Texas A&M took a half to find its footing against a plucky Arizona State squad Saturday afternoon. But with the Sun Devils more than willing to keep handing the 10th-ranked Aggies opportunities, that didn’t end up being much of a problem.The Aggies turned four turnovers into 24 points, including defensive end Marco Jones’ 55-yard pick six that sealed the deal in the fourth quarter, and Texas A&M ran away with a 48-20 victory in front of 107,523 at Kyle Field.The Aggies came into the game as 14.5-point favorites, and it appeared they might have trouble covering as ASU and quarterback Cutter Boley moved the ball efficiently through three quarters. An Aggies offense that piled up 505 yards (236 rushing) on Missouri State last week had just six first downs in the first half while averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.That all turned after Texas A&M forced an ASU three-and-out while holding onto a four-point lead near the end of the third quarter. The Aggies got the stop, then rattled off 24 unanswered points in the fourth to move to 2-0 on the season and hand ASU (1-1) its first loss.
HE'S A LINEMAN. HE PLAYS BASEBALL. HE DOES IT ALL. HE IS MARCO JONES. pic.twitter.com/IuxKeSfHrw
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 12, 2026Here’s what we learned:Arizona State loses game on marginsIt wasn’t that Arizona State’s defense couldn’t stop Texas A&M’s offense, because it mostly did. Going into the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils were winning the total yardage battle, 310-180, and only trailed 24-20.Then the Aggies opened the fourth with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Marcel Reed to a wide-open Mario Craver — the second touchdown pass ASU allowed via a busted coverage. It illustrated the larger point that ASU’s defense was solid, but this game was lost in the margins.Many of ASU’s nine penalties for 62 yards (to Texas A&M’s one for 5 yards) came on third downs on either side of the ball.Then there was a first-quarter muffed punt inside their own 10, and a failed fake punt on the Sun Devils’ side of the field in the second quarter. In the third, a successful fourth-down stop was overturned by an Arizona State defensive flag. In the fourth, Texas A&M’s punter fumbled the ball, giving ASU possession at the Aggie 34. The very next play, Boley got hit, popping the ball in the air, where it was intercepted and returned for a 55-yard touchdown to put A&M up 38-20. ASU turned the ball over in just one play on the ensuing drive as well.“We got to clean up our errors if we want to win a game against a top-10 team on the road,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said on the ESPN broadcast after the first quarter.
