The Mississippi State football team was outperformed by Arizona State in almost every facet on Saturday night as Jeff Lebby’s squad dropped its first game of the season.
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo ran all over the Bulldog defense with 262 yards on 33 carries while the Mississippi State offense was virtually nonexistent until it was too late.
Quickly in the first half, it became apparent that the Bulldogs were in for a physical challenge as the Sun Devils controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, taking a 27-3 lead into halftime. Late in the third quarter, in response to an Arizona State field goal, Mississippi State running back Keyvone Lee found the end zone on a six-yard run to narrow the score to 30-10.
A subsequent defensive stop to give the Bulldogs the ball to begin the fourth quarter temporarily shifted the momentum, with quarterback Blake Shapen connecting with Davon Booth on a 15-yard pop pass to make it 30-16 as kicker Kyle Ferrie missed the extra point attempt.
As Arizona State’s offense became arrhythmic on the next two possessions, Lebby’s score-quick offense showed a glimmer of hope when an 80-yard touchdown by Kevin Coleman pulled the game within one possession at 30-23 with 5:27 remaining.
Mississippi State could not manage to stop Skattebo on the next possession as the down-hill runner rushed for three first downs – including a game-sealing 39-yard push into the red zone –as the clock waned and allowed victory formation to ensue, giving Arizona State its first-ever win over an SEC opponent.
Shapen ended the night with 268 yards on 18 of 28 passing with two touchdowns. However, a vital second-quarter fumble deep in Mississippi State territory was returned by Arizona State defensive lineman C.J. Fite for a touchdown.
The Bulldogs accounted for 26 rushing yards, in comparison to Arizona State’s 346 on the ground. The Sun Devils also controlled time of possession, with the ball in their hands for over two-thirds of the contest.
While Arizona State (2-0) will wait and see if the win was enough to push them into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2021, Mississippi State (1-1) will turn its attention to Toledo. Kickoff next Saturday in Starkville is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
