The stands of Mountain America Stadium will once again be packed in a sea of maroon and gold cheering on a new-look Sun Devils’ team. 

To offset the loss of several key players following the 2025 season, headlined by starting quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Raleek Brown, ASU brought in a slew of transfers under fourth-year head coach Kenny Dillingham. With a new quarterback in junior Cutter Boley leading the offense and just two starters returning on defense, the Sun Devils welcome FCS Morgan State to the desert on Saturday, Sept. 5, with a streak on the line. 

Saturday presents the opportunity to extend a notable streak, as ASU bids for its 27th consecutive victory in a home opener – excluding the 2020 season. 

With the nation’s second-longest active winning streak in home openers on the line and the beginning of a long season ahead, Dillingham said he is looking forward to seeing who shows up in a real game and not just in practice.

“There are players that make the biggest plays in the biggest moments, and there are guys that struggle in that,” Dillingham said. “I want to see our guys go out there and make the biggest play in the biggest moments; I want to see our guys respond to adversity.”

While Dillingham prepares his roster to make the big play come Saturday, the Bears have already made plays.

Morgan State enters Saturday’s matchup off a 17-7 road win over North Carolina A&T in its season opener on Aug. 29, in which senior running back Jordan Barnett rushed for 114 yards.

Barnett transferred to the Bears from Division II Shepherd in 2026.

Besides Barnett, Morgan State has a veteran leader at quarterback with FBS experience. Senior quarterback Cameron Edge played at Maryland and Eastern Michigan before joining the Bears in 2026.

Edge played in four games over his three seasons with the Terrapins and didn’t see the field last season with the Eagles.

Edge won the starting job just weeks before the season started, and he threw for 167 yards and a touchdown in the season opener.

Morgan State also returns sophomore wide receiver Justin Perry after a stellar freshman campaign where he led the team with 464 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

The Bears enter their fifth year under head coach Damon Wilson, who led Division II Bowie State to conference championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021 before arriving at Morgan State.

The Bears compete at the Football Championship Subdivision level and in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), marking the Sun Devils’ first HBCU opponent in program history. 

Despite playing an FCS opponent in a game ASU has historically dominated – the Sun Devils are 83-28-2 on opening day – offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said it’s important for the team to be the best version of itself no matter the competition. 

“I think the identity of your football team’s still got to be the number one thing,” Arroyo said. 

“Keep the main thing the main thing no matter who you play, it’s nameless and faceless in a lot of ways.”

Dillingham echoed Arroyo’s sentiment.

“I want the things that we talk about to show up,” Dillingham said. “I want the goals that we put in front of these guys of what it takes to win to show up on game day.”

Boley also stressed the importance of not overlooking any opponent, as each game is an opportunity to play their best football.

“It’s one game at a time, you get 12 a year,” Boley said. “We practice damn near year-round for 12 games a year, so you can’t take one for granted.”

Boley added that it’s important for the Sun Devils to stick to their way of playing, regardless of the opponent.

“What’s most important is we play our brand of ball,” Boley said. “We control what we can control, and we go out there and execute and things will line up how they should.”

Boley is one of many newcomers set to make their Sun Devil debut on Saturday.

He’ll also have three new receivers to throw to: senior Omarion Miller and Reed Harris, and sophomore Raiden Vines-Bright.

While Dillingham said he expects Boley to throw to Miller a lot, he highlighted the receiver's character.  

“We knew the talent we were getting,” Dillingham said. “I didn’t understand that we were getting a really good person. He’s a really good kid, cares about his teammates, he’s humble.”

On defense, Dillingham gave a bold proclamation about the unit.

“I feel like it’s the most depth we’ve had, the most size we’ve had on defense,” Dillingham said. “Whether it’s in the back end (with) total length or whether it’s up front with total weight and size.”

The Sun Devils added to a defense that has only allowed 63 plays of 30-plus yards in the Dillingham era by bringing in junior linebacker Owen Long, senior defensive back Ashton Stamps and sixth-year defensive back Lyrik Rawls in from the transfer portal.

ASU also returns two key defensive linemen in sixth-year Clayton Smith and senior C.J. Fite.

Dillingham praised Fite’s leadership on the defensive line and veteran presence for some younger faces. 

“I would say the team has really rallied around C.J. (Fite) as a big leader for them,” Dillingham said. “I think they’re following him because he’s somebody who should be followed, and he’s earned that right and he lives it every day.”

Besides Fite, junior linebacker Martell Hughes and senior defensive back Montana Warren are expected to play bigger roles for the Sun Devils this season.

After 247 days without Sun Devil football, action finally returns with a near sellout expected at Mountain America Stadium. 

Last season, ASU averaged over 54,000 fans per game, the fifth-highest in the Big 12, and Boley said he’s looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd for the first time.

“I can’t wait to get out there Saturday night,” Boley said. “Sun Devil Nation has been great so far, and they’ve showed out to everything we’ve had. So, I can’t wait to see how they pop out on Saturday.”