Rapid Reaction: Mississippi State stuns Arizona State in back-and-forth thriller
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Mississippi State got off to a roaring start on Saturday night in Starkville. A year after playing a Playoff-bound Arizona State tough in Tempe, the Bulldogs welcomed the Sun Devils to SEC country for a Week 2 showdown.
In the first half, it looked like the Bulldogs were going to run the Sun Devils out of the building. Jeff Lebby and company took a 17-0 lead into the intermission.
But the narrative shifted after the break. Kenny Dillingham’s halftime speech must have been one for the ages, as Arizona State came out and scored 17 unanswered points to tie the score late in the 4th quarter.
Then, with under 2 minutes left, Mississippi State stopped the Sun Devils inside the 5-yard line. Still, Arizona State kicked a field goal to take a 20-17 lead in what looked like it would be the decisive score.
But in the famous words of the newly retired Lee Corso — not so fast, my friend!
On the ensuing drive, it didn’t take long for Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen to find WR Brenen Thompson for an electrifying 58-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs ahead 24-20:
The Bulldogs intercepted the next Sam Leavitt pass to seal the incredible home win over the 12th-ranked Sun Devils and the party was on in Starkville. It was Mississippi State’s first home win over a ranked nonconference foe since all the way back in 1991.
Lebby and the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the season and fans rushed the field in celebration, tearing down the goalposts. There’s finally something to cheer about again in Starkville!
Mississippi State 24, Arizona State 20
Here’s the Mississippi State-Arizona State box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Sam Leavitt vs. Blake Shapen
A statistical breakdown of how Arizona QB Sam Leavitt and Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen matched up:
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
