TEMPE, Ariz. – Hit the “A” button, juke left, juke right and off went Arizona State senior running back Kyson Brown on a play that looked straight out of Madden 27. 

These video game moves were anything but fantasy, as Brown’s 46-yard touchdown run on the Sun Devils’ first possession of the season opened the scoring and propelled the offense to post video game numbers on the ground. 

The senior’s 91 all-purpose yards helped set the tone and lifted ASU to a 70-7 win over Morgan State on Sunday, Sept. 5 at Mountain America Stadium. While Brown stood out among the seven backs who ran all over the Bears' defense, his teammates were complimentary of more than just his on-field performance. 

For one, sophomore running back Grayson Rigdon applauded Brown’s leadership on and off the field. 

“He’s kind of like my mentor,” Rigdon said. “Stack days and just follow him, he’s been a great leader for me so far.” 

Brown’s big night took a lot of weight off his shoulders, coming up 26 yards short of matching his 2025 full-season total of 106 -- a campaign where Brown battled injuries and tough competition in a packed running back room. 

While substantial, Brown's 80 yards accounted for only 32% of the Sun Devils' rushing yards, as seven running backs saw multiple carries. 

Junior running back Jason Brown Jr. put up 60 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown of his own – ASU’s 10th of the night. 

Not only did the Sun Devils wrack up yards like pushing down the trigger on a controller, but they did it with eye-catching efficiency. 

ASU ran for 249 yards on 35 carries, equating to 7.1 yards-per-carry, a number that approaches the all-time record of 7.4 set by the 2009 Nevada Wolfpack. 

Even more enticing is the fact that if seven rushes by quarterbacks for a combined -3 yards were removed from the stat sheet, runners would have averaged nine yards-per-carry.

For a position group that entered the year with much uncertainty, headlined by star Raleek Brown transferring to Texas, teammates and fans alike welcomed the effort on Saturday. 

Though the running back dominance did not stop on the ground. The group affected the game in more ways than one. 

On top of the 252 yards rushing, Sun Devil running backs combined for four receptions and 135 yards receiving, racking up yards after the catch and making life easy on junior quarterback Cutter Boley

“We took it so serious,” Rigdon said. “I feel like we have such good leaders. … We’re so well-rounded when it comes to that.” 

Rigdon was responsible for a majority of the receiving work, as his two catches went for a 54-yard touchdown on a bubble screen and a 56-yard score down the sideline. 

Both plays featured blazing speed and acceleration, but Rigdon pointed to the unsung heroes as the reason players like him were able to put those tools on display. 

The offensive line and tight end group, both among the biggest in the program's history, made light work of the Bears' defenders on seemingly every play, creating tons of open space for their playmakers, Rigdon said. 

“Our line worked so hard,” Rigdon said. “Having them take on the blocks they did, it was great for us.” 

However, the protection didn’t stop there, as head coach Kenny Dillingham is known for instilling blocking prowess in his receivers, instilling the mindset “no block, no rock.” 

While the receivers put up big numbers themselves, it was the relentless blocking that made both phases of the offense work seamlessly. 

“They deserve so much more praise,” Rigdon said. “It opens up the running game a lot for us.” 

Every contributor to the Sun Devil offense from their season opener will have to keep their finger on the trigger in a big way next weekend, as a tilt with No. 8 Texas A&M in College Station will be a much larger test. 

Yet a similar play style to Saturday night will prove crucial against the Aggies, and it's something Dillingham said he saw come alive.

“I think you can see the physicality of our football team,” Dillingham said. “I think they were trying to play physical, trying to establish an identity.”