The non-conference slate continues for the Sun Devils as they take the trip to "Stark Vegas" for a matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Last season, the Devils jumped on to a 30-3 lead early in the 3rd quarter but had to hold on for dear life to come away with a 30-23 win, giving Arizona State their first win in program history over an SEC team.
On Saturday, the Devils make their first road trip to SEC country since 2012, a 24-20 loss in Columbia to Missouri. They will look to make it wins in back to back seasons when they take the field at Davis Wade Stadium.
The Bulldogs are a struggling team, there is no way around it. 2024 saw Mississippi State trip and fall to a 2-10 record, last place in the SEC. Their 86th ranked scoring offense (25.8 points per game) was nowhere near enough to offset the 34 points allowed per game on defense, which ranked 117th in the nation.
The Bulldogs opened their 2025 campaign at Southern Mississippi and struggled to a 13-10 lead at halftime before pulling away for the 34-17 win. The ground game told the story against the Golden Eagles as the Bulldogs put up 188 rushing yards, led by a combined 122 yards and three touchdowns from Davon Booth and Fluff Bothwell. Quarterback Blake Shapen had a respectable game as well, completing 26 of 34 passes for 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Like Arizona State's win over Northern Arizona, it's a win that on paper looked like it should have been by a wider margin. The Bulldogs will have some injuries to contend with this week, notably on the offensive line. Blake Steen left the game at halftime with an injury and Luke Work did not play at all against Southern Miss. Work has been listed as a starter on the depth chart ahead of this week's game, but practice will tell the full story later this week.
Mississippi State shows that they can spread the ball around the field to receiving targets, but Shapen has two clear favorite targets in Brenen Thompson and Seydou Traore. Booth is a potential watch out of the backfield as a checkdown option after recording 12 catches for 164 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. Mississippi State's success on offense will hinge on the health of their offensive line and whether the Sun Devils can exploit that weak area.
On defense, the Bulldogs come off as less than inspiring. Holding the Golden Eagles to less than 200 yards passing speaks less to their ability and more to Southern Mississippi's inefficiency. Will Whitson recorded the only sack in the win, and as a team they only recorded three tackles for loss. Sam Leavitt and the offense simply need to tune out the noise around them and focus on the play in front of them, and the Sun Devils should be able to slice and dice through the Bulldogs defense if they can stay disciplined.
Discipline will be the key point to hammer home as the Bulldogs were heavily penalized in their win, racking up 14 penalties for 119 yards. Holding and formation penalties added up for Mississippi State, and while they didn't result in a loss, it will be a focal point of Arizona State's stronger defensive front.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing the history/tradition behind the Miss State cowbell with us @BradleyGarrison! We won’t be using this on Saturday though 😉 pic.twitter.com/ORxAahwjak
— ASU Grounds Crew (@ASUGroundsCrew) September 5, 2024
Football is religion in the SEC, and Davis Wade Stadium is no exception. Mountain America Stadium was not cowbell friendly last season, but that will not be the case this year. The Starkville faithful will be bringing the noise and the chaos, attempting to create an unfriendly atmosphere for the Devils offense.
With 30 new transfers, Mississippi State is a much different team than the one the Devils faced a year ago. Early season games bring an element of unpredictability to the matchup, and Coach Dillingham is emphasizing the preparation for that chaos. Factor in the adjustment to playing in the Central Time Zone (ASU is 13-16 against active FBS opponents in the regular season in the Central Time Zone), this game could become a trap game for the Devils.
Stay tuned all week long as we break down the Bulldogs on offense and defense, bringing you news and updates right to kickoff at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon.