Halftime Report: Arizona State trails Baylor after uneven first half

TEMPE- The Arizona State Sun Devils trail the Baylor Bears, 24-13, at halftime in their first game of the nine straight weeks of game-day action.

However, the team looks rusty on both ends after spending the past week adjusting to the time change and returning to their daily routines from a two-week road trip in College Station and London.

In the first quarter, the Sun Devils' defense allowed the Bears to get a quick head start on the offensive end, recording two touchdowns and 182 total yards. Additionally, Arizona State was forced to take timeouts twice to figure out how to slow down Baylor's quick-hitting offense.

The Bears are leading in total yards, rushing yards, and third-down conversions, with the Sun Devils' defense experiencing multiple miscommunications. Baylor's wide receivers Gavin Freeman, Louis Brown IV, and Jadon Porter each gained over 30 yards.

Arizona State’s offense has struggled to find its rhythm, falling short of the team’s expectations heading into Saturday’s home game. Head coach Kenny Dillingham had anticipated a tough challenge from Baylor’s relentless defense in the days leading up to the matchup.

Most notably, in the first quarter, a crucial fumble by Sun Devils wide receiver Omarion Miller led to the Bears scoring the second of three straight touchdowns.

Quarterback Cutter Boley, after starting on a high note in the first week of action, is struggling to find rhythm, particularly with the absences of key offensive linemen and poor protection. He also recorded 187 passing yards

On the bright note, Arizona State has a wider distribution on the offensive end, involving seven different players in the passing game.

Near the end of the second quarter, Boley recorded his first 30-yard touchdown pass of the night to Miller to cut Baylor's lead down to eight points.

Additionally, Arizona State's defense broke up Baylor's pass and stepped up, hyping up the sellout crowd in Mountain America Stadium.

The question for the Sun Devils heading into the second half is how Boley and the offense find their magic to make a comeback against a feisty Bears defense, or whether the same repeated mistakes will cost them the game.