayton Smith have both been sent off
— Michelle Gardner (@MGardnerSports) September 17, 2023
Just when it looked like Fresno State was going to march further down the field for another touchdown, the ASU defense invented a big sack to force a 39-yard field goal from Dylan Lynch that gave the Bulldogs a 10-1. 0 lead.
Still, it could have been worse.
Fresno State managed nine plays for 31 yards on the drive in 4:31.
Keene is now 11 of 11 for 109 yards and a touchdown in the game, but this stop somehow feels like a win for ASU.
But the Sun Devils need to get something going on offense, and quickly.
Score: Fresno State 10, Arizona State 0 (5:50 left in the first quarter)
Trenton Bourguet started at quarterback for Arizona State while Jaden Rashada was sidelined with an injury.
His third pass of the game was intercepted by Fresno State, giving Fresno State the ball in good field position.
Bourguet was 1-for-3 with the interception on the first drive. ASU also has Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne, who is expected to play at QB in this game.
Rashada started the Sun Devils’ first two games but missed this game due to injury.
Fresno State just had an impressive opening drive against Arizona State, running 75 yards and more than 3:33 in just eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 19-yard pass from Mikey Keene to Jalen Moss .
Keene, a former standout at Chandler High in Arizona, was 6-for-6 on the drive and threw for 75 yards.
You can bet he’s excited to play close to home.
ASU had no answer for Keene and the Bulldogs’ passing game on that drive. Fresno State only ran the ball twice, scoring on Elijah Gilliam for a 9-yard gain. Keene was also sacked for a 9-yard loss on the drive.
Score: Fresno State 7, Arizona State 0 (11:27 left in first quarter)
The Arizona State vs. Fresno State game begins around 7:40 p.m. on FS1.
FS1 just finished broadcasting the Northern Illinois vs. Nebraska game.
The list of players who won’t play for the Sun Devils on Saturday night is long as Arizona State continues to be plagued by injuries in its first season under coach Kenny Dillingham. Several players will need to step up for ASU if it wants to upset Fresno State, especially on offense.
- QB Jaden Rashada
- TE Jalin Conyers
- RB DeCarlos Brooks
- OL Emmit Bohle (out for the season)
- OL Isaia Glass
- OL Cade Briggs
- OL Ben Coleman
- WR Jordyn Tyson
- DL Anthony Cooper
- S Shamari Simmons
- DB Montana Warren
The game can be seen on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. MST time.
FS1 can be streamed via Sling, DirecTV Stream, Fubo (free trial), Vidgo and cable providers.
To find out which channel your provider is, click here.
Alex Faust is on the play-by-play call for the game. Petros Papadakis is the analyst.
The broadcast is done remotely, like the one against Oklahoma State, with the announcers not being present in the stadium during the game.
That didn’t go over well in ASU Football’s Week 2 loss to Oklahoma State, when ASU fans and media members criticized Fox Sports’ decision not to send its FS1 broadcast team to the game, but FS1 is repeating the process for its late Pac in week 3 -12 broadcast.
Arizona State quarterback Jaden Rashada will miss Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game against Fresno State (2-0) at Mountain America Stadium due to an undisclosed injury.
Sophomore Drew Pyne and redshirt junior Trenton Bourguet are expected to play in Rashada’s absence, according to an ASU spokesperson.
Michelle Gardner has more details on the Sun Devils’ QB situation here.
Fresno State is recruiting Mikey Keene, a former Chandler High standout.
The Sun Devils will wear a white Sparky helmet for their game against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
ASU will wear a maroon jersey and white pants with this look.
Want to go to the ASU game against Fresno State but don’t have tickets yet?
You can purchase it now for just over $10 including fees from Ticketmaster.
The website had a pair on the top deck as of Saturday afternoon for $10.49, with many others available for under $15.
Go to the game?
While fans are undoubtedly looking forward to a new era of Sun Devil football under head coach Kenny Dillingham with a revamped roster, getting to the stadium first comes with some challenges.
This guide will help you with parking, tailgating and entering the stadium, formerly known as Sun Devil Stadium, for ASU’s third game of the season.
Most websites are predicting a Fresno State win over Arizona State for Saturday’s game.
Michelle Gardner of the Arizona Republic previewed and predicted the outcome of the game in her Arizona State vs. Fresno State scouting report.
ESPN gives Fresno State a 59.8% chance of beating ASU in the contest.
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Fresno State is the 3-point favorite in the game.
The Bulldogs are at -154 on the money line. The Sun Devils are +130.
The over/under for the game is set at 50.5 points.
Pregame reading for the Arizona State vs. Fresno State Week 3 college football game
ASU football QB controversy? Kenny Dillingham praises Jaden Rashada amid calls for change
Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: The Best Conference in College Football?
ASU Football’s Max Iheanachor went from basketball to O-line starter in two years
Analysis: Why Arizona State football may not win again this season
Arizona State football’s disastrous second half sees Sun Devils fall to Oklahoma State
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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