Sun Devils fall to Mississippi State in heartbreaking 24-20 nail biter

This game will haunt the Sun Devils for some time.

No. 12 Arizona State ventured into the rowdy confines of Davis Wade Stadium to face Mississippi State, hoping to put forth a more complete effort than they did in their win against FCS Northern Arizona last week. That didn't happen, as they walked out of there with a 24-20 loss in the most heartbreaking fashion.

Arizona State started off about as poorly as you could imagine. Their defense got roasted for a touchdown just four plays into the game. The offense was no better, punting frequently in the first half and watching Sam Leavitt look like a shell of his former self.

The quarterback finished the first half completing just a third of his passes with no points and an interception. It took a 51-yard field goal from Jesus Gomez - which was gifted to them by an unnecessary roughness penalty - to put Arizona State on the board right before halftime.

Kenny Dillingham must have given one heck of a halftime speech, though, because a completely different Sun Devil team came out in the second half.

Offensively, Arizona State switched up their attack to be extremely run-heavy. In fact, Leavitt attempted just six passes in the entire second half, but Kanye Udoh and Raleek Brown both topped 100 rushing yards.

Udoh scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Leavitt later hit Jordyn Tyson on a two-yard toss to tie things up 17-17. That was made possible by the Arizona State defense also settling into a groove, with the defensive line eating up blocks and giving no time for Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen to throw.

All of it culminated in a Herculean effort to come back into a game where Leavitt was playing horribly and the offense drew multiple false starts because players couldn't hear the cadence. Just after the two minute warning came by, Arizona State positioned themselves into first and goal, but three straight runs were all stopped just short of the endzone.

Then came the decision from Dillingham that will be debated all week.

Mississippi State had burned all three timeouts, and there was 1:38 left in the game. Arizona State was on the 1 yard line, tied 17-17. Dillingham, usually a pretty aggressive coach, opted to kick the field goal. Gomez banged it through, giving the Sun Devils the lead, and their defense just needed one more stop.

It didn't come.

A combination of no pass rush - a blitzing Sun Devil got tripped up at the snap - and a miscommunication in the secondary left Brenen Thompson wide open for a 58-yard touchdown. Just like that, Mississippi State went up 24-20 with 30 seconds left.

On the first play of the next drive, Leavitt tried to find Tyson but threw another duck, this one getting picked off. The Bulldogs just had to kneel down and walk away with the upset win as fans stormed the field.

It's a heartbreaking experience to battle all the way back from a 17-0 deficit just to lose on a blown coverage play. This game will also prompt questions, mostly about Leavitt and what's wrong with him, but also about Dillingham's decision to play it safe in the biggest moment of the game.

Whatever the narratives and talking points turn into from here, Arizona State finds itself in need of some soul searching. They've been lackluster in both of their games this year, and next week's game - a home stand against 2-0 Texas State - will be their last before running into the grind of Big 12 play.

Dillingham needs answers, and fast. This loss isn't the end of the world, but it's clear the Sun Devils won't be able to just walk all over their opponents.