Texas A&M vs Arizona State
Game played Sep 12, 2026 · Published September 12, 2026 at 10:08 AM · 13 pages
Projected score, total and win probability for Texas A&M vs Arizona State, priced against the betting line — with injuries, form and the key statistical mismatches.
Read this report as text The same 13 pages, for screen readers and searching
Page 1
A F P L N A C O L L E G E F O O T B A L L M A T C H U P R E P O R T V S Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils 2026 Season G E N E R A T E D S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 2 6 1 0 : 0 0 A M I N T H I S R E P O R T 01 Matchup Overview 02 Visual Analytics 03 SP Ratings 04 ELO Ratings 05 FPI Ratings 06 SRS Ratings 07 Advanced Team Stats 08 Returning Production 09 Team Talent 10 Team PPA 11 Player PPA 12 Team Season Stats 13 Adjusted Team Metrics 14 Texas A&M Aggies Injury Updates 15 Arizona State Sun Devils Injury Updates 16 Key Player Matchups 17 Texas A&M Aggies Roster Updates 18 Arizona State Sun Devils Roster Updates 19 Texas A&M Aggies Practice and Scrimmage Updates 20 Arizona State Sun Devils Practice and Scrimmage Updates 21 Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils Media Matchup Analysis 22 Game Conditions and Betting Context 23 Final Prediction
Page 2
01 MATCHUP OVERVIEW This section sets the stage for a Week 2 non-conference meeting at Kyle Field, including the series history, what each 1-0 team is walking in with, and the ABC broadcast. No. 10 Texas A&M hosts Arizona State on ABC from Kyle Field, a 102,733-seat open-air grass bowl in College Station, with the Aggies 1-0 after a 50-0 dissection of Missouri State and the Sun Devils 1-0 after a 70-7 opening night against Morgan State. The series sits at Texas A&M 1, Arizona State 0. The only meeting on record was a 2015 Week 1 neutral-site game at NRG Stadium that A&M won 38-17. That is the entire ledger — no other dates, no home-and-home residue, no recent revenge subplot. Arizona State is hunting its first top-10 road win since 2015; A&M is trying to prove the shutout was more than a cupcake autopsy before SEC play stacks up (Kentucky, then LSU on the road). The talent and continuity gap is the actual story, not the scoreboard cosmetics from Week 1. Mike Elko’s roster returned 72.8 percent of last season’s production and sits on a 933 talent composite; Kenny Dillingham’s group returned 15.5 percent, carries 118 combined career starts, and is starting a Kentucky-transfer quarterback, Cutter Boley, in his first true road examination. A&M’s defense just held an opponent to 67 total yards and a 17.1 percent success rate. ASU’s offense just dropped 681 yards on Morgan State. One of those two data points is about to meet a grown defense in 90-degree heat in front of a crowd that does not care about Big 12 box scores. The broadcast is ABC. 02 VISUAL ANALYTICS Generated directly from the CollegeFootballData feeds for this matchup. The same visuals appear on every report, so numbers can be compared like-for-like from one game to the next. GAME CONDITIONS · The forecast and the ground it will be played on: temperature, wind and precipitation beside the stadium's surface, roof, capacity and elevation. POWER RATING DASHBOARD · SP+, FPI and Elo side by side. SP+ and FPI are points-above-average ratings; the SP+ defensive rating counts down, so a lower bar is the better defense. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 2 of 13
Page 3
EFFICIENCY PROFILE · Every advanced metric converted to a national percentile against all FBS teams, so the outer ring is always the better number regardless of which way the raw stat runs. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 3 of 13
Page 4
MISMATCH MATRIX · Each offense measured directly against the defense it will face. Bars show the percentile gap; the longer the bar, the wider that specific unit-vs-unit edge. SEASON FORM TREND · Week-by-week predicted points added. This is where you see a team trending up or falling apart, which season averages hide. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 4 of 13
Page 5
TOP INDIVIDUAL IMPACT · The players who have actually moved the needle, ranked by total PPA. Cross-reference this against the injury and roster sections. ROSTER CONTINUITY & TALENT · How much production each team returned from last season, alongside the recruiting talent composite. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 5 of 13
Page 6
PROJECTED MARGIN BY SYSTEM · What each rating system independently projects, plus the market line and the blended consensus used as the model's anchor. WIN PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION · The consensus margin spread across the historical error distribution for college football projections. The shaded area on each side is that team's win probability. 03 SP RATINGS SP+ is a points-above-average rating built from play-by-play efficiency; a lower defensive number is better. TEAM OVERALL OFFENSE DEFENSE SPECIAL TEAMS Texas A&M 23.9 38.8 14.6 -0.3 Arizona State 8.7 29.7 20.5 -0.6 National average -0.13 25.9 26.0 0.01 Texas A&M’s 23.9 overall rating is a 15.2-point raw edge on Arizona State’s 8.7, and that is before Kyle Field is applied. The Aggies’ 38.8 offensive rating sits well above the 25.9 national offensive mean; the Sun Devils’ 29.7 is a solid-but-not-special mark that was inflated by a Football Championship Subdivision opponent. The defensive split is the one that will decide whether this stays a game: A&M’s 14.6 defensive rating is elite (national defensive mean: 26.0), while Arizona State’s 20.5 is merely good. Special teams are a wash, both slightly below average, so nobody is bailing themselves out with a hidden-yardage trick. 1 The 9.1-point SP+ defensive gap is the number Arizona State cannot scheme around. A 14.6 defense does not give up the 1.61 explosiveness ASU posted against Morgan State, and it does not let a rebuilt offensive line — four new starters — land clean second-level shots. A&M’s offense is the unit that can still be dragged into a slog: 38.8 is a strong rating, but it was earned against Missouri State, and the underlying explosiveness percentile (covered later) is a warning that this attack leans on volume and line yards rather than chunk plays. If ASU’s front, led by nose tackle C.J. Fite, can make A&M one-dimensional, the SP+ gap compresses. If A&M’s defensive line wins first down, the 15.2-point overall spread becomes a second-half problem ASU does not have the continuity to solve. As the Power Rating Dashboard shows, SP+ is the most bullish of the available systems on the Aggies. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 6 of 13
Page 7
04 ELO RATINGS Elo is a head-to-head power rating that updates from game results; the gap converts to a points margin at roughly 25 Elo per point. Texas A&M sits at 1849 Elo; Arizona State at 1572. That is a 277-point gap, which converts to about 11.1 points of pure rating margin before home field. Add the 2.4- point home-field factor used in the baseline and Elo is looking at something in the 13.5-point range, the smallest of the three available systems. 1 Elo is the skeptic in the room, and it should be. It is more anchored to prior-season results and less seduced by one week of FCS wreckage, which is why it refuses to treat Arizona State’s 70-point opener as a real signal and refuses to treat A&M’s shutout as a finished painting. A 277-point gap is still a clear hierarchy — this is not a coin-flip rating — but it is the system that most respects ASU’s recent program trajectory under Dillingham and most discounts the Week 1 blowouts. If you came here hunting an upset script, Elo is the only rating that even leaves the door on the latch. It does not open it. A 13-and-change Elo margin at Kyle Field is still “the home team should win by two scores unless the visitors hit an explosive-play rate they have not earned against a real defense.” 05 FPI RATINGS FPI is ESPN’s points-above-average metric against an average opponent, with unit efficiencies on a 0–100 scale. TEAM FPI OVERALL EFF. OFFENSE EFF. DEFENSE EFF. SPECIAL TEAMS EFF. Texas A&M 21.25 84.7 51.1 99.5 60.5 Arizona State 7.52 93.3 91.3 71.1 85.4 The headline FPI gap is 13.73 points, 16.13 after home field — in line with SP+ and wider than Elo. Then you look at the guts and the picture gets less polite. Texas A&M’s defensive efficiency is 99.5. That is not a typo, and it is not a ranking field to ignore; it is the efficiency value, and it is the single most lopsided number in this matchup. Arizona State’s offensive efficiency of 91.3 is the visitors’ best argument, but it was produced against Morgan State. A&M’s offensive efficiency of 51.1 is the yellow flag on the home side: this offense, in FPI’s view, is average. ASU’s 71.1 defensive efficiency is fine. Special teams actually favor the Sun Devils (85.4 to 60.5). 1 The FPI split tells you how this game is supposed to feel. Arizona State can move the ball in the abstract. Texas A&M can end drives in the concrete. An offense with 51.1 efficiency against a 71.1 defense is not a shootout waiting to happen; it is a team that needs to run the ball, finish in the red zone, and let its defense do the killing. The 99.5 defensive efficiency is the number Boley has not seen since he left the SEC, and it is the number that makes ASU’s 91.3 offensive efficiency look like a Week 1 costume. FPI’s overall efficiency actually rates Arizona State higher (93.3 to 84.7) because the Sun Devil offense carried the week. Do not confuse a cupcake-inflated overall efficiency with a team that can live in Kyle Field for 60 minutes. The Power Rating Dashboard puts FPI in the middle of the three systems, and the unit split explains why. 06 SRS RATINGS SRS is a points-based strength rating adjusted for schedule, the fourth independent power number in the set. No data was available for that section. 07 ADVANCED TEAM STATS These are opponent-unadjusted play-by-play measures — success rate (staying on schedule), explosiveness (how big the successful plays are), PPA per play (predicted points added), line yards (OL/DL work on run plays), havoc (disruptive plays), and points per scoring opportunity — placed in national percentile context. METRIC TEXAS A&M %ILE ARIZONA STATE %ILE Off. PPA/play 0.351 65.9 0.681 97.1 Off. Success Rate 58.4% 87.0 57.7% 84.8 Off. Explosiveness 1.076 23.2 1.606 94.9 Off. Line Yards 3.93 84.8 3.15 50.7 Off. Pts/Opportunity 4.8 63.8 5.44 79.7 Def. PPA/play -0.244 92.0 -0.054 71.7 Def. Success Rate 17.1% 97.1 30.8% 71.0 Def. Explosiveness allowed 0.933 88.4 0.994 83.3 Def. Line Yards 1.64 88.4 3.02 31.2 Def. Havoc 29.3% 94.2 11.5% 19.6 Read the percentiles, not the raw boxes from Week 1. Arizona State’s offense looks like a video-game save file — 97th-percentile PPA, 95th-percentile explosiveness, 5.44 points per opportunity — and every bit of it came against Morgan State. Texas A&M’s offense is the opposite shape: 87th-percentile success rate, 85th-percentile line yards, and a 23rd-percentile explosiveness number that would get a coordinator fired if it holds. The Aggies stay on schedule and lean on the offensive line. They do not take the top off a defense. That is the Efficiency Profile in one sentence: A&M is a chains-moving, line-of-scrimmage team; ASU is a chunk-play team that has not yet faced a front seven that can create havoc. 1 The defensive comparison is not close, and it is the mismatch that the Mismatch Matrix is built to show. A&M held an opponent to a 17.1 percent success rate, a 26.1 percent stuff rate, 1.64 line yards, zero open-field yards, and 0 points on its only scoring opportunity, with a 29.3 percent havoc rate (94th percentile). Arizona State’s defense allowed 3.02 line yards (31st percentile) and generated havoc on 11.5 percent of snaps (19th percentile). That is a front that does not wreck plays. A&M’s 84th- percentile line-yards offense against a 31st-percentile line-yards defense is a ground-game edge Elko will try to grind into the fourth quarter, especially with the temperature at 90. ASU’s 95th-percentile explosiveness against A&M’s 88th-percentile explosiveness-allowed and 94th-percentile havoc is a collision of film-room fiction and a real SEC front. One week of data is a small sample; the shape of the sample is not an accident. 08 RETURNING PRODUCTION Returning production measures how much of last season’s predicted-points-added and snap usage actually came back, a continuity score the portal cannot fully replace. Texas A&M returned 72.8 percent of last year’s PPA (97.2 percent of passing PPA, 60.5 percent of receiving, 68.1 percent of rushing) on 70.2 percent of usage. Arizona State returned 15.5 percent of PPA (5.4 percent of passing, 30.5 percent of receiving, and a negative rushing mark) on 13.5 percent of usage. 1 That is not a modest turnover gap. That is one program bringing back a quarterback and a scheme that already know each other, and another program bringing a Kentucky-transfer quarterback, a Colorado-transfer X receiver, a Boston College-transfer complement, and an offensive line with new starters at four spots into a 102,000-seat road environment. A&M’s 97.2 percent returning passing PPA is Marcel Reed continuity. ASU’s 5.4 percent returning passing PPA is Cutter Boley being Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 7 of 13
Page 8
asked to do in College Station what Sam Leavitt is now being asked to do at LSU. The Roster Continuity & Talent chart will make this look like a cliff, because it is one. Continuity shows up on third down, in protection calls, and when the crowd gets on the snap count. Arizona State’s usage rate of 13.5 percent means the people who played the snaps last year are mostly gone. The Sun Devils can still have talent — they added it in bulk through the portal — but talent that has not played together does not handle Kyle Field noise, 90-degree heat, and an elite havoc defense in Week 2. A&M’s 70 percent usage returning is the reason Elko can play a four-back rotation and a deep receiver group without the operation coming apart. Dillingham’s staff is good enough to keep this from being a 50-0 replay. It is not good enough to make 15.5 percent returning PPA look like a veteran road team. 09 TEAM TALENT The 247 composite talent score is the recruiting and roster-talent base sitting underneath the depth chart. Texas A&M’s composite is 933. Arizona State’s is 722. 1 A 211-point talent gap is the kind of number that does not need a press-conference translation. It is why A&M can lose a true freshman receiver for the year and a developmental interior lineman for the year and still roll out a two-deep that would be the best roster in Tempe. It is why ASU can hit the portal for Omarion Miller (4-star, Colorado) and Reed Harris (4-star, Boston College) and still be playing a game of substitution-pattern Russian roulette when the heat and the pass rush stack in the fourth quarter. Talent does not tackle. It does give you a margin for the nights when the starting corner’s hamstring says no and the true freshman is next. A&M has that margin. Arizona State, with 48 newcomers on a 107-man roster, is asking a 722 talent base to survive a 933 talent base in the latter’s building. Portal stars at receiver can erase some of this on any given snap — Miller and Harris are real — but they cannot erase it for 70 plays against a defense that generates havoc on 29 percent of snaps. The Roster Continuity & Talent chart pairs this number with the returning-production cliff, and together they are the most honest two-panel in the report. 10 TEAM PPA Team-level predicted points added is the per-play value each unit actually produced, with the week-by-week trend the Season Form Trend chart is drawn from. Week 1, Texas A&M vs. Missouri State: offense +0.35 PPA/play (pass +0.38, rush +0.30), defense -0.24 (pass -0.27, rush -0.22). Week 1, Arizona State vs. Morgan State: offense +0.68 (pass +0.92, rush +0.43), defense -0.05 (pass -0.10, rush +0.11). 1 Arizona State’s +0.68 offensive PPA is a neon sign that should come with a disclaimer written on the bulb. A +0.92 passing PPA against Morgan State is what happens when a Power conference quarterback plays a team that cannot cover. Texas A&M’s +0.35 is less sexy and more transferable: balanced, positive on both first and passing downs, and paired with a defensive PPA of -0.24 that is the real Week 1 takeaway. A&M’s defense was in the backfield on first down (-0.48) and still leaked a bit on third down (+0.05), which is the one breadcrumb ASU’s staff will try to eat. The Season Form Trend is a two-dot graph right now. Do not build a religion on either dot. The trend that matters is the split, not the level. A&M is a plus-run, plus-pass, havoc defense. ASU is a pass-first explosion machine with a defense that was barely negative against a team that scored 7. When those two shapes meet, the Aggie defense’s first-down PPA of -0.48 is the force that knocks ASU off the +0.92 passing cloud and into third-and-long, where A&M’s passing-down defensive success rate in Week 1 was 0.0 percent. That number will not stay at zero against Boley, Miller, and Harris. It also will not stay at 61 percent success for ASU’s passing plays. Regression lives in Kyle Field this week, and it has a 99.5 FPI defensive efficiency rating on its visitor’s badge. 11 PLAYER PPA Player PPA isolates the individuals who actually moved the needle, ranked by total predicted points added; the Top Individual Impact chart is this table in picture form. Texas A&M’s production ran through quarterback Marcel Reed (15.06 total PPA, 0.41 per play, 0.50 on passing downs), then a spread of complementary pieces: WR Kelshaun Johnson 5.25, RB Carsyn Baker 5.13, WR Aaron Gregory 4.34, WR Terry Bussey 3.98, WR Mario Craver 3.72, RB KJ Edwards 3.62, RB Rueben Owens 3.32, RB Jamarion Morrow 2.50. Arizona State’s production was a three-man pile: QB Cutter Boley 30.02 total PPA (1.00 per play, 1.21 passing), RB/receiver Grayson Rigdon 11.12, WR Omarion Miller 10.92, WR Reed Harris 9.58, then a running-back committee of Kyson Brown, Jason Brown Jr., and David Avit. 1 Boley’s 30 PPA is the loudest individual number in the game, and it is also the most opponent-tainted. A 1.21 passing PPA on 27-ish dropbacks against Morgan State is a highlight tape, not a projection. Reed’s 15 PPA on a more modest 0.41 average is the more honest quarterback line, and the passing-downs mark of 0.50 says he is at his best when A&M is behind the sticks — useful, given this offense’s 23rd-percentile explosiveness. The Aggie skill talent is a hydra: no receiver cleared 6 total PPA, but five different players landed between 3.3 and 5.3. That is how you absorb a season-ending loss of true freshman WR Madden Williams without the operation changing shape. The ASU side of the Top Individual Impact chart is the tell. Boley, Rigdon, Miller, Harris. If A&M’s plan to bracket Miller and take away the screen game to Rigdon works, the Sun Devil offense has to win with the fourth option in a building that eats fourth options. Reed’s supporting cast is deeper than Boley’s, and that depth is the reason Elko can stay in 12 personnel and make ASU defend the run on early downs. Watch the negative names too: A&M WR Jayden Warren at -2.13 total PPA and TE Kiotti Armstrong at -1.16 are the reminders that this passing game is not clean. ASU’s Raiden Vines-Bright (-1.37) and backup QB Jake Fette (-2.75) are the reminders that the depth behind the headliners is not ready for this stage. 12 TEAM SEASON STATS These are the raw counting stats from one game each, useful as a temperature check against the advanced numbers and dangerous as a projection engine. Texas A&M beat Missouri State 50-0: 505 total yards (269 pass, 236 rush), 35 first downs to 4, 7-of-14 on third down, 3 passing TDs, 3 rushing TDs, 1 turnover, 3 takeaways, 43:03 of possession to 16:57, 67 yards allowed (30 pass, 37 rush). Arizona State beat Morgan State 70-7: 681 total yards (432 pass, 249 rush), 32 first downs to 11, 5-of-10 on third down, 6 passing TDs, 4 rushing TDs, 1 turnover, 0 takeaways, 188 yards allowed. 1 The counting stats agree with the advanced profile in the ways that matter. A&M ran it 47 times for 236 yards and sat on the ball for two-thirds of the game; that is an 85th-percentile line-yards team doing what it is built to do. ASU threw for 432 and six scores; that is a 95th-percentile explosiveness team doing what Morgan State allowed. Where they disagree is the part bettors always overfit: A&M’s 50 points and ASU’s 70 points are not scoring rates. They are what happens when an FBS roster plays a team that does not belong on the same field. A&M allowing 4 first downs and 67 yards is a real defensive signal even after opponent adjustment, because you cannot fake a 26 percent stuff rate and zero open-field yards. ASU allowing 188 yards and a touchdown is not a real defensive signal. Possession time is the sneaky stat for Saturday. A&M had the ball for 2,583 seconds. If Elko can keep that shape against a better opponent — and the line-yards edge says he can try — Boley’s explosive plays get fewer snaps to exist. ASU was basically even in possession against Morgan State (1,788 to 1,812), which is a bad look for a 70-point favorite and a worse look if it repeats at Kyle Field. The Aggies also took 8 penalties for 75 yards; the Sun Devils took 4 for 22. That A&M sloppiness is the one counting-stat red flag that actually travels, and it is the one ASU’s edge rushers will try to turn into second-and-long. 13 ADJUSTED TEAM METRICS Opponent-adjusted efficiency strips out the quality of the opponent so a 50-0 over Missouri State and a 70-7 over Morgan State can be compared on the same scale. No data was available for that section. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 8 of 13
Page 9
14 TEXAS A&M AGGIES INJURY UPDATES Medical availability only, split by source. Live web research: No data was available for Texas A&M injury updates from live web research. Injury feed: True freshman WR Madden Williams is out for the 2026 season with a lower-body injury that requires surgery; he did not dress for the opener. 27 True freshman DL Chace Sims is out for the season. 254 RB Tiger Riden Jr. is out for the season, thinning the short-yardage mix. 254 Safety Tawfiq Byard (Colorado transfer) tweaked a lower-body issue in the week before Missouri State, did not play in the opener, and was described as expected back soon, leaving him questionable for Saturday. 27 Linebacker Daymion Sanford, coming off a spring fibula injury and surgery, has been a game-time decision since Week 1; Elko has repeatedly said he anticipates Sanford being available, likely on a pitch count. 250 RB Jamarion Morrow was “nicked up” after a physical preseason and a managed Week 1 workload, and Elko said he is fully expected to play against Arizona State. 23 The season-enders are real and they are not the kind that sink a 933-talent roster. Williams is a true freshman; the receiver room still ran five different players between 3.3 and 5.3 PPA without him, and the public analysis around the program was that the room is deep enough to absorb it. 61 Sims is a developmental interior piece, not a starter. Riden’s absence loads more short-yardage onto Rueben Owens, Morrow, Carsyn Baker, and KJ Edwards — a four-man room that already produced. Sanford is the one name that actually changes a snap count: if he plays, even limited, A&M’s linebacker communication against 12 personnel and screens improves; if he sits, Noah Mikhail and Ray Coney carry it. Byard’s status is the secondary wildcard, and Morrow’s “nicked up but playing” is a workload note, not a scratch. Net: A&M is not healthy in the pedantic sense. It is healthy in the “still the more complete roster by a wide margin” sense. 15 ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS INJURY UPDATES Medical availability only, split by source. Live web research: Senior CB Macen Williams is out after re-aggravating a hamstring Tuesday and did not travel; Isaiah Carter is expected to start in his place. 68 OT Emmit Bielema remains out recovering from a spring ACL tear, with a mid-season return targeted, leaving the blind side to the current tackle rotation. 70 Backup OG Ben Bray has been cleared from concussion protocol and is available in a reserve role. 73 Redshirt freshman DT Marshon Oxendine is questionable/doubtful with a knee sprain suffered against Northern Arizona. 69 WR/returner Jordyn Tyson is questionable with a nagging ankle sprain and was limited all week. 71 LB Stone Blinn (August knee surgery) is out, targeting a late-September return. 72 Safety Xavion Alford is day-to-day after rolling an ankle Thursday. 74 A separate report listed QB Sam Leavitt as questionable with a shoulder, which conflicts with the verified transfer-portal record that Leavitt is at LSU and with Cutter Boley’s Week 1 production as ASU’s quarterback; treat that item as source noise. 67 Injury feed: The stored feed duplicates the same ASU-relevant names — Macen Williams out, Bielema out, Blinn out, Bray available, Oxendine questionable, Tyson questionable, Alford questionable — and is otherwise contaminated with Arizona Wildcats listings that do not belong on this report. 2 The only absence that clearly changes a matchup is Macen Williams. A&M’s receiver rotation is deep enough to hunt a backup corner for 60 minutes, and Carter starting opposite Ashton Stamps is a leverage point for Mario Craver, Isaiah Horton, and Kelshaun Johnson. Bielema already being out means the Luke Baklenko/Champ Westbrooks tackle situation is not a new crisis, but it is a standing one against Anto Saka, Ryan Henderson, and the rest of A&M’s edge group. Oxendine’s potential miss thins a defensive line that already sits in the 19th percentile in havoc and the 31st percentile in line yards allowed — the last thing this front needs against A&M’s 85th- percentile line-yards offense. Tyson’s ankle is a special-teams and slot problem if he is limited; Alford is a gunner. Blinn thins linebacker depth against A&M’s two-tight- end looks. None of this is a quarterback injury. All of it is death by a thousand depth-chart cuts on the road. 16 KEY PLAYER MATCHUPS The individual battles that actually decide snaps, with the PPA and efficiency numbers attached. The first battle is A&M’s edge group against ASU left tackle Luke Baklenko. Baklenko already gave up a blind-side sack that became a Boley fumble in Week 1, and Texas A&M has a rotation — Northwestern transfer Anto Saka, San Diego State transfer Ryan Henderson, plus the rest of the edge room — built to hunt that side on passing downs. 9096 Boley’s 1.21 passing PPA dies if the first read isn’t there; Reed’s supporting rushers do not have to win every snap, they have to win the obvious passing downs where ASU’s Week 1 passing-down explosiveness (2.12) lived. Saka is being teed up for a volume game. If Baklenko holds, Boley can still hit Miller and Harris in rhythm. If he doesn’t, the 29.3 percent havoc rate from Week 1 starts to look transferable. The second battle is Omarion Miller and Reed Harris against Julio Humphrey, Dezz Ricks, Marcus Ratcliffe, and Dalton Brooks. Miller (10.92 PPA) and Harris (9.58) are the reason ASU’s explosiveness percentile exists. A&M’s plan, as reported, is to throw multiple bodies at Miller and keep him from being the 150-yard, two-score problem. 89 Humphrey and Ricks did not allow catches after an early slate of targets in Week 1; Ratcliffe and Brooks are the communication pair charged with killing the screen game to Grayson Rigdon (11.12 PPA, two receiving scores in Week 1). 94 This is the Mismatch Matrix’s most interesting bar: a 95th-percentile explosiveness offense against an 88th-percentile explosiveness-allowed, 94th-percentile havoc defense. The screen game is how ASU stays on schedule if the downfield shots get bracketed. If Ratcliffe and Brooks tackle in space, Miller becomes a contested-catch player instead of a chunk-play player. The third battle is in the other trench: ASU edges Jalen Thompson (Michigan State transfer) and Clayton Smith, plus nose tackle C.J. Fite, against an A&M offensive line that took four first-half penalties in the opener and is still sorting both guard spots. 119293 Fite is the run-game wrecking ball A&M’s 85th-percentile line-yards unit has to move to make Elko’s offense look like itself. Thompson and Smith each sacked somebody in a 70-7 game; they will test whether Marcel Reed’s 0.50 passing-down PPA is a real trait or a Missouri State trait. Dillingham’s stated problem is Reed’s off-schedule running. 91 If Fite wins the interior, A&M’s 23rd-percentile explosiveness becomes a serious issue, because this offense does not have a Plan B that lives downfield. If A&M’s line leans on ASU’s 31st-percentile line-yards defense the way the Efficiency Profile says it should, Reed never has to become a hero, and the Aggies bleed the clock in 90-degree heat. 17 TEXAS A&M AGGIES ROSTER UPDATES Non-injury roster news only, verified portal first. Verified transfer portal: Incoming, the Aggies added a 4-star layer at the positions that touch this matchup — WR Isaiah Horton (Alabama, 4-star, 0.96), CB Rickey Gibson III (Tennessee, 4-star, 0.93), OT Wilkin Formby (Alabama, 4-star, 0.93), EDGE Anto Saka (Northwestern, 4-star, 0.92) — plus DL CJ Mims (North Carolina), S Tawfiq Byard (Colorado), DL Angelo McCullom (Illinois), OT Tyree Adams (LSU), IOL Coen Echols (LSU), LB Ray Coney (Tulsa), TE Richie Anderson (Fresno State), EDGE Ryan Henderson (San Diego State), DL Brandon Davis-Swain (Colorado), and kicker David Olano (Illinois). Outgoing losses that actually bite: DL Dealyn Evans (4-star to Mississippi State), TE Theo Melin Ohrstrom (4-star to SMU), OT Jonte Newman (to Texas), EDGE Solomon Williams (to California), EDGE Rylan Kennedy (to Florida State), plus a cluster of defensive backs and the usual portal churn. 1 Researched news: The first depth chart named Illinois transfer David Olano the starting kicker, locked Tyree Adams at left tackle, Mark Nabou Jr. at center, and Wilkin Formby at right tackle, and left both guard spots open (Blake Ivy/Tyler Thomas on the left, Trovon Baugh/Coen Echols on the right). 32 Rueben Owens II and Jamarion Morrow are co-starters in a four-back mix with Carsyn Baker and KJ Edwards; the tight end job is a committee of Micah Riley, Richie Anderson, and Houston Thomas. 32 Julio Humphrey has separated as the boundary corner, with Dezz Ricks and Rickey Gibson III competing on the field side; Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks are the defensive captains. 10 Ryan Henderson flashed as a passing-down rusher in the opener and is in the rotation for Boley. 11 Anto Saka is being pointed at as a breakout candidate against this offensive line. 96 The portal math is why A&M can lose Williams, Sims, and Riden and still look like the more complete team. Saka and Henderson are the specific adds that map onto Baklenko. Gibson is the specific add that maps onto Miller. Horton already posted 0.62 total PPA in limited work and is a 4-star body ASU’s backup corner does not want Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 9 of 13
Page 10
to see in the fourth quarter. The unresolved guard competition is the one self-inflicted wound: if Ivy/Thomas and Baugh/Echols rotate into confusion against Fite, Reed’s modest explosiveness profile gets worse. Everything else on this depth chart is a depth chart that can survive Kyle Field in September. The outgoing 4-stars at DL and TE are the only losses that would have changed a package, and Elko has already replaced the production with volume. 18 ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS ROSTER UPDATES Non-injury roster news only, verified portal first. Verified transfer portal: Incoming headliners are WR Omarion Miller (Colorado, 4-star, 0.95), WR Reed Harris (Boston College, 4-star, 0.94), LB Owen Long (Colorado State, 4-star, 0.91), EDGE Jalen Thompson (Michigan State, 3-star, 0.89), QB Cutter Boley (Kentucky, 3-star, 0.89), WR Raiden Vines-Bright (Washington), IOL Tana Alo- Tupuola (Georgia Tech), CB Ashton Stamps (LSU), OT Luke Baklenko (Oklahoma), S Lyrik Rawls (Kansas), RB David Avit (Villanova), RB Marquis Gillis (Delaware State), and QB Mikey Keene (Michigan), among a long list of 3-star additions. Outgoing is the brutal column: QB Sam Leavitt (5-star, 0.98) to LSU, RB Raleek Brown (4-star, 0.92) to Texas, OT Josh Atkins to Missouri, IOL Sean Na'a to UCLA, CB Javan Robinson to Wisconsin, and a pile of defensive backs and specialists. 1 Researched news: Cutter Boley is the starting quarterback and just threw for 387 yards and six touchdowns in a program-record debut against Morgan State. 79 Lyle Hemphill, promoted to defensive coordinator after Jay Bateman left for Kentucky, is calling the defense against the program he worked for in 2025. 79 The offensive line was rebuilt at four spots: Jalen Klemm at right tackle, Baklenko and Champ Westbrooks sharing left tackle, Maki Stewart at left guard, Wade Helton at right guard, Tana Alo-Tupuola at center, with 350-pound Rob Lapuaho rotating in. 9875 The secondary is now Rawls and Stamps in place of Keith Abney (NFL) and Javan Robinson (Wisconsin). 77 Marquis Gillis leads the backfield in Raleek Brown’s absence. 5 The roster has 30 collegiate transfers, 18 freshmen, 48 newcomers (44.9 percent of 107 players), and 118 combined career starts — barely one start per player. Only C.J. Fite, Boogie Wilson, and Wade Helton have six or more career starts. 75 This is a portal team wearing last year’s reputation. Losing Leavitt and Brown in the same cycle is how a 15.5 percent returning-PPA number happens. Replacing them with Boley, Miller, and Harris is how a 97th-percentile offensive PPA happens against Morgan State. Replacing Atkins with Baklenko is how a Week 1 sack-fumble happens, and it is how A&M’s edge rotation gets paid this week. Hemphill knowing Elko’s personnel is a real schematic wrinkle — he will have a 3-safety idea for 12 personnel — but schematic familiarity does not give you a second-team offensive lineman who can pass-protect in 90-degree heat. The 118-start figure is the one that should scare anyone taking ASU plus the points looking for a “they’ve covered as dogs” narrative. Kyle Field does not grade on a portal curve. 19 TEXAS A&M AGGIES PRACTICE AND SCRIMMAGE UPDATES Practice participation, scrimmage results, and camp reporting from the week. A TexAgs practice report from Wednesday described a closed session with offensive starters participating and Elko saying he liked where the team’s heads were; the same item said safety Jacoby Mathews was limited with a minor ankle issue and expected to play. 100 The Bryan-College Station Eagle recap of the September 5 scrimmage had the defense forcing three turnovers, DC Jay Bateman saying the unit “flew around,” and Elko calling the week of preparation “clean and crisp.” 101 A 247Sports note said WR Moose Muhammad III was limited with a hamstring in individual drills but worked team periods, with the offensive line installing protection against ASU blitz packages. 102 A GigEm247 notebook said Nic Scourton practiced fully after a load-management rest and that Marcel Reed took extra second-team reps. 103 Treat the quarterback-label noise in those practice items as noise: the Player PPA file, the Week 1 box, and Dillingham’s own presser all identify Marcel Reed as the man ASU is game-planning, and that is the only version that is allowed to matter here. 191 What is usable is the rest. The defense creating turnovers in scrimmage fits the 29.3 percent havoc rate from the opener. Blitz-protection work is a direct tell that Elko expects Dillingham to send people at Reed, which is exactly what an 19th-percentile havoc defense has to do if it cannot win one-on-one. Mathews limited and Muhammad monitored are availability footnotes, not structural problems. Scourton at full go is an edge-rotation plus. The practice week does not change the hierarchy. It confirms A&M is preparing as a heavy favorite that still remembers it was sloppy in the first half against Missouri State. 20 ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS PRACTICE AND SCRIMMAGE UPDATES Practice participation, scrimmage results, and camp reporting from the week. Dillingham said after a Thursday walkthrough that no starters would be held out and that key defenders had practiced in full pads all week. 105 The official final-camp scrimmage report described an efficient first-team offense and a first-team defense that held the second team to field goals and forced four three-and-outs. 106 Jacob Zeno returned to tackle reps and was listed as a starter for this week. 107 WR Malik McClain was limited Tuesday and listed as a game-time decision. 108 Freshman DE Jamari Jackson was in a red non-contact jersey Tuesday with a minor ankle sprain and expected to be available. 109 OC Marcus Arroyo said roughly 70 percent of the offense is installed and that the game plan is aimed at A&M’s edge pursuit, attacking outside zones because the Aggie ends crash inside. 110 Safety Shackbar Hines said the defense repped a new three-safety package all week to counter A&M’s 12 personnel. 111 Kicker Ethan Marsh was limited to field goals in practice, with a backup handling kickoffs. 112 The usable schematic tells are Arroyo and Hines. Attacking the edge pursuit is how a 50th-percentile line-yards offense tries to live against an 88th-percentile line-yards defense: if A&M’s ends close too hard, the bounce-out and the screen to Rigdon become the explosive plays ASU actually has a chance to hit. The three-safety package is Hemphill’s answer to Elko’s two-tight-end run game, and it is a smart answer on a whiteboard. On a grass field in 90-degree heat against a 933-talent offensive line, it is also a lot of moving parts for a roster with 118 combined starts. McClain as a game-time decision stacks with the Macen Williams out and Tyson questionable notes to make the skill-position depth look thinner than the Week 1 box score. Marsh’s groin is a small special-teams tax. The scrimmage dominance over their own second team is not evidence they can live with A&M’s first team. 21 TEXAS A&M AGGIES VS ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS MEDIA MATCHUP ANALYSIS What national and local media, analysts, and coaches are actually saying about this game. The betting copy in the week’s previews was messy — some shops and columns still hanging around a touchdown spread — but the consensus media posture is A&M by a clear margin, with the argument clustering on the trenches and on whether ASU’s rebuilt line can keep Boley clean. 114119 Elko called Arizona State’s defensive front as good as any A&M will face this year and pointed at a physical, disciplined visitor. 115 Dillingham, for his part, has heaped praise on the Aggies and framed the plan as quick game versus A&M’s pass rush, which is the only plan that makes sense when your left tackle already has a sack-fumble on the ledger. 79116 College GameDay’s panel, as relayed locally, saw A&M’s offensive line as the key and projected late separation rather than an early knockout. 117 CBS’s analyst roundup was nearly unanimous for A&M, with Dennis Dodd as the contrarian outright-upset vote. 119 The more useful media is the beat-level schematic, not the score predictions. A&M’s defensive staff is talking gap integrity and mixing coverages to confuse young receivers; ASU is simulating Kyle Field noise and stressing directional punts. 120118 Collin Klein’s public message was patience and the turnover battle, which is coach- speak for “we are not going to chase the 95th-percentile explosiveness we don’t have.” 122 ASU’s own media has floated a “we cover as big dogs” history and a disrespect chip, which is the kind of thing that writes itself and then dies on first-and-20. 123 Sharp-money notes in the week had the total coming down, which is the market doing the same math this report is doing: Week 1 scoring was a lie, A&M’s defense is not. 121 National predictors who have A&M pulling away late are describing the talent-and-heat game, not the Morgan State game. That is the correct sport. Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 10 of 13
Page 11
22 GAME CONDITIONS AND BETTING CONTEXT The forecast, the venue, what those conditions do to this specific style, ATS records, and the market’s win probability against the statistical baseline. Kyle Field is open-air grass, capacity 102,733, elevation 109 meters — a hostile, low-elevation bowl, not a dome, so the forecast counts. Saturday’s number: 90 degrees, dew point 72.7, humidity 57 percent, wind 9.8 mph from the south (186 degrees), clear, no precipitation. 1 A 10-mph south wind is not enough to kill the passing game; it is enough to make the deep ball a little less pretty and to make a quarterback who already holds it (Boley, if the rush gets home) look worse. Ninety degrees with a 73 dew point is the condition that actually matters. It punishes the thinner, less experienced roster, it punishes an offensive line playing in a new combination, and it rewards the team that can run the ball into the fourth quarter and sit on 43-minute possessions. Rain is not a factor. The grass surface keeps this a line-of-scrimmage game rather than a turf-speed circus. The Game Conditions chart is a heat-and-crowd card, not a weather-disaster card. Texas A&M is 1-0 ATS this season with an average cover margin of 9.5. Arizona State is 1-0 ATS with an average cover margin of 18. Both covers came against teams that should not be used to set a price. The market has A&M -14.5 at a 50.75 total (Bovada, DraftKings), with a pregame home win probability of 84.1 percent. The statistical baseline — a 50/50 blend of the ratings consensus (15.74) and the market (14.5) — sits at a 15.12-point home margin, a 57.1 projected total, a 36-21 score, and an 86.9 percent home win probability. The market is a point and a half less bullish on A&M than the ratings and six points less bullish on combined scoring than the cupcake-fed projection. That is the right kind of disagreement: the ratings see the hierarchy, the market sees that 50 and 70 are not real, and both still have A&M as a two-score favorite in its own building. 23 FINAL PREDICTION Texas A&M wins this game. The statistical baseline consensus, a 50/50 blend of the ratings margin (15.74) and the market (14.5), is Texas A&M by 15.12, a 36-21 projection at a 57.1 total. That baseline cannot see the rebuilt ASU offensive line already springing a sack-fumble, cannot see Macen Williams staying home with a hamstring, cannot see 48 newcomers walking into 90-degree Kyle Field, and cannot fully punish a 23rd-percentile explosiveness offense for the 50 points it scored on Missouri State. Knock A&M’s scoring down from the cupcake 36 toward a number an 51st-percentile FPI offense can actually cash against a real front, knock ASU’s scoring down harder because a 14.6 SP+ / 99.5 FPI defense is about to meet a 50th-percentile line-yards offense, and the game lands at 33-17. That is a 16-point Aggie margin, about a point wider than the 15.12 baseline, with a 50-point total that respects the market’s 50.75 more than the inflated 57.1. The market is Texas A&M -14.5 at 50.75. Projecting A&M by 16 means you lay the points: take Texas A&M -14.5. Projecting 50 combined points means you take the under 50.75. ASU’s 1-0 ATS and “covers as a dog” reputation is Morgan State math. It does not beat a 94th-percentile havoc defense in this building. The case is three numbers that all point the same direction. First, A&M’s defense (SP+ 14.6, FPI efficiency 99.5, 17.1 percent success rate allowed, 29.3 percent havoc) against an ASU offensive line with new starters at four spots and a left tackle who already got his quarterback sacked into a fumble — that is the Mismatch Matrix’s longest bar, and it is the reason Boley’s 30 PPA does not travel. 190 Second, the continuity and talent chasm: A&M returned 72.8 percent of its PPA on a 933 composite; ASU returned 15.5 percent on a 722 composite with 118 combined career starts, and it will do that in 90-degree heat in front of 102,000. 175 Third, A&M’s offense does not need to be pretty. An 85th-percentile line-yards unit against a 31st-percentile line-yards defense, with a four-back rotation and a hydra of receivers, is enough to finish drives at 4.8 points per opportunity and let the defense close it. The 23rd-percentile explosiveness is why this is 33-17 and not 42-10; it is also why the under is the right total. Heat, grass, crowd, havoc. The Sun Devils are a well-coached portal mosaic. Saturday is a brick wall with a 12th Man standing on it. THE VERDICT · The projected final score, win probability, the model's spread set against the market and the pick that comparison implies — the report's bottom line in one card. SOURCES 1. College Football Data API (CollegeFootballData) https://collegefootballdata.com 2. College football injury feed (Injury feed) https://www.rotowire.com/cfootball/news.php 3. Updated Texas A&M football injury report before hosting Arizona State (Aggies Wire) https://aggieswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/aggies/football/2026/09/11/updated-texas-aggies-football-injury-report-before- hosting-arizona-state/91699004007/ 64. list of players ruled out for Oregon State game (247sports.com) https://247sports.com/college/texas-tech/article/texas-tech-red-raiders-college- football-game-day-injury-report-oregon-state-beavers-253903682/ 65. No other significant injuries reported for Texas Tech vs Oregon State (Covers.com) https://www.covers.com/sport/football/ncaaf/matchup/377803 66. Texas Tech releases final injury report 90 minutes before kickoff (247sports.com) https://247sports.com/pages/Index-page/texas-tech-red-raiders-college-football-injury- Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 11 of 13
Page 12
4. Mike Elko provides injury update on Texas A&M RB Jamarion Morrow https://aggieswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/aggies/football/2026/09/10/mike-elko-provides-injury-update-on-texas-aggies- football-rb-jamarion-morrow/91685851007/ 5. No. 10 Texas A&M vs. Arizona State: How to Watch, Odds, Injuries, and More (Sports Illustrated (TAMU)) https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/no-10-texas-am-vs-arizona-state-how-to-watch-odds-injuries-and-more 6. Texas A&M vs Arizona State preview and injury update - SECFB https://secfb.com/texas-am-vs-arizona-state-preview/ 7. Mike Elko Says Texas A&M WR Madden Williams Out For 2026 Season (Dallas Sports Journal) https://dallassportsjournal.com/mike-elko-madden-williams-texas-am-season-ending-injury-surgery/ 8. Texas A&M WR Madden Williams out for the year, Tawfiq Byard day‑to‑day https://aggieswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/aggies/football/2026/09/06/texas-aggies-football-wr-madden-williams-out-for-the- year-tawfiq-byard-day-to-today/91640440007/ 9. Football Game Notes: Arizona State - Texas A&M Aggies - Official Athletics Website https://12thman.com/news/2026/09/7/football-game-notes-arizona-state 10. Storylines To Watch Most In Texas A&M’s Week 2 Matchup Against Arizona State (Texas A&M Aggies On SI) https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/storylines-to-watch-most-in-texas-am-week-2-matchup-against-arizona-state 11. Texas A&M Game Preview Presented by Visit College Station: Arizona State (Texas Football) https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2026/09/10/visit-college-station-arizona-state-preview 12. Texas A&M Gets Encouraging Injury Update Before Opener (Roundtable.io) https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/texas-am/news/texas-a-m-gets-encouraging-injury-update-before-opener 13. Bond out vs Texas State with hamstring injury (Burnt Orange Nation) https://www.burntorangenation.com/2026/8/29/24345678/bond-out-texas-state-hamstring 14. Blue ruled out, Baxter to lead backfield (Dallas Morning News) https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-longhorns/2026/08/29/blue-out-texas-state/ 15. Murphy seen in non-contact jersey, expected to play (Longhorn Insider) https://www.longhorninsider.com/murphy-non-contact/ 16. Bobcats WR Wilson out with knee injury (Bobcat Report) https://www.bobcatreport.com/wilson-out-knee/ 17. Beau Sparks sits out practice again as precaution; Jordan Martin, Dameon Crowe shine (Yahoo Sports) https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/texas-state-football-wide-receivers-211500077.html 18. Sources: Trevor Goosby's left knee injury diagnosed as a bone bruise (On Texas Football) https://ontexasfootball.com/news/articles/sources-trevor-goosbys-left-knee-injury-diagnosed-as-a-bone-bruise-r4078/ 19. Left tackle Banks questionable with knee sprain (Inside Texas) https://www.insidetexas.com/news/banks-questionable-knee/ 20. Cornerback Muhammad doubtful for opener (Hookem Headlines) https://www.hookemheadlines.com/cb-muhammad-doubtful/ 21. Zach Johnson out for season with injury (Denton Record-Chronicle) https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/unt-has-wrapped-up-the-camp-portion-of-its-offseason-heres-what-we- learned/article_5e7852db-19c6-4292-8ef7-581c61c62ac2.html 22. Trevor Goosby Returns to Practice, Trending Toward Ohio State Return (Sports Illustrated (Texas Longhorns on SI)) https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/trevor-goosby-injury-update-before-texas-longhorns-season-opener 23. Sarkisian: Both Goosby and Seymore 'Looked Really Good' in Practice (Sports Illustrated (Texas Longhorns on SI)) https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/injury-updates-after-texas-longhorns-second-scrimmage-fall-camp 24. Left Guard Competition Unresolved: Seymore vs. Sikorski for Opener (Longhorns Wire) https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/football/2026/08/31/texas-longhorns-still-have-late-minute-positions- battles-to-settle/91546000007/ 25. Trey White to miss season opener with knee injury (Wreck'em Red) https://wreckemred.com/texas-tech-football-will-be-without-starting-defender-against-abilene-christian 26. Will Hammond cleared to start after ACL recovery (Dallas Sports Journal) https://dallassportsjournal.com/will-hammond-joey-mcguire-texas-tech-ranking-quarterback-doubts/ 27. Texas A&M LB Daymion Sanford game-time decision for Missouri State (KBTX) https://www.kbtx.com/2026/08/31/texas-am-lb-daymion-sanford-game-time-decision-missouri-state/ 28. Trey White injury update: Texas Tech LB week-to-week with knee (Red Raiders Wire (USA Today)) https://redraiderswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/red-raiders/football/2026/08/31/texas-tech-football-trey-white-injury- update/91550303007/ 29. Projected Texas Tech starter dinged up heading into season opener (Lufkin Daily News (via Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)) https://lufkindailynews.com/news_reuters/state/projected-texas-tech-football-starter-dinged-up-heading-into-season- opener/article_9b907fb5-d7af-59b0-accd-d3948cf606c9.html 30. Texas Tech starter is 'week-to-week', could miss first game (Roundtable.io) https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/texas-tech/players/texas-tech-starter-week-to-week-could-miss-first-game 31. Caden Jenkins out for season with ACL injury (Underdog Dynasty) https://www.underdogdynasty.com/american-conference/45308/2026-week-1-preview-north-texas-mean-green-indiana-hoosiers 32. Texas A&M football unveils its first depth chart of the season (KBTX) https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/01/texas-am-football-unveils-its-first-depth-chart-season/ 33. Trevor Goosby injury update: Tackle back at Texas football practice (Austin American-Statesman) https://www.statesman.com/sports/longhorns/football/article/texas-football-trevor-goosby-update-texas-state-22410679.php 34. Texas Tech announces multiple season-ending injuries before opener (Roundtable.io) https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/texas-tech/news/joey-mcguire-gives-texas-tech-injury-updates-as-coaches-poll-revealed 35. Thomas Castellanos available but not expected to play in opener (ClutchPoints) https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/texas-tech-football-news-thomas-castellanos-status-red-raiders-season-opener-acu-revealed 36. Will Hammond (ACL) fully healthy, set to start opener (KCBD) https://www.kcbd.com/2026/09/01/will-hammond-excited-return-castellanos-adds-experience-qb-room/ 37. RB Quinten Joyner returns from ACL injury for opener (On3 / Red Raider Sports) https://www.on3.com/sites/red-raider-sports/news/the-best-right-guard-in-the-country-everything-joey-mcguire-texas-tech-players-said- at-red-raider-football-radio-show/ 38. Mean Green lose top cornerback for season (North Texas Daily) https://www.ntdaily.com/sports/football-fall-camp-report-mean-green-lose-top-cornerback-as-depth-chart-begins-to- take/article_7e55ba4b-2264-491f-b293-5f21926d4042.html 39. Senior cornerback Zach Johnson out for Week 1 (The Hoosier Network) https://www.thehoosiernetwork.com/article/2026/09/indiana-football-north-texas-scouting-report 40. North Texas cornerback room hit by injuries (Hoosier Huddle) https://hoosierhuddle.com/2026/09/01/know-your-opponent-north-texas-mean-green/ 41. Depth chart shows injured players as starters (Ourlads) https://www.ourlads.com/ncaa-football-depth-charts/depth-chart/north-texas/92660/ 42. Texas A&M LB Daymion Sanford a game-time decision for Arizona State game (SI) https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/mike-elkos-update-on-daymion-sanford-and-what-it-means-for-texas-am 43. White cleared for Week 1 after knee injury (North Texas Daily) https://www.ntdaily.com/sports/an-opportunity-that-doesn-t-come-often-north-texas-football-gears-up-for-nationally- televised/article_9acf41b6-3308-4cc7-8d96-6e7b1626a8e4.html 44. Steve Sarkisian Confirms Trevor Goosby's Status Ahead of Season Opener (SI.com) https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/steve-sarkisian-confirms-trevor-goosby-status-ahead-of-season-opener 45. Texas Longhorns: Update Status Of Projected Top 20 Pick (Gridiron Heroics) https://gridironheroics.com/texas-longhorns-update-status-of-projected-top-20-pick/ 46. Longhorns' Trevor Goosby Looks 'Really Good'; Injured LT Could Start Week 1 (Roundtable Sports) https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/texas-longhorns/players/longhorns-trevor-goosby-looks-really-good-injured-lt-could-start-week-1 47. UNT returns few starters but no additional injuries reported (Denton Record-Chronicle) https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/north-texas-gameday-unt-confident-heading-into-monumental-challenge-at- indiana/article_bf91815a-c236-4abe-9019-2c9ebe6b7121.html 48. Texas LT Trevor Goosby Cleared but Workload Will Be Managed (Dallas Sports Journal) https://dallassportsjournal.com/evor-goosby-texas-longhorns-knee-injury-cleared-texas-state/ 49. Trevor Goosby update good news for Texas QB Arch Manning (Yardbarker) report-oregon-state-beavers-253903682/ 67. Leavitt questionable for Texas A&M with shoulder issue (Arizona Sports) https://arizonasports.com/story/3587211/arizona-state-sun-devils-sam-leavitt- questionable-texas-ams/ 68. Cornerback Macen Williams out for Texas A&M game (Sun Devil Source) https://247sports.com/college/arizona-state/article/arizona-state-sun-devils- cornerback-macen-williams-out-texas-am-2026-189276451/ 69. Redshirt freshman DT Oxendine doubtful with knee sprain (Cronkite Sports) https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/11/asu-football-injury-report-oxendine-knee/ 70. OT Emmit Bielema still recovering from ACL tear, out for A&M game (The Arizona Republic) https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2026/09/08/arizona-state-football- emmit-bielema-acl-recovery-outlook/ 71. WR Jordyn Tyson questionable for Texas A&M with ankle injury (Sun Devil Athletics official injury report) https://thesundevils.com/news/2026/9/11/football-injury-report-texas-am.aspx 72. LB Stone Blinn out for A&M, targets late September return (Arizona Sports) https://arizonasports.com/story/3586724/arizona-state-football-stone-blinn-injury- update/ 73. OG Ben Bray cleared from concussion protocol (Sun Devil Source) https://247sports.com/college/arizona-state/article/arizona-state-offensive-guard-ben- bray-cleared-concussion-texas-am-2026-189300121/ 74. Safety Xavion Alford day-to-day with ankle roll (Cronkite Sports (practice report)) https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/11/asu-football-injury-report-xavion-alford- ankle/ 75. Football heads to Kyle Field for road tilt at No. 10 Texas A&M - Sun Devil® Athletics (Sun Devil Athletics) https://thesundevils.com/news/2026/09/9/football-goes-on-the-road-to-texas-a-and-m 76. ASU football visits Texas A&M, seeks first top 10 road win since 2015 https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/11/arizona-state-football-texas-am/ 77. Sun Devils seek history against No. 10 Texas A&M with trip to College Station - Cronkite Sports (Cronkite Sports) https://cronkitesports.com/sun-devils-seek-history-against-no-10-texas-am-with-trip- to-college-station/ 78. Cutter Boley Faces Familiar SEC Challenge in Arizona State’s Trip to Texas A&M (Sports Illustrated (Arizona State)) https://www.si.com/college/arizonastate/football/cutter-boley-faces-familiar-sec- challenge-in-arizona-state-s-trip-to-texas-a-m-01m2820bycw8 79. ASU coach Kenny Dillingham heaps praise on Texas A&M ahead of game (Cronkite News) https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/11/asu-kenny-dillingham-texas-am/ 80. Arizona State’s Revamped Receiver Corps Faces Major Test at Texas A&M (Sports Illustrated (ASU)) https://www.si.com/college/arizonastate/football/arizona-state-s-revamped-receiver- corps-faces-major-test-at-texas-a-m-01m28ncyc5fm 81. Central Texas test: Sun Devils face No. 10 Texas A&M looking for upset - Blaze Radio https://www.blazeradioonline.com/article/2026/09/central-texas-test-sun-devils-face- no-10-texas-a-m-looking-for-upset 82. Tight end Tyler Powell returns from season-ending knee injury (Arizona Desert Swarm) https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/82200/arizona-wildcats-football-tre-smith- tristan-bounds-tyler-powell-injury-rehab-2026 83. Multiple Wildcats unavailable for NAU season opener; Harris, Mahdi among inactive (Tucson.com (Arizona Daily Star)) https://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/football/article_dfb3280d-8e02-484d-89d1- 004dfde9862d.html 84. S. Brennan and C. Warren III listed as questionable on injury report (Covers.com) https://www.covers.com/sport/football/ncaaf/teams/main/arizona-wildcats/injuries 85. Max Harris and Ismail Mahdi gain eligibility via temporary restraining order, expected to play vs BYU (Arizona Desert Swarm) https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/83012/arizona-wildcats-football-ismail- mahdi-max-harris-tro-pima-county-ncaa-eligibility-sullivan-moon-2026-byu 86. Big 12 availability report: Kedrick Reescano, Chubba Maae, Chance Roberts questionable; multiple others out (Tucson.com (Arizona Daily Star)) https://tucson.com/sports/college/football/wildcats/article_fd16e45b-9ce1-48ff-9752- afba37919906.html 87. Arizona LB Everett Roussaw listed as out for BYU game (Arizona Daily Star (Tucson.com)) https://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/football/article_3c6685eb-a3da-456c-a7bc- bf5ea05727ad.html 88. Sources: Arizona RB Ismail Mahdi cleared to play vs BYU (ESPN) https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49905987/sources-arizona-rb-mahdi- lb-harris-set-play-vs-byu 89. Texas A&M's defense could have the perfect plan to neutralize WR Omarion Miller (A to Z Sports) https://atozsports.com/college-football/texas-am-aggies-news/texas-am-defense- perfect-plan-neutralize-cutter-boley-arizona-state-week-2/ 90. Texas A&M edge rushers vs. ASU left tackle Luke Baklenko is a key battle (Good Bull Hunting) https://www.goodbullhunting.com/texas-am-aggie-football/40842/know-thine-enemy- arizona-state-sun-devils 91. Kenny Dillingham on stopping Marcel Reed before Texas A&M-Arizona State (Dallas Sports Journal) https://dallassportsjournal.com/kenny-dillingham-marcel-reed-texas-am-arizona-state- pray/ 92. Texas A&M Has One Matchup It Needs to Win Against Arizona State (Sports Illustrated (Texas A&M)) https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/texas-am-has-one-matchup-it-needs-to-win- against-arizona-state 93. Staff predictions: A&M defensive line vs. shaky ASU offensive line, and Fite vs. A&M interior (Aggies Wire) https://aggieswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/aggies/football/2026/09/11/staff- predictions-for-texas-aggies-football-vs-arizona-state-in-week-2/91694091007/ 94. Texas A&M secondary and safeties keyed to stop ASU's quick screen game (SECFB) https://secfb.com/texas-am-vs-arizona-state-week-2-preview/ 95. Key Matchups: No. 10 Texas A&M vs. Arizona State (TexAgs) https://texags.com/s/78820/key-matchups-no-10-texas-am-vs-arizona-state 96. Anto Saka poised for breakout game vs. Arizona State (Texas A&M Aggies On SI) https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/texas-am-defender-could-be-in-line-for- breakout-game-vs-arizona-state 97. Elko's Aggies face tough challenge against ASU | TexAgs https://texags.com/s/78829/elkos-aggies-face-tough-challenge-against-asu 98. ASU offensive line rebuilt with new starters at four spots (Cronkite Sports) https://cronkitesports.com/saga-tuitele-pleased-with-asus-offensive-line-despite-week- 1-hiccups/ 99. Texas A&M vs. Arizona State: Everything to know about the Sun Devils – Sixthboy https://sixthboy.com/texas-am-vs-arizona-state-everything-to-know-about-the-sun- devils/ Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 12 of 13
Page 13
https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/trevor_goosby_update_good_news_for_texas_qb_arch_manning/s1_13132_44255183 50. Daymion Sanford game-time decision for season opener, expected to play (Aggies Wire (USA Today)) https://aggieswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/aggies/football/2026/09/04/updated-texas-aggies-football-injury-report-before- hosting-missouri-state/91594405007/ 51. Texas Tech without pair of defensive starters v. ACU (On3) https://www.on3.com/sites/red-raider-sports/news/texas-tech-without-pair-of-defensive-starters-v-acu/ 52. Texas Tech Red Raiders Injuries 2026-2027 - Updated NCAAF Injury Report (Covers.com) https://www.covers.com/sport/football/ncaaf/teams/main/texas-tech-red-raiders/injuries 53. Texas Tech Defense 'Eats' Despite Missing 2 Starters in Opener (Roundtable.io) https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/texas-tech/players/texas-tech-defense-eats-despite-missing-2-starters-in-opener 54. Texas A&M DL Chace Sims out for 2026 season (SECFB) https://secfb.com/texas-am-season-ending-injuries/ 55. Texas A&M true freshman WR Madden Williams out for season, Elko confirms (On3 / Aggie Yell) https://www.on3.com/sites/aggie-yell/news/texas-am-football-injury-update-mike-elko-madden-williams-daymion-sanford-tawfiq-byard/ 56. Texas OL Cole Hutson Ruled Ineligible; Team Appealing (Gridiron Heroics) https://gridironheroics.com/texas-ol-cole-hutson-ruled-ineligible-days-before-ohio-state-comes-to-austin/ 57. Texas RB Derrek Cooper out for 'foreseeable future' with ankle injury (Burnt Orange Nation) https://www.burntorangenation.com/texas-longhorns-football/104343/derrek-cooper-injury-texas-longhorns 58. Steve Sarkisian Announces Derrek Cooper Injury Update for Texas Longhorns (Sports Illustrated) https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/steve-sarkisian-announces-derrek-cooper-injury-update-for-texas-longhorns 59. Texas Freshman RB Derrek Cooper Out Indefinitely with Ankle Injury (Dallas Sports Journal) https://dallassportsjournal.com/steve-sarkisian-derrek-cooper-injury-update-ohio-state/ 60. Texas LG Laurence Seymore Returns from Camp Injury, Splits Reps (Burnt Orange Nation) https://www.burntorangenation.com/texas-longhorns-football/104349/left-guard-rotation-dyan-sikorski-laurence-seymore 61. Texas A&M wide receiver room deep enough to absorb Madden Williams loss (AtoZ Sports) https://atozsports.com/college-football/texas-am-aggies-news/texas-am-suffered-significant-loss-madden-williams-out-for-season-tawfiq- byard-expected-to-return/ 62. Starting safety Brenden Jordan out due to violation of team rules (Roundtable.io) https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/texas-tech/game-day/texas-tech-football-injury-update-ahead-of-week-2-road-trip 63. Big 12 requiring player availability reports starting this season (247sports.com) https://247sports.com/college/texas-tech/article/texas-tech-red-raiders-college-football-injury-report-oregon-state-beavers-253903682/ 100. Weigman takes first-team reps; Mathews limited but expected vs. ASU (TexAgs) https://texags.com/news/2026/9/10/practice-report-weigman-takes-first-team-reps- mathews-limited 101. Aggie defense forces three turnovers in scrimmage; Elko praises preparation (The Bryan-College Station Eagle) https://theeagle.com/sports/aggies/2026/9/11/elko-praises-scrimmage-defense-forces- turnovers 102. Muhammad limited with hamstring; OL works on blitz protection (247Sports) https://247sports.com/college/texas-a-m/article/practice-report-muhammad-limited- hamstring-ol-blitz-protection-2026/ 103. Scourton practices fully; Reed gets extra reps but Weigman remains starter (GigEm247) https://gigem247.com/news/2026/9/8/practice-notebook-scourton-full-marcel-reed- reps 104. Mike Elko's Aggie Football Hour quotes before hosting Arizona State https://aggieswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/aggies/football/2026/09/10/mike- elkos-aggie-football-hour-quotes-before-hosting-arizona-state-texas-aggies- football/91685341007/ 105. Dillingham: No starters held out for A&M, key defenders cleared after full week of practice (Sun Devil Source (247Sports)) https://sundevilsource.com/arizona-state-football-dillingham-pre-aandm-presser-sept- 11-2026 106. Final fall scrimmage: Leavitt efficient, first-team defense dominates second-team (Arizona State athletics official site (TheSunDevils.com)) https://thesundevils.com/news/2026/9/5/football-final-camp-scrimmage-report-sept-5- 2026.aspx 107. RT Jacob Zeno returns to reps in scrimmage, named starter for Texas A&M week (Sun Devil Source (247Sports)) https://sundevilsource.com/arizona-state-football-depth-chart-texas-amm-week-zeno- starter-2026 108. WR Malik McClain limited in Tuesday practice, status game-time decision (Arizona Republic (azcentral.com)) https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2026/09/10/arizona-state-football- malik-mcclain-limited-practice-texas-amm-2026 109. Freshman DE Jamari Jackson in red jersey Tuesday, expected to play Saturday (Sun Devil Source (247Sports)) https://sundevilsource.com/arizona-state-football-practice-report-tuesday-sept-10- jackson-red-jersey-2026 110. OC Arroyo: 70% of offense installed, game plan targets Aggies' edge pursuit (The Arizona State Press (student newspaper)) https://www.statepress.com/article/2026/09/11/asu-oc-arroyo-pre-aandm-comments 111. Safety Shackbar Hines: Defense repped new 3-safety package all week to counter A&M's 12 personnel (Sports360AZ) https://sports360az.com/arizona-state-sun-devils-defensive-package-texas-amm- 2026-hines 112. Kicker Ethan Marsh limited to field goals, backup handles kickoffs against A&M (Cronkite News (via Arizona PBS)) https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/11/asu-special-teams-practice-kicker-marsh- limited/ 113. 10 Things to Know Before Arizona State Faces No. 10 Texas A&M https://www.si.com/college/arizonastate/football/10-things-to-know-before-arizona- state-faces-no-10-texas-a-m-01m290gwx399 114. Texas A&M opens as touchdown-plus favorite over ASU; line moves toward Aggies (BetMGM Sportsbook via OddsShark) https://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/texas-am-arizona-state-september-12-2026 115. Elko singles out ASU's defensive front in Thursday presser (TexAgs.com) https://texags.com/story/24781-elko-previews-arizona-state 116. Dillingham says Sun Devils healthy, plans to test A&M's pass rush with quick game (Cronkite News (ASU student news)) https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/09/dillingham-previews-texas-am/ 117. GameDay panel says A&M's O-line is key; predicts late separation (ESPN College GameDay (transcript via 247Sports)) https://247sports.com/college/texas-am/article/espn-college-gameday-picks-texas-am- vs-arizona-state-2026/ 118. ASU beat writer: Sun Devils simulating Kyle Field noise, prepping special teams (Arizona Republic) https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2026/09/11/asu-practice-report- texas-am/ 119. CBS Sports analysts nearly unanimous for A&M; Dodd calls upset (CBS Sports) https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/predictions-for-texas-am-vs-arizona- state-2026/ 120. A&M DC Bateman details defensive plan to contain Leavitt (San Antonio Express- News) https://www.expressnews.com/sports/aggies/article/bateman-defense-arizona-state- 2026 121. Sharp action drives total down; ASU tackle expected to play despite knee (Action Network) https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/articles/live-betting-texas-am-arizona-state- 2026 122. Klein says Aggies must be patient on offense; turnover battle key (Fort Worth Star- Telegram) https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/texas-am/article269641.html 123. ASU has covered as big underdogs recently, but team says they feel disrespected (ASU 247Sports) https://247sports.com/college/arizona-state/article/asu-underdog-history-texas-am- 2026/ 124. Texas A&M vs. Arizona State prediction, odds: Proven model reveals picks for Week 2 game - CBS Sports https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/texas-a-m-arizona-state-prediction-odds- time-2026-week-2-college-football-picks/ 125. Texas A&M vs. Arizona State Prediction: Who Wins and Why? https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/texas-am-vs-arizona-state-prediction-who- wins-and-why 126. Texas A&M vs Arizona State Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Week 2 2026 | FanDuel Research https://www.fanduel.com/research/texas-a-m-vs-arizona-state-college-football-odds- picks-best-bets-for-9-12-2026 Texas A&M Aggies vs Arizona State Sun Devils · 2026 · Matchup Report Page 13 of 13
More coverage: Texas A&M reportsArizona State reports All Matchup Reports
Entertainment only. This report is analysis and commentary, not advice, and nothing in it predicts or guarantees any result. Any wager you place is at your own risk. Full disclaimer.