Mississippi State stuns Arizona State with goal line stand, 58-yard game-winning TD
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Arizona State took possession of the ball in a tie game with 10:32 on the clock in the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils ran 8:54 off the clock and drove all the way to the Mississippi State 1-yard-line.
But the Bulldogs stuffed Arizona State on the goal line twice to force the defending Big 12 champs to kick a field goal. ASU knocked an 18-yard chip shot through with 1:38 remaining and kicked off to Mississippi State. But, because of the defensive stand, the Bulldogs were going to have a chance to go win the game.
Five plays later, quarterback Blake Shapen hit wideout Brenen Thompson for a 58-yard touchdown.
The cowbells went wild.
Starkville exploded.
On the first play of Arizona State’s ensuing drive, Hunter Washington picked off ASU’s Sam Leavitt to seal the deal and cap off a 24-20 win over No. 12 Arizona State.
Shapen ended the day with 279 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. Thompson was on the receiving end of 2 of those scores. Despite not getting much from the ground game —66 yards on 30 attempts — Mississippi State managed to outgain Arizona State both in total yardage and on a per-play basis.
The Bulldogs won just 2 games last season in their first year under Jeff Lebby.
Now they have a signature victory.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
