Sun Devils Torch the Trojan Horse In Atlanta
42 #7 Arizona State (0-0) @ #16 USC (0-1) 23
By: Emilio Suarez
Published: September 3rd, 2028
The Arizona State Sun Devils took the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to open the 2028 season and showed everyone exactly why they were the darling of the offseason. The Sun Devils dismantled the USC Trojans with a final score of 42-23, made much closer by a late Hail Mary that led to words between Charlie Weis Jr. and Kenny Dillingham post game.
But before we get to those fireworks, let's talk about Big Mac. I don't think he could have scripted his opening game as a Sun Devil any better if he tried. The former Vol was 17/18 in the first half for 189 yards and two touchdowns as ASU built a 21-13 lead and would finish 31/37 for 307 yards and four touchdowns.
"I left a few plays on the field that we could have converted. A back-shoulder to RJ that I put in the wrong spot—we made up for that one later in the fourth though—and a couple of passes that turned into drops because I didn't position it right."
"I'll be better the more reps we get as a team," finished the junior quarterback.
That's what should scare the country. Not what George MacIntyre did on the field, which was electric, but the fact he saw ways to improve, and plans on doing it.
The USC Trojans took a brief lead in the second quarter, taking advantage of an early punt by ASU with a Shahn Alston touchdown, but back to back touchdowns by Arizona State rocketed them past the Trojans. USC would inch closer with a long field goal at the halftime buzzer, but it was clear the Trojans would need to start converting field goals into touchdowns if they wanted to come back in the second half.
Instead, a holding penalty forced the Trojans onto their goal line after the second half kickoff. As Stockton tried to scramble out of trouble, the Trojans were hit with the double whammy. First, the left tackle held DJ Sanders in the end zone, which would have resulted in a safety. Instead of just taking the sack and giving up the already conceded safety, Stockton tried to throw the ball away as he got hit on the goal line.
The pass sailed high in the air, giving Luke Ferrelli enough time to locate it and be ready for the catch. It was the first of three touchdowns for the Trojans in the second half as they outscored the Trojans 21-10 in the last two frames to win handily.
Tensions boiled over late in the game when Kenny Dillingham dialed up a shot play, trailing 42-16, connecting on a 71-yard touchdown to salve the wounds for the Trojans, if only briefly. Weis Jr. could be seen yelling across the field at Dillingham and when the two met at midfield following the game, Weis Jr. immediately got into Dillingham's face. The two separated without incident and both brushed off the altercation in their post-game comments.
"Fiery game against a fiery competitor," said Weis Jr. dismissively after the contest. "I didn't like something and I told him that. He reacted. That's it. Non-story." To his credit, Dillingham was also mum on the dust-up, choosing to focus on his own team instead.
With the loss USC falls to 0-2 to start the 2028 campaign and all eyes will fall on Kenny Dillingham to turn around a season that has already gone off the rails. The Sun Devils will get an early bye week before traveling to Lubbock to open Big XII conference play against the Red Raiders.
Box Score
| Team | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | F |
 (0-0) | 7 · 14 · 14 · 7 | 42 |
 (0-1) | 3 · 10 · 3 · 7 | 23 |
Player of the Game
QB George MacIntyre
31/37, 307 Yds, 4 TD
Team Stats Comparison
| Team Stats | |
| 20 | First Downs | 20 |
| 8/12 | 3rd Down Efficiency | 2/10 |
| 1/1 | 4th Down Efficiency | 1/2 |
| 374 | Total Yards | 397 |
| 307 | Passing Yards | 321 |
| 67 | Rushing Yards | 76 |
| Penalties-Penalty Yards | ||
| 0 | Turnovers | 3 |
| 20:44 | Time of Possession | 19:16 |
Scoring Summary
| First Quarter | ||
| 4:27 | Kaiden Prothro, 2 Yd Pass From George MacIntyre | 7 - 0 |
| 1:08 | Ryon Sayeri, 30 Yd FG | 7 - 3 |
| Second Quarter | ||
| 7:08 | Shahn Alston, 14 Yd Run | 7 - 10 |
| 1:37 | Cardae Mack, 1 Yd Run | 14 - 10 |
| 0:41 | Kaiden Prothro, 16 Yd Pass From George MacIntyre | 21 - 10 |
| 0:00 | Ryon Sayeri, 51 Yd FG | 21 - 13 |
| Third Quarter | ||
| 8:41 | Luke Ferrelli, Returned Interception 1 Yd | 28 - 13 |
| 4:56 | Ryon Sayeri, 42 Yd FG | 28 - 16 |
| 0:19 | AJ Ia, 9 Yd Pass From George MacIntyre | 35 - 16 |
| Fourth Quarter | ||
| 6:36 | RJ Mosley, 29 Yd Pass From George MacIntyre | 42 - 16 |
| 5:20 | Romero Ison, 71 Yd Pass From Taj Stockton | 42 - 23 |
Individual Stats
Arizona State Sun Devils
George MacIntyre — 31/37, 307 Yds, 4 TDCardae Mack — 9 Att, 32 Yds, TD
RJ Mosley — 7 Rec, 104 Yds, TD
Kaiden Prothro — 4 Rec, 36 Yds, 2 TD
FS Kingston Lopa — 8 Tkl, TFL, INT
MLB Luke Ferrelli — 8 Tkl, INT, TD
DT DJ Sanders — 3 Tkl, 3 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
SS Aiden Manutai — 6 Tkl, INT
USC Trojans
Taj Stockton — 23/37, 321 Yds, TD, 3 INTShahn Alston — 13 Att, 64 Yds, TD
Romero Ison — 7 Rec, 166 Yds, TD
Zacharyus Williams — 6 Rec, 47 Yds
CB Marcelles Williams — 11 Tkl, TFL
MLB Grant Watkins — 8 Tkl, 2 TFL
DE Lugard Edokpayi — 4 Tkl, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
DE Shaun Scott — 4 Tkl, 2 TFL
Around the Country
Big XII Week One Results
7 Sam Houston (0-1) @ Houston (1-0) 3820 TCU (0-1) @ #12 Duke (2-0) 21
31 Texas Tech (1-1) @ Iowa State (0-1) 21
17 #19 Boise State (1-0) @ Cincinnati (0-1) 13
28 Colorado State (0-2) @ Arizona (1-0) 35
49 #16 BYU (1-0) @ Oregon State (0-1) 10
61 Oklahoma State (1-0) @ Tulsa (0-1) 24
18 UMass (0-1) @ Colorado (1-0) 31
24 Florida Atlantic (1-0) @ UCF (0-1) 16
45 West Virginia (1-0) @ #15 Tennessee (0-1) 7
10 Texas State (0-1) @ #23 Kansas State (1-0) 28
31 #16 North Texas (1-0) @ #24 Baylor (0-1) 24
14 Eastern Michigan (0-1) @ Utah (1-0) 17
Must See Week One Results
24 #17 Iowa (0-1) @ Purdue (1-0) 4117 #20 Maryland (1-1) @ Michigan (1-0) 56
15 #21 North Carolina (0-1) @ South Carolina (1-0) 30
17 #9 Miami (0-1) @ #1 Notre Dame (2-0) 27
