(BCSNN) — Arizona State will open the 2026 season Saturday night with a matchup unlike any in program history. The Sun Devils host Morgan State at Mountain America Stadium, marking the first‑ever meeting between the two programs and the first time ASU has faced an HBCU.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. AZT as the Sun Devils look to extend one of the nation’s longest home‑opening streaks.

Saturday’s game ends a decades‑long trend in which ASU exclusively faced Big Sky opponents when playing FCS competition. Since the NCAA split into Division I classifications in 1978, the Sun Devils have never played an FCS team outside the Big Sky — a streak that ends with the MEAC’s Morgan State coming to Tempe.

Arizona State enters the opener chasing its 27th consecutive home‑opening victory, a run that stands as the second‑longest active streak in the nation behind Illinois (28). The streak excludes the pandemic‑altered 2020 season, when ASU did not play a home opener until December. Historically, the Sun Devils have been dominant on opening night, owning an 83‑28‑2 all‑time record and a 65‑15‑1 mark in home openers. ASU has also won 23 straight Opening Day games played at Mountain America Stadium.

Morgan State arrives with momentum after opening its season last week, grinding out a 17–7 win at North Carolina A&T. The Bears are led by fifth‑year head coach Damon Wilson, who previously built Bowie State into a perennial Division II contender. Wilson won three CIAA championships, made five NCAA playoff appearances, and earned three CIAA Coach of the Year honors before taking over at Morgan State.

The Bears bring one of the most aggressive defensive fronts in the FCS. Last season, they ranked top‑15 nationally in both sacks (2.83 per game) and tackles for loss (7.67 per game), while finishing 41st in total defense at 351.2 yards allowed per game. Linebacker Arturo Mattocks was named to the Deacon Jones Player of the Year preseason watchlist, and defensive back Aki Harvey earned a spot on the Aeneas Williams Award watchlist — honors recognizing the top HBCU player and defensive back in the nation.

Saturday’s broadcast will air nationally on ESPN+, with James Westling and Michael Bumpus on the call. The Sun Devil Athletics Radio Network will provide full coverage on ESPN 620 AM, featuring longtime Voice of the Sun Devils Tim Healey, analyst and Rose Bowl‑winning quarterback Jeff van Raaphorst, and sideline reporter Kevin Turner. Turner joins Jeff Munn and former ASU lineman Ben Coleman on the pregame show, with Munn and Coleman also hosting halftime and postgame coverage.

A win Saturday would extend ASU’s home‑opening streak to 27 games, improve head coach Kenny Dillingham to 4–0 in season openers, push the program’s Opening Day record to 84‑28‑2, and mark the Sun Devils’ 24th straight Opening Day victory at Mountain America Stadium.