Kenny Dillingham Breaks Down Baylor Roster, Talks More Updates

TEMPE -- Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham followed up his weekly press conference on Wednesday with some key updates, discussing Baylor, and more.

Arizona State on SI breaks down the highlights of the media scrum - outside of Dillingham making a small handful of injury updates.

On Offense Finding Groove

The Sun Devil offense rebounded from a 20-point showing against Mississippi State with a well-rounded performance against Texas State. The running game once again came through in a major way, while Sam Leavitt was virtually mistake-free and was incredibly efficient in lower volume.

"You know, we played really good football, especially offensively. I feel like in the last six quarters, I think we played really clean, good football, efficient football, you know, I've always said points per game is not relevant to me. It's all about points per possession. And right now, in those last six quarters, our points per possession is fairly high, you know, it'd be an upper echelon of offenses. So we got to continue to keep going for possession."

The offense will look to carry the positive momentum into this week - Baylor's run defense has been a major weak point of the unit, while Kyson Brown is probable to play in complement of the explosive Raleek Brown and the technically sound Kanye Udoh.

On Depth Being Tested

Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) catches a pass while defended by Arizona State defensive back Xavion Alford (2) for a two-point conversion in double overtime in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the other end, Xavion Alford and Jalen Moss were ruled out by Dillingham on Wednesday, while starting nickelback Montana Warren's status remains in the air.

The 35-year-old head coach embraces the challenge and truly believes in the team's ability to withstand major losses.

Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Montana Warren (7) pulls on Northern Arizona Lumberjacks wide receiver Joey Stout (13) during a football game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Aug. 30, 2025. | Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"That's a great challenge. It's awesome. You know, last year we didn't have many - we stayed fairly healthy the entire year. That's one of the great advantages in the game of football. This year, we're a little dinged up. You can feel it in practice. It in practice, even the guys that are practicing just they feel dinged up. So it's not for a lack of want to just a lack of their bodies not feeling good to practice because of the depth. So we got to just have guys step up."

Expect players such as safety Jack Bal and wide receiver Derek Eusebio to receive roles that they usually wouldn't.

On Challenges Michael Trigg Presents

Aug 29, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears tight end Michael Trigg (1) in action against Auburn Tigers safety Champ Anthony (1) during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Arizona State on SI asked Dillingham about the Baylor TE and the challenges he presents - a day after DC Brian Ward spoke in high praise of the dynamic pass catcher.

"Very challenging. I actually recruited Trigg when I was at Florida State... So I know I know a lot about him. He's a really good football player, really athletic. They don't just use him as a lineup, but he's blocking their core, the motion on the four blocks. So I think they'll play on Sundays for sure."

Read more on major takeaways from players discussing the victory over Texas State in the post-game press conference here, and on how Arizona State fans should be feeling about the team heading into Big 12 play here.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.

Please follow us on X when you click right here!