ASU dominant in opener, record-setting Cutter Boley performance not without blemishes

TEMPE — Arizona State unleashed a balanced offensive attack on Morgan State in its 70-7 season-opening win on Saturday, as six players combined to score its first six touchdowns.

Kentucky transfer quarterback Cutter Boley was an effective facilitator, getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers and letting them do the hard work.

He needed just one half to set the record for most passing yards by an ASU quarterback in their debut, tallying 325 yards on 18 of 24 passing. Joey Yellen (292) was the previous record holder, while Sam Leavitt had 258 in his debut.

He tossed five first-half touchdowns, including two to Reed Harris, while Kyson Brown and Marquis Gillis each had runs of 46 and 25 yards, respectively, for scores in the first half.

beautiful pitch and catch from cutter boley to reed harris over the top and about 35 yards in the air.

asu responds to morgan state's four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive of its own. now up 28-7 with 2:45 left in the first. pic.twitter.com/OtPHyOPISK

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) September 6, 2026

“(The record is) a blessing, but it’s all a credit to these guys and the skill guys we have,” Boley said postgame. “Just get it in these guys’ hands and let them do their thing. At the end of the day, we’re not really worried about stat lines. We’re worried about wins and losses.”

The yards after catch were churning for ASU, as Harris and fellow star receiver transfer Omarion Miller showed off effective perimeter blocking that gave Grayson Rigdon an assist on a touchdown.

this asu offense appears very balanced, as grayson rigdon hauls in a bobbled screen and takes it 54 yards for the touchdown.

he’s asu’s fifth touchdown scorer so far. got key blocks from omarion miller and reed harris, who each have a touchdown already. pic.twitter.com/Fm00Fs86Ow

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) September 6, 2026

Rigdon, who burst into the running back rotation late in camp, took two receptions for scores, combining for 110 yards on the two big plays.

Boley made plenty of solid throws and showed off some scrambling — and notably sliding — ability, but he wasn’t perfect in the dominant half.

His only turnover was a fumble that came when he was sacked on his blind side. Left tackle Luke Baklenko botched his block, and Boley felt the consequence. After he had five fumbles last season (two that were lost), Boley may want to work on a tighter grip on the ball.

this was the only turnover in an otherwise strong debut for cutter boley, who was replaced by mikey keene in the third quarter with a 56-7 lead.

botched block by left tackle luke baklenko that led to a blindside hit, but boley also just has to hold on to the ball better. pic.twitter.com/6LpUWWlvbT

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) September 6, 2026

He also had a couple ill-advised throws, one of which was a close call near the end zone while the other was nearly picked off but ruled incomplete after review. The near-pick was not a risk worth taking, as he threw across his body while scrambling.

this was ruled an incompletion after review and marquis gillis scored from 25 yards out the next play, but this is just a risk you can’t be taking if you’re cutter boley.

throw it away and move onto the next play instead of forcing one across your body while scrambling. pic.twitter.com/4JeVwJ7rQ3

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) September 6, 2026

“There was one play there where he tried to do too much … and it was almost a pick,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “But other than that, he really didn’t put the ball in jeopardy. The one sack fumble, that’s an insta-sack. You can’t do anything at quarterback on insta-sacks to your backside.

“But other than that, I thought he played really, really well. I thought he controlled the game. He made some really nice checks there that became explosives, some touchdowns. So I was really happy with how he played.”

The QB was replaced by veteran backup Mikey Keene after one drive in the third quarter as ASU led 56-7. Freshman Jake Fette played a shortened fourth quarter.

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