Arizona State should be expected to handle Hawai’i on Saturday night, but the Sun Devils still have questions to answer after a defence that allowed 55 points to Baylor. ASU vs Hawaii kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, with Arizona State listed as 20.5-point favourites and the total set at 50.5.
The matchup brings together a 2-2 Arizona State side and a Hawai’i team sitting at 1-4. The Sun Devils have already shown they can put points on the board, opening their season with a 70-7 win over Morgan State and beating Kansas 24-17 on Sept. 19, but the Baylor result raised fresh concerns about how stable they are when the pressure rises.
Arizona State: can the offence cover for the defence?
Boley is the obvious starting point for Arizona State. In the loss to Baylor, he completed 25 of 43 passes for 304 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It was a productive outing on paper, and it followed a season in which he has thrown for 1,040 passing yards and 10 touchdowns across four games.
That production is one reason Arizona State can still be backed to respond here. The issue is whether the Sun Devils can combine that offensive firepower with a cleaner performance on the other side of the ball. They have allowed 127 points through four games, and that is the number that will concern anyone assessing whether they are ready to justify a big favourite’s tag.
Hawai’i arrive needing a response
Hawai’i come into the game on a four-game losing streak after falling 20-16 to San Jose State on Oct. 4. Three of those losses have come by 10 points or fewer, which suggests they have stayed competitive at times, even if the results have not followed.
The Rainbow Warriors did open the season with a 29-19 win over New Mexico State, but they have not been able to build on it. Their overall record is 1-4, and the challenge now is whether they can stay within range against a more talented Arizona State team on the road.
For Arizona State, the big task is simple: take care of business and avoid turning this into a closer contest than the betting line suggests. For Hawai’i, it is about finding enough control in the game to keep the Sun Devils honest deep into the second half. ASU vs Hawaii may look straightforward on paper, but Arizona State’s defensive form means there is still something to watch beyond the spread.
