At the end of the third quarter of Arizona State's 70-7 win over Morgan State on Sept. 5, the official announced that the fourth quarter would be shortened to 10 minutes instead of the normal 15 minutes by mutual agreement of both coaches.
Social media quickly reacted, with many commenting that they didn't recall ever seeing that happen, at least when inclement weather wasn't involved.
After the game, ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said that he didn't know it was legal to shorten a game. Morgan State coach Damon Wilson made the request.
That's because it's extremely rare in college football, which doesn't have an established mercy rule.
The NCAA rulebook is limited in what it says about shortening games, saying: "Before the game starts, playing
time and the intermission between halves may be shortened by the referee if he is of the opinion that darkness or other conditions may interfere with the game. The four periods must be of equal length if the game is shortened before its start.
"a. Any time during the game, the playing time of any remaining period or periods may be shortened by mutual agreement of the opposing head coaches and the referee."
Arizona State joins rare company with shortened game vs Morgan State
There appears to have been fewer than 15 games involving at least one FBC opponent that have been shortened in the past decade before Arizona State's shortened game against Morgan State.
A few other recent examples? South Alabama vs Northwestern State was shortened in the fourth quarter in an 87-10 win in 2024 for South Alabama, while the third and fourth quarters were shortened in Arkansas' 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2024.
In 2021, Oklahoma defeated Western Carolina 76-0, with the fourth quarter reduced to 12 minutes.
The Sun Devils led Morgan State 70-7 entering the fourth quarter at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, in Week 1, after getting a standout performance from QB Cutter Boley in his first game for Arizona State (21-for-27 for 387 yards, six touchdowns in just over two quarters of play).
And giving Arizona State fans a very rare shortened game.
Both coaches agreed to take 5 minute off the clock to start the fourth. Never seen that in a college game.
— Michelle Gardner (@MGardnerSports) September 6, 2026
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State game vs Morgan State shortened due to lopsided score
