2026 Week Nine Preview
Arizona State (4-3) @ BYU (4-3)
The Devil's Due Mailbag — Week Nine Preview
By: Emilio Suarez
Published: October 30th, 2026
In a bit of irony, the ASU Sun Devils will find themselves in Provo, Utah on Halloween night when they prepare to face the BYU Cougars. Get it? That's okay if you don't.
The scarier part for both of these teams was when the schedules were announced a mere months ago, many felt that one of these two programs would be on track to reach their respective conference championship game this season.
ASU has had an up-and-down season as they adjust to their youth movement, and life without Heisman hopeful Sam Leavitt, while BYU sprinted out of the starting blocks and are now starting down the barrel of a potential three-game skid.
Pitchfork Points
How healthy is Kyson Brown?The versatile back only touched the ball four times last week, and actually accounted for negative yardage, in the win over Kansas State. Dillingham said his star back is healthy, but you have to question how much Brown can give this Sun Devils team. He was the catalyst early in the season and if he is limited, someone else in the backfield has to step up to keep the pressure off the young Fette.
Can ASU replicate what UCF did last week?No one in Tempe is talking themselves into a potential defensive stand. We tried that a few weeks ago when he trudged into Lubbock and it blew up in our faces. What UCF did wasn't shut down the BYU offense, they forced them to be pass first, and controlled the clock. BYU was outscored 30-7 in the second half as UCF controlled the ball with 284 rushing yards. That's a formula the Sun Devils can, and should, exectute.
When is CJ Fite going to show up?Fite is supposed to be the man in the middle. The one who eats blocks and demolishes double teams. Yet, he just recorded his first sack last week and only has one other TFL outside of that. He's been eating up double-teams, but not doing anything with them. Opponents are still respecting his game-wrecking ability, but with over half the season gone and little results, should they?
Big XII Week Nine Matchups
Baylor (4-3) @ UCF (6-2)
#16 Oklahoma State (6-1) @ Iowa State (2-5)
Arizona (4-3) @ #6 Texas Tech (6-1)
Kansas (3-4) @ TCU (4-3)
#23 Utah (5-2) @ Cincinnati (2-5)
Kansas State (6-1) @ Colorado (3-4)
Must See Week Nine Showdowns
#17 Minnesota (6-1) @ #15 Indiana (6-2)
#3 Ohio State (6-1) @ USC (5-3)
#11 South Carolina (6-1) @ #1 Oklahoma (7-0)
By the Numbers
Arizona State Sun Devils BYU Cougars --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79 Overall // 79 Offense // 81 Defense | Team Rating | 82 Overall // 84 Offense // 81 Defense Kenny Dillingham (26-20) | Head Coach | Kalani Sitake (88-48) Marcus Arroyo | Offensive Coordinator | Aaron Roderick Multiple Offense | Offensive Scheme | Power Spread Brian Ward | Defensive Coordinator | Kelly Poppinga 4-2-5 | Defensive Scheme | 4-3 Multiple 36.7 (12th) | Offensive Points Per Game | 35.6 (17th) 29.9 (113th) | Defensive Points Per Game | 19.6 (23rd) 477.0 (5th) | Offensive Yards Per Game | 391.0 (64th) 343.0 (24th) | Defensive Yards Per Game | 334.0 (16th)
Arizona State Sun Devils BYU Cougars --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48-31 | Combined Record | 33-35 FCS W 63-17 | Week One | FCS W 43-0 Texas A&M (6-2) L 41-35 | Week Two | Arizona (4-3) W 24-13 @ Kansas (3-4) W 35-29 | Week Three | @ Colorado State (3-4) W 48-7 BYE | Week Four | BYE Baylor (4-4) L 38-17 | Week Five | @ TCU (4-3) L 32-31 Hawaii (1-7) W 59-27 | Week Six | Iowa State (2-5) W 65-9 @ Texas Tech (6-1) L 48-14 | Week Seven | Notre Dame (6-1) L 26-17 Kansas State (6-1) W 34-9 | Week Eight | @ UCF (5-2) L 50-21
Arizona State Sun Devils BYU Cougars --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- N/A | Injuries | N/A
Arizona State Sun Devils BYU Cougars --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FR Jake Fette 22/34 (64%), 378 Yds, 4 TD, 2 INT | QB | SO Bear Bachmeier 140/222 (64%), 1,626 Yds, 17 TD, 4 INT JR Kyson Brown 74 Att, 491 Yds, 4 TD | HB | SR LJ Martin 109 Att, 633 Yds, 6 TD SR Omarion Miller 35 Rec, 450 Yds, 7 TD | WR | JR(RS) Kyler Kasper 32 Rec, 388 Yds, 4 TD SO Raiden Vines-Bright 33 Rec, 270 Yds, 4 TD | WR | SR Tiger Bachmeier 37 Rec, 387 Yds, 4 TD JR MLB Owen Long 53 Tkl, 11 TFL, 3.5 Sack | DEF | JR(RS) MLB Siale Esera 39 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack, INT JR(RS) DT Zac Swanson 13 Tkl, 9 TFL, 2.5 Sack | DEF | SO DE Nusi Taumoepea 22 Tkl, 8 TFL, 5 Sacks SR(RS) DE Emar'rion Winston 13 Tkl, 8 TFL, 6.5 Sacks | DEF | SR(RS) DE Bodie Schoonover 15 Tkl, 5 TFL, 4 Sacks SR(RS) SS Lyrik Rawls 54 Tkl, 6 TFL | DEF | SR(RS) Isaiah Glasker 26 Tkl, 3 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, 3 INT
