Mississippi State (1-0) welcomes No. 12 Arizona State (1-0) to Starkville for its home opener this Saturday. It’s a blackout night game at Davis Wade Stadium featuring a special all-black uniform, and fans are encouraged by MSU to follow suit with their own decor.
The Bulldogs have a big game on their hands, and the opponent presents an early-season challenge for head coach Jeff Lebby and his team as they look to add another nonconference win. It would be quite the upset to build on for the rest of the season, and it likely won’t come easy.
The Sun Devils are the defending Big 12 champions and are aiming for a return to the College Football Playoff. Head coach Kenny Dillingham may be missing his star running back from a year ago, but he has a team full of experience with the ability to strike from anywhere on offense.
Offensive strength: Versatility
ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt leads a talented offensive unit with playmakers in both the backfield and on the outside. The receivers, in particular, pose a threat with returning 1,000-yard wideout Jordyn Tyson.
Running back Raleik Brown isn’t just a threat in the ground game, he’s also a difference maker in the return game. A shoestring tackle denied him a house call in the season opener against NAU.
Tyson is a matchup MSU’s secondary is looking forward to, especially Kelley Jones, who had a shutdown performance against Southern Miss last Saturday. Jones has emerged as the top option defending one-on-one for the Bulldogs, and he’s embracing the challenge of facing one of the top receivers in the country.
“I look at it as a dream come true, good against good,” Jones said. “Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to play the best? It’s a challenge for me and I wake up looking forward to it each and every day.”
The major threat of course is Leavitt, who pulls the strings of the talented offense.
“Making sure our rush lanes are good,” linebacker Nic Mitchell said of containing the quarterback. “Caging the quarterback, and knowing he can always pull it, he can always take off and make a big play. So I’ve got to be really aware about that when I’m out there.”
Leavitt’s big highlight of the game was a 52-yard scramble up the middle of a compromised pocket for a touchdown, showcasing his speed and ability with the ball in his hands. It’s one example of the danger he poses with his legs; it’s also a boost for him as a passer.
Leavitt had one scramble in the first half that took him outside the pocket to his left, where he readjusted and fired with a hit on the way, finding Malik McClain for a sideline, toe-tapping catch. It was called back for illegal touching, but showcased the kind of threat the quarterback poses as an improviser. He has good pocket awareness and makes quick decisions, and his ability to extend plays only makes his variety of playmakers all the more dangerous.
“(Discipline) is critical,” Mitchell said of preparing for ASU and Leavitt. “It seems like he always makes his biggest plays on broken plays. That’s what it seems like on tape, so we’ve got to keep playing first, and in the secondary stay plastered to your man, run to the ball and get him down. That’s the challenge.”
Leavitt did throw an interception late in the game, on a very poor throw down the field. It was a case of leaving too much air under the ball, something that comes down to timing, so there may be an opportunity for the MSU secondary should he hang a ball in the air too long.
Above all, the Bulldog defense is trying to get in the right mentality for the big game, Mitchell feels as though the team was unprepared for the road trip last year and has to get right to defend their house this time.
“It’s mentality,” Mitchell said. “Knowing that they whooped us last year, that effect of it. Now we’ve got to come with the right mentality and handle business this year.”
Defensive strength: Experience
ASU returns 10 starters on defense from the 2024 team, including the same defensive line that terrorized the Bulldogs a year ago.
The Bulldogs were 3-11 on third down, 1-2 on fourth down, and quarterback Blake Shapen was sacked four times.
“Very experienced on that side of the ball,” Shapen said of the ASU defense. “A lot of good playmakers, guys that have played a lot of football, so very experienced, but for us, after the game it was like, ‘We’ve just got to do our job.’ Respect our opponent; obviously, they had a good year last year. So being able to respect them, being able to go in the game and execute the right way is going to be big for us.”
Shapen specifically noted the experience and strength on the interior of the defensive line, which held MSU to just 46 yards rushing (24 if you’re counting sack yards against that total).
The running game was a strength against Southern Miss on Saturday, but this will be more of a test for the Bulldogs as they ramp up preparation for another difficult Southeastern Conference schedule. Like the defense, they’re looking to prepare mentally for the challenge and shed the mistakes that cost them last weekend.
The Bulldogs were penalized 14 times in Hattiesburg, and saw two scores chalked off for holding penalties. Their focus this week is on cleaning up their game, but also putting mistakes behind them for the next play.
“I think for the guys, just letting them know it’s a next-play mentality,” Shapen said. “No matter what’s happened, playing the next play independent of the last is huge for us, and not thinking about what’s going wrong or what’s going right. It doesn’t matter moving forward; you’ve got to execute each play independent of the last. That’s the stress for the guys. Obviously, there are 11 of us that’ll make mistakes all year, but being able to move on and be better the next play.”
You can help your community
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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
