What Arizona State Does Better Than Oklahoma State and Why It Matters

The Arizona State Sun Devils aren’t that far removed from winning a Big 12 title. Here’s what they do better than the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State Cowboys will face the Arizona State Sun Devils in their penultimate showdown of the 2026 season at Tempe, Ariz.

The two teams have been going in two different directions the past two seasons. Oklahoma State is 4-20 in the last two years and has a new head coach in Eric Morris, who replaces program legend Mike Gundy.

Arizona State is led by head coach Kenny Dillingham, who has taken the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title in 2024 and an eight-win season in 2025. They’re considered a contender to get back to the title game for the second time in three years.

Here’s what Arizona State does better than Oklahoma State and why it matters in this matchup.

What Arizona State Does Better Than Oklahoma State

Arizona State defensive lineman C.J. Fite. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If one looks at Arizona State’s roster it’s hard to find continuity. While the Cowboys only have one returning starter, the Sun Devils only have two and both are on defense. After Dillingham was able to hold together most of his 2024 Big 12 Championship team, most of the main pieces have either left for the NFL like wide receiver Jordyn Tyson or other programs like quarterback Sam Leavitt to LSU.

There are areas where these teams match up well, such as wide receiver and linebacker. Both teams have productive players at those positions, even though most of them are new to the program. But there is one area where Arizona State looks better than Oklahoma State and that’s on the defensive line. More specifically? Stopping the run.

One of the returning starters on defense is up front in tackle C.J. Fite. The 6-2, 305-pound senior is a bit undersized for what some might consider a run stopping tackle. But as a sophomore he had 16 defensive run stops which was ninth in the Big 12 Conference. He also played right away as a true freshman in 2023 and has 38 college games. He only has 76 career tackles, but defensive tackles usually don’t rack up big numbers in that department. They’re there to help clear the way for the tackles behind them.

The other projected starting tackle is MyKeil Gardner, a sophomore who was at Oregon last year but missed the entire season due to injury. He’s a former four-star recruit and is an El Mirage, Ariz., native. At 6-2, 300 pounds, he’s a good fit alongside Fite.

The Sun Devils run the same 4-2-5 scheme that Oklahoma State does. The primary job for Fite and Gardner is to push the pile and create space for the two linebackers, Owen Long and Martell Hughes.

Hughes has played two years with ASU already and had 39 tackles last season. This season has the potential to be his coming out party. Long is a transfer from Colorado State and he was the most productive tackler in FBS last year.  

With these two tackles in front of them, Hughes and Long should have all the room they need to make plays. This feels like the area that, going into the season, Arizona State does better than Oklahoma State.

Why it matters should be clear. The Cowboys have one of the best returning backs in the country in Caleb Hawkins, who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last season. If the Sun Devils can slow him down, then they can change the direction of this game and force the ball into the hands of quarterback Drew Mestemaker. That might sound counterintuitive. But if the Cowboys can’t run the ball effectively, then the offense becomes one-dimensional and ASU can put more pressure on him.

That’s how ASU can leverage what it does better and why it matters in this matchup.