DL Hyrum Vaeono’s 77-yard fumble return helps ASU put sloppy win over Kansas on ice

Arizona State defensive lineman Hyrum Vaeono rumbled and tumbled 77 yards and nearly into the end zone on a fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter that helped seal the Sun Devils’ 24-17 win over Kansas on Saturday.

FORCED FUMBLE BY THE SUN DEVILS 🫨

AND WE ALMOST GOT A 76 YARD BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/ecyuTqN6X7

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 19, 2026

The 6-foot-2, 305-pound sophomore had to feel some extra juice while running it back, having grown up in Lawrence, Kansas.

He told reporters postgame that the Jayhawks not recruiting him “definitely” added to the chip on his shoulder entering the matchup.

ASU punched in the score on a QB sneak with Cutter Boley, who had an inefficient day after leading the Big 12 in passing yards through the first two games.

Boley finished with just 95 yards and a touchdown on 11 of 23 passing. He had troubles with inaccuracies downfield and throwing with anticipation on shorter looks. He also took two first-half sacks while failing to feel the oncoming pressure.

Boley did have a clutch rush on third-and-5 at the two-minute timeout while trying to maintain a seven-point lead. He had to run over to the sideline for the play call and run back to get the ball snapped, before the defense bit on his play fake and he found an eight-yard gain to his left.

Kneel-downs from there, as Kansas was out of timeouts, ended it.

The game swung before and after halftime, as Reed Harris hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds before the break and Jaren Hamilton opened the second half by returning a kickoff for a score.

Those two scores along with the one-yard sneak following Vaeono’s return accounted for 21 of the Sun Devils’ 24 points.

“If you were to say offensive positives, if I’m going to reach for something deep in the pocket, winning the end of the first half and controlling the ball at the end of the game are what wins games,” head coach Kenny Dillingham told reporters. “If there were any positives there offensively, it was that.

“The offense won the situations that win games.”

An exceptional performance by the defense with three takeaways and giving up just 10 points — the others coming on a punt return touchdown — gave ASU enough room for the offensive error.

The defense rose to the occasion after head coach Kenny Dillingham said the takeaways were the main piece missing after it had just one in the first two games.

Linebacker Owen Long, who transferred from Colorado State after his FBS-leading 151 tackles last season, had a hand in all three takeaways, including forcing the fumble that Vaeono ran back.

Long recovered the Jayhawks’ first fumble of the game, and he picked off Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall on fourth down to end the Jayhawks’ next drive following the Vaeono return.

ASU has a much-needed bye week coming up, to help with the travel back from London and the injuries suffered in recent weeks. Two right guards, Wade Helton and Rob Lapuaho, have gone down, as has starting tight end Khamari Anderson.

The Sun Devils will next host Baylor on Oct. 3 as Big 12 play rolls on before hosting Hawaii, the final nonconference opponent, one week later.

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