5 questions ahead of Arizona State's trip to College Station

Arizona State football makes its first road trip of the season, visiting Texas A&M. The Sun Devils face their first FBS opponent in No. 11 Texas A&M and will have to answer five questions.

1. Can they handle the noise?

Kyle Field is one of the loudest stadiums in the country. Last year, the Sun Devils struggled at times with the cowbells at Mississippi State. Kyle Field is over double the capacity of Davis Wade Stadium, at over 100,000 people. The team practiced with noisy speakers, but that is unlikely to be a true replica of Kyle Field.

2. Can they stop Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed?

“Pray.”

That was the initial response from Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham when asked how to stop Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed. Reed averaged 280+ yards from scrimmage last season, and the senior is expected to be in Heisman contention.

3. What will the running back rotation look like?

Arizona State rotated seven running backs last week, with five of them scoring a touchdown. That depth is unlikely to be replicated. Senior Kyson Brown and sophomore Grayson Rigdon had good games last week, so they could see the majority of the action.

4. Will the defense get any takeaways?

The defense did not get any takeaways last week against Morgan State. The Sun Devils have a much tougher opponent this week, and winning the turnover battle will be key for the Sun Devils’ chances to win.

5. What will special teams look like?

This question was asked in last week’s article. It comes up again since Arizona State did not punt once and kicked zero field goals. The punting in particular will likely be tested, as since the start of 2025 the Aggies' defense has held all but three of its 14 opponents to 25 points or fewer.