Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham admits his team has not met his expectations this season.
The Sun Devils have another chance to do that, but will face a challenge as they'll hit the road to play defending Big 12 champion Texas Tech, which is nationally ranked in both polls and in contention for another conference title.
ASU is coming off a 30-12 win over Hawaii, while Texas Tech had a week off. The Red Raiders have not looked as dominant as they did last season when they reached the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup.
Arizona State (3-2, 1-1) at No. 9/10 Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0)
Time/site: 12:30 p.m. MST, Saturday, Oct. 17, Galaxy Stadium.
TV: FOX Connor Onion (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Alexa Landestoy (sideline). Radio: ESPN 620
AM. (Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst, Kevin Turner, Jeff Munn).
Series history: Series tied 3-3. The home team has won every game.
Last meeting: ASU upset Texas Tech 26-22 at Mountain America Stadium in 2025. Sam Leavitt threw for 319 yards. Raleek Brown ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left, and Arizona State rallied after blowing a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead.
Storylines
This is a matchup between the last two Big 12 champions — ASU in 2024 and Texas Tech in 2025. They've also played in the last two years, and the team that lost the head-to-head matchup went on to win the conference.
The Red Raiders enter their Homecoming matchup riding an 11-game home winning streak, which ranks as thesixth-longest currently in college football. A win over the Sun Devils would push the Red Raiders to a 6-0 start for a second straight season and also match the second-longest home winning streak in school history at 12 games (2007-09).
ASU’s last win over a top-10 team came against Texas Tech at home last season. The Sun Devils are, however, seeking their first top-10 win on the road since defeating No. 7 UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Oct. 3, 2015.
Coaching matchup
Kenny Dillingham, ASU (fourth year, 25-19): Dillingham, 36, is known for his offensive expertise, most notably with quarterbacks. He was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2024, the season when ASU won the conference championship.
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech (fifth year, 40-18): McGuire, 55, is a product of UT-Arlington. Texas Tech was his first head coaching gig in college. He served in an assistant capacity at Baylor for five years before moving to Lubbock.
Arizona State will win if . . .
The passion returns: Dillingham has stressed that while his team has played hard, it hasn't had the same passion as it has in years past. He made some changes this week that he hopes will go a long way toward improving that.
It can convert on third downs: Good numbers here mean a team is moving the ball and taking time off the clock. It's a recipe for success, especially on the road. Out of 138 FBS schools, ASU ranks 128th, having converted just 19 of 64 tries (.297). That's the worst in the Big 12 by a long shot.
Special teams play improves: This was the biggest problem last week. The punting game has been the biggest issue. ASU ranks 135th out of 138 in net punting. The Sun Devils had one blocked last week, with another almost blocked. ASU is also 134th in punt return defense.
Texas Tech will win if . . .
The defense gets pressure on Cutter Boley: Texas Tech's defensive line is one of its strengths, while ASU has struggled in the offensive trenches. This is one matchup where the home team has a decided advantage. Senior defensive tackle A.J. Holmes is one to keep an eye on. He should keep the ASU quarterback from getting comfortable in the pocket.
It gets the jump early: The ASU offense has been hit-or-miss and seems best suited for games that are hanging in the balance. It hasn't yet shown the ability to rally from a double-digit deficit.
Wins the takeaway battle: The Red Raiders are on the positive side of the ledger with 10 turnovers gained and eight lost. ASU is on the opposite side at five gained and eight lost, which ranks it 109th in that category. ASU has won that battle just twice this season. Not surprisingly, both were wins (Kansas and Hawaii).
Injury report
Arizona State: DL My'Keil Gardner, TE Khamari Anderson, LB Zyrus Fiaseu, DB Nigel Pringle, SS Lyrik Rawls, WR Harry Hassmann, DB Jalen Williams, OL Marquis Uni are out. OL Luke Baklenko is doubtful. RB Grayson Rigdon, DL Kirk Vakalahi are questionable.
Texas Tech: RB Cameron Dickey, WR Donte Lee, CB S'Vioarean Martin, S Maddox Quiller, OL Elias Gillen are out. QB Thomas Castellanos, WR Jalen Jones, CB Ashton Hampton, LB Adam Hill, OL Cash Cleveland, OL Hunter Zambrano are questionable.
By the numbers
17 — Explosive plays for ASU wide receiver Reed Harris. That is fifth in the nation. Harris has 11 receptions of more than 20 yards through ASU’s first five games — good for fourth in the FBS and first in the Big 12. His 17.35 yards per reception are sixth in the country among players with at least 25 catches this season.
49 —Total tackles for ASU linebacker Owen Long. That ranks him eighth among all FBS defenders. He has three straight games with double-digit tackles.
109 — Career starts Texas Tech's offensive line unit has tallied. Center Sheridan Wilson leads the group with 32 starts over his career, followed by Howard Sampson with 31.
314 — Total number of career tackles for Texas Tech linebacker Ben Roberts. That leads all active FBS players.
1,615 — Career snaps played by ASU defensive tackle C.J. Fite. That is the fifth-most among active interior linemen inthe FBS over the last three-plus seasons.
They said it
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire on ASU quarterback Cutter Boley: "He's a big quarterback, big arm. They're a big play-action team, and he does a good job of hard fakes. We always talk about the safeties not putting their nose where it doesn't belong. A lot of times, those hard fakes pull those safeties down. He's got more than two receivers, but two big-time receivers. He does a really good job of getting them the ball, and I think that 10-to-19-yard range, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and I'm sure what they're talking about is what we're talking about. You've got to be better with the deep ball and create more explosive plays."
Boley on Dillingham's challenge about being more passionate: "Everybody on the leadership council and everybody who considers themselves a leader on this team really took that as a challenge. You could tell the passion we had today, just having fun. Still being locked and dialed in, but also being able to have fun and play free."
Dillingham on playing in Lubbock: "An unbelievable environment. They got a great tradition there. I know they sold out a game on a Friday night, which is impressive. That just tells you that this place is going to be rocking here on Saturday. They’re 5-0, They are one of the best teams in the country, a top-10 team in the country. They have everything positive there. So it is a great challenge for our guys, a great challenge for our staff, and it’s going to be an unbelievable environment to go play in.”
Who will win and why
Texas Tech 27, Arizona State 21: This is by far the toughest team ASU has faced this season, and playing the Red Raiders on their turf makes it an even more formidable challenge. The Sun Devils improved last week, but that was against a lower-tier Mountain West Conference foe. This is a different level of challenge. The Red Raiders will also have plenty of incentive after taking the Sun Devils lightly a year ago and losing to them in Tempe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Breaking down ASU vs Texas Tech Big 12 football game
