ASU's offense stagnant in a loss to Texas A&M 48-20

Arizona State stayed within striking distance of No. 10 Texas A&M for three quarters Saturday, but a turnover-filled fourth quarter turned a competitive matchup into a 48-20 loss at Kyle Field.

The final score doesn't entirely reflect how close the Sun Devils kept things for much of the afternoon. ASU trailed just 24-20 late in the third quarter before Texas A&M scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth to put the game away.

Quarterback Cutter Boley completed 21 of 34 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. However, two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter were both returned for touchdowns. Arizona State finished the game with four turnovers, compared with just one for Texas A&M.

One of the brightest spots for Arizona State was wide receiver Reed Harris, who delivered a huge performance. Harris caught nine passes for 189 yards and scored both of ASU's touchdowns.

His first touchdown came on a 21-yard reception late in the opening quarter, tying the game at 7-7.Harris struck again late in the third quarter when Boley connected with him for a 58-yard touchdown. The score pulled Arizona State within four points at 24-20 and gave the Sun Devils an opportunity to enter the fourth quarter within striking distance of an upset.

That opportunity disappeared quickly.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed opened the fourth quarter by finding Mario Craver for a 33-yard touchdown, extending the Aggies' advantage to 31-20.

Arizona State then appeared to catch a break after recovering a Texas A&M fumble. Instead, on the very next play, Boley was intercepted by Marco Jones, who returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.

Later in the quarter, Julio Humphrey intercepted Boley and returned it 45 yards for another defensive touchdown.

Texas A&M ultimately scored 24 points in the fourth quarter while keeping Arizona State off the scoreboard, transforming what had been a four-point game into a convincing 48-20 victory.

The turnovers overshadowed a productive offensive performance from the Sun Devils. Arizona State actually outgained Texas A&M 369-255 and averaged 5.9 yards per play compared with 4.3 for the Aggies.

However, ASU's four turnovers and nine penalties proved costly, particularly against a Top-10 opponent on the road.

Texas A&M's Marcel Reed finished 15-of-25 passing for 163 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Isaiah Horton caught two touchdown passes for the Aggies.

The loss drops Arizona State to 1-1, while Texas A&M improves to 2-0.

Despite the lopsided final score, Arizona State showed it could compete with one of the nation's top teams for much of the afternoon. The Sun Devils entered the fourth quarter trailing by only four points, but turnovers ultimately changed the complexion of the game.

For ASU, the challenge moving forward will be cleaning up those mistakes and building on the positives from a game that was much closer than the final score suggests.