Mississippi State improved to 2-0 with a memorable 24-20 win against Arizona State on Saturday, marking head coach Jeff Lebby’s first win over a ranked opponent.
Here’s a look at a few of the standouts from MSU’s win.
Standout Stat: QB comparison
Sam Leavitt, ASU: 10-22, 82 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Blake Shapen, MSU: 19-33, 279 yards, 3 TDs
Last week, The Dispatch gave the edge to the Sun Devils at quarterback, but that wasn’t the case on the field on Saturday.
Blake Shapen didn’t have a perfect game, but his three scores and limited mistakes proved why there was little doubt from Lebby in having the quarterback return and start again. He was quick on his reads, showed strength and accuracy on his throws, and led a game-winning touchdown drive with the clock ticking away.
Leavitt, on the other hand, struggled with everything the MSU defense threw at him. The Bulldogs recorded two sacks and constantly had Leavitt evading pressure on passing downs, holding him to just 30 yards in the first half. It threw off the Sun Devils as a team by forcing ideal pass-rushing situations, and the visitors were just 3-14 on third downs with an average of 7.7 yards to go.
Anthony Evans III
Evans had a big day on Saturday. He had the bulk of MSU’s targets on offense, including the opening drive touchdown on a catch and run.
Evans totaled nine catches for 108 yards and a score, earning praise from head coach Jeff Lebby for his production, and more of the same is expected from the playmaker out wide.
“He’s going to be a huge part of (the gameplan) every week, and again he did some great things,” Lebby said on Monday. “The strain and stress for him is to continue to play better and cleaner. Had a really good punt return, but had a chance to make a couple other big plays. Had the false start, so we’re constantly trying to create urgency with him to strain and play better. He’s got a chance to be a great player for us, felt really good when we got him, and he’s gotten better and better.”
Brenen Thompson
Thompson made six catches for 133 yards and two scores, making it two weeks in a row that he set personal bests in receiving yards. He and Evans both surpassed 100 yards, showing everyone that they offer much more than just vertical speed.
Thompson was always expected to feature heavily in the offense, but there wasn’t much from his production at past stops to gauge where he would make an impact outside of his deep threat ability. The early evidence not only suggests he can stretch the field, but his route tree is expansive and he can create separation over the middle as well.
DeAgo Brumfield
Brumfield recorded 5 solo tackles, including a flashpoint tackle to keep ASU out of the end zone late in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs followed with a goal line stand to force a field goal, giving them a chance to go and win the game in the final minute.
“Our coaches always say, make the offense come out and play again,” Brumfield said, echoing the words of Lebby after the game Saturday. “Make him play, mess it up. Our defense was grinding all fall camp, we did a lot of red zone and knockout stuff. We did pretty good, thought we had a good team on the goal line, so my thought was just to make them snap the ball again.”
Brumfield and the secondary kept the Sun Devils contained in the passing game as well. Leavitt looked lost at times and relied heavily on Jordyn Tyson to make plays.
Leavitt was just 5-15 throwing the ball at halftime, and his use in the second half was limited heavily with more focus on running the ball.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
