TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Leavitt threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, Cam Skattebo and DeCarlos Brooks both ran for a touchdown and Arizona State won its first football game as a member of the Big 12, beating Wyoming 48-7 on Saturday night.

The Sun Devils scored a defensive touchdown just 41 seconds into the game when Zyrus Fiaseu picked off Wyoming’s Evan Svoboda and ran 29 yards to the end zone. The Sun Devils didn’t force a turnover last season until their fourth game.

“The play call was right and I did my job,” Fiaseu said. “When you do your job and execute, good things happen.”

Svoboda threw another interception less than five minutes later. This time, it was Keyshaun Elliott who grabbed the errant pass and ran 18 yards to the Wyoming 42. The Sun Devils capitalized on the good field position with a 29-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.

Arizona State — which finished with a 3-9 record last season — had a 17-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 27-0 advantage at halftime.

The Sun Devils outgained the Cowboys 499-118.

“We played hard,” Skattebo said. “That was a different team. You saw it. We felt more comfortable on the sidelines. I got taken out with eight minutes left in the third quarter — that’s a good feeling.”

Leavitt, a Michigan State transfer, played well in his first career start, completing 14 of 22 passes. He beat out senior Jeff Sims for the starting job during preseason camp.

“I didn’t do anything special tonight,” Leavitt said. “Just got the ball to my playmakers and let them make plays with great results.”

Svoboda completed 6 of 15 passes for 42 yards and had the two early interceptions. He also made an errant throw on a lateral that was picked up by Arizona State’s Justin Wodtly and returned six yards for a touchdown.

It was a rough homecoming for Svoboda, who played his high school football in suburban Phoenix, about 20 miles from Arizona State’s campus. Wyoming managed just 51 total yards though three quarters.

The Cowboys avoided a shutout when Kaden Anderson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Chris Durr with two seconds remaining. Wyoming averaged just 2.3 yards per play.

“We’ve got to get a lot better, obviously, as a football team,” Cowboys coach Jay Sawvel said. “Fortunately for us, it counts for one. Even if it feels like it should count as four or five.”

The takeaway

Wyoming: Sawvel’s first game as head coach of the Cowboys was a rough one. He took over for the retired Craig Bohl, who led the program for 10 years. Svoboda’s early jitters were a big problem, but far from the only one. It’s just one game, but the Cowboys didn’t look like a team ready to compete for a Mountain West title.

Arizona State: It was an encouraging night for the Sun Devils, who were eager to put last year’s injury-plagued season behind them. Second-year coach Kenny Dillingham appears to have more talent at several positions, but a bigger test comes next weekend when they host an SEC opponent in Mississippi State.

Up next

Wyoming: Hosts Idaho next Saturday.

Arizona State: Hosts Mississippi State next Saturday.

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals aren’t quite on the national radar when it comes to interest ahead of the 2024 season.

The Cardinals typically are overlooked as a west coast team that’s historically underachieved, though the presence of No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. should bring plenty more eyes to the desert.

The Athletic recently listed Harrison in their list of 24 intriguing players for the 2024 season, placing him at No. 11:

“Committed to seeing 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray live up to his potential as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league, the Cardinals used their top pick on Harrison — one of the most polished wide receiver prospects to enter the NFL in some time,” wrote Mike Jones.

“The son of Hall of Famer and Indianapolis Colts great Marvin Harrison will be asked to restore explosiveness to a Cardinals team that mustered only 19.4 points a game last season and has just one winning season in the last eight years.”

Full list:

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Caleb Williams
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Kirk Cousins
6. CJ Stroud
7. Dak Prescott
8. Justin Jefferson
9. Deshaun Watson
10. Malik Nabers
11. Marvin Harrison Jr.
12. Gardner Minshew
13. Anthony Richardson
14. Bryce Young
15. Jalen Hurts
16. Saquon Barkley
17. Jordan Love
18. Tua Tagovailoa
19. Chris Jones
20. Micah Parsons
21. Keon Coleman
22. Russell Wilson
23. L’Jarious Sneed
24. T.J. Watt

Harrison has impressed since the moment he stepped foot in Arizona.

“Obviously, he’s more advanced in that he’s almost been groomed to do this since a young age,” Cqrdinals wide receivers coach Drew Terrell said via ESPN.

“Since the first conversation I ever had with him in pre-draft process, he’s been a pro. He knows what the expectation is. He’s very hard on himself and knows what to expect of himself.”

Harrison will handle WR1 duties immediately after a strong training camp (he didn’t play in preseason) where he impressed in nearly every outing possible.

If Harrison can match expectations, he’ll be a show-stopper every Sunday for the Cardinals.

He’ll get his first opportunity in Week 1 when the Cardinals travel to play the Buffalo Bills.

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan kicked off his highly anticipated junior season with a record-setting night.

The preseason All-American and projected first-round draft pick set a new school record with 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches in the No. 21 Wildcats’ 61-39 win over visiting New Mexico.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound wideout delivered the first 300-yard performance by a college receiver since Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba put up 347 receiving yards against Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl. Only five other FBS receivers have topped 300 yards over the past decade.

In Arizona’s first game as a member of the Big 12, McMillan registered the second-most receiving yards in a game in conference history. His previous career high was a 266-yard game against rival Arizona State last season.

McMillan scored on plays of 69, 17, 78 and 40 yards and nearly had a fifth TD reception but was tackled at the 1-yard line. More than half of his receiving yards (176) came after the catch.

“T-Mac is obviously special, man,” first-year Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “He’s just something else.”

McMillan missed time this offseason while recovering from a lower leg injury suffered in spring practice and said it felt “amazing” to be back in action.

“These last four months, I’ve been grinding and ready to get back on the field,” he said. “Being able to just play with my brothers again, it’s just a true blessing. Regardless of the records, I’m just happy to be back on the field with my brothers.”

New Mexico kept up with the Wildcats throughout the first half and took a 24-17 lead late in the second quarter. Three plays later, McMillan burned the Lobos for a 78-yard catch and run down the sideline to tie it up.

“Those big explosives were just incredible,” Brennan said. “He outran the whole secondary on the big one down the sideline. He’s awesome. He’s an awesome competitor, and he’s also not satisfied. He was like, ‘We can play better.’ That’s what you hope for.”

Arizona produced 627 total yards of offense and averaged 11 yards per play, with quarterback Noah Fifita throwing for 422 yards and transfer running backs Jacory Croskey-Merritt (New Mexico) and Quali Conley (San Jose State) combining for 196 rushing yards and four scores.

McMillan emerged as one of college football’s most dominant playmakers in 2023 with 90 catches for 1,402 yards (fifth most in the FBS) and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore on a Wildcats team that won 10 games and the Alamo Bowl.

After Jedd Fisch and his coaching staff left to take over at Washington in January, Fifita and McMillan opted to bypass the transfer portal and stay at Arizona. The former teammates at Servite High School in Anaheim, California, wanted to keep playing together and help Brennan construct a contender.

“Everybody in this building, the brotherhood we already had, the culture we had set in here, we just didn’t want to leave this building,” McMillan said. “The legacy that we already had began over here, we wanted to continue this legacy. At the end of the day, we came to Tucson to be program changers. Hopefully, Tucson, y’all can find pride in our play.”