Three Major Takeaways From Arizona State's Loss to Utah

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils fell to 5-2 on Saturday night - losing their first game in Big 12 play since October 19 of last year in the process - by losing to the Utah Utes in definitive fashion.

The 42-10 drubbing raised some concerns in areas that weren't previously thought of as anything other than strengths - and the team now has a week to prepare for a top 10 team in the country in Texas Tech on October 18.

Arizona State on SI explores three major takeaways from the loss below in-depth.

Offense Fell Victim to Another Slow Start

Head coach Kenny Dillingham was adamant that the Arizona State offensive strategy would not change with Jeff Sims receiving the start at quarterback.

While Sims was given opportunities to be successful, the offensive line simply did not create enough space for the run game to thrive, and Sims missed on key throws at crucial points of the drive.

Nov 23, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona State Sun Devils helmet at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

More issues with procedural penalties, the inability to get Jordyn Tyson involved in the intermediate/deep game, and Sims holding the ball too long were other factors that resulted in an overall anemic performance.

efere — Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jeff Sims (2) throws the ball against the Utah Utes during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Run Defense Struggles For First Time This Season

The Arizona State secondary only ceded 136 yards through the air all night - on 13 attempts.

This is simply confirmation that the run defense struggled mightily for the first time in some time.

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier led the charge - with 10 carries for 120 yards and three trips to the end zone, while three other ball carriers went for over 40 yards in the team's 276 yard, six-touchdown effort.

Dillingham spent two weeks talking up the Utah offense, even pointing to the fact that it is nearly impossible to prepare for the Utes' offense even with ample time to do so in his September 29 press conference.

"He (Devon Dampier) can throw a ball downfield, you know, it creates a plus one run. And when you're already good up front, then you got a plus one, you know, it's makes you better.

Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jeff Sims (2) throws the ball against the Utah Utes during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

So different, you know, play with tempo this year, so it's not as much ball control, which is a little different from that perspective, but they definitely put you in hard, hard spots schematically, with what they do, with the plus one runs and the zone read game and the boots and the shots and the screens and the funny formations like you don't have a chance to prepare for everything they do. It's just not possible."

Utah's lack of negative play opportunities, pace-of-play, and elite offensive line were all on display - however this certainly exposed potential cracks in Arizona State's defense as well.

Safeties Adrian "Boogie" Wilson and Myles "Ghost" Rowser both exited the game at various stages - this is with Xavion Alford already out of commission. The status surrounding the two is uncertain moving into next week at the moment, while this was truly one of the most confounding tackling efforts seen from a Sun Devil squad since the Herm Edwards era.

mlkk — Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Raleek Brown (3) extends the ball against the Utah Utes during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Texas Tech Matchup Will Determine Big 12 Fate

It's an unpleasant conversation to have - but one that must be brought up nonetheless.

Arizona State very likely has to defeat Texas Tech in Tempe on October 18 to keep their hopes at repeating as Big 12 champions alive.

While the Sun Devils have a reasonable path to defeating the teams that are scheduled beyond Texas Tech on their schedule, a loss to the Red Raiders places them at a disadvantage in terms of tiebreakers against the two teams that look to be the best in the league at the moment.

Sun Devil fans are sure to be paying close attention on the status of Leavitt, Alford, Rowser, Wilson, and others heading into next week - as the team needs all the breaks they can get in the coming days.

Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes running back Naquari Rogers (21) runs for a touchdown against Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Montana Warren (7) during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Read more about Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley speaking directly to fans ahead of the start of the 2025 season here, and on previewing key individual Utah players ahead of the Sun Devil football game on Saturday here.

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