The Arizona State Sun Devils are entering the most tasking game of the season come this Saturday.
Kenny Dillingham’s team is facing a quick turnaround, as they are traveling to College Station, Texas late this week to take on the #10 Texas A&M Aggies.
Follow more on what Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo had to say about Saturday’s matchup following Tuesday’s practice below.
Arizona State’s Trip to College Station Will be Testing
Adam Beadle of Devils Digest captured Arroyo’s initial reaction to the tasking trip to Texas.
“This is an awesome place to play. I mean, this is what college football is about… it will be an awesome opportunity. It will be really hostile.”
The Aggies’ home setup of Kyle Field holds over 102,000 capacity wise, and is frequently cited as among the most hostile environments in college football. It certainly doesn’t help that The Aggies are coming off of a College Football Playoff finish in 2025.
Among the heavy lifters are quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Mario Craver, as well as a stout defense.
Arroyo Praises Arizona State’s Offensive Execution
On Overall Execution
Blake Niemann of Fox 10 captured Arroyo’s praise of Arizona State’s offense in the 70-7 win over Morgan State.
“We played with the tempo we wanted to play with. We tried to play a little bit faster…Feed the studs. We’ve got a multitude of weapons now. It’s how many different ways we can get touches on those guys.”
Arizona State truly experimented with the vast grouping of talent on the roster. Dillingham and Arroyo tinkered with formations, including utilizing 20 and 21 personnel, with both featuring two running backs. Beyond this, it became very clear that the running back room is going to be a focal point of this team early on in the game.
The Sun Devils’ coaches found ways to get Kyson Brown in space, Grayson Rigdon comfortable in the passing game, and to gift freshman Cardae Mack valuable reps. In addition, the elite transfer portal players in Omarion Miller and Reed Harris both eclipsed 100 yards respectively.
Cutter Boley is coming off of an excellent performance in his own right. Arroyo, as well as Dillingham, did their best work to place Boley in optimal positions to succeed. His 387 yard, six-touchdown performance is a historic one for the program, but Texas A&M is going to be a completely different monster.
On Perimeter Blocking
Lastly, Jacob Brooks of Sun Devil Source captured Arroyo’s comments on Arizona State’s perimeter blocking efforts.
“We all looked ourselves in the mirror and said we have to get back to that.”
Part of the underwhelming nature of Arizona State’s offense in 2025 rested in subpar blocking on the perimeter. Wide receivers coach Hines Ward is doing an exceptional job of motivating his room to block to a greater extent, and it’s paying off at the moment.
While only one game is in the books, it’s clear that Arizona State’s receivers are much more active in blocking situations. This bodes well for the running game and the offense as a whole against an elite SEC opponent.
Arizona State OC Makes Bold Statement About Texas A&M’s Hostile Environment