Mississippi State learned a lot about themselves Saturday against Arizona State. The first half looked a lot like the Dawgs from last season. But the second half showed what they could be. The Bulldogs lost the game in Tempe 30-23. But the final score doesn’t tell the tale of the journey taken by State. It was a duality of personalities within one team as the Bulldogs learned lessons against the Sun Devils. The team that emerged in the second half is the one that can lead to a winning team.
Remember that these players are new to each other. Veterans are working with a whole new coaching staff and roster. It’s a lot more than the first day of school. It determines the trajectory of lives, personalities, and the future of a program.
This was the first meeting between ASU and State, and the first time in the former’s history beating an SEC team.
Days of Future Past
It was a late game for Bulldog fans back in Mississippi, with a 9:30 PM Central Time kickoff. The way the first half went might have made some turn in early, thinking that this season was going to be more of the same as last year.
Arizona State scored on all five of its first possessions. Running back Cam Skattebo was the main feature rushing for a total of 262 yards, a career high for him. ASU’s rushing total for the game was 359 yards. Scattebo accounted for 73% of those. This created a great deal of concern for the Dawgs’ run defense.
On one scoring drive in the first half, the Tempe team scored on an 11-play drive following a fourth and one failed attempt by State. Out of those 11 plays, 10 were rushes, finalized with quarterback Sam Leavitt running in from the one. He would have two rushing touchdowns in the first half.
Also, State’s offense seemed ill-prepared, with some not knowing where to line up. This can lead that side of the ball to an overall failure and a loss of confidence. One of ASU’s scores came from their defense as Bulldog quarterback Blake Shapen fumbled. Sun Devil defensive lineman CJ Fite scooped it up and ran the one-yard for a touchdown. This vulnerability was alluded to by Bulldog head coach Jeff Lebby in his post-game comments following the Eastern Kentucky win. “The ball was on the ground too many times,” Lebby said. This was State’s only fumble, but considering the difference in the final score, a deadly one. Arizona State led MSU 27-3 going in at halftime.
Jekyll and Hyde
The second half started out pretty much as the first one ended, with the Sun Devils driving the ball down the field in 14 plays. This time, however, the Dawg defense held ASU to a field goal and their last scoring success of the game. The drive, however, ate up over eight minutes of the clock. This would be a determining factor in the game’s outcome.
That’s when MSU’s offense finally got in gear. Shapen drove them down to the six-yard line and Keyvone Lee got his first Bulldog touchdown run with 2:29 left in the third quarter.
In the first four drives of the second half, the Bulldogs scored three touchdowns to bring the score to its final conclusion, 30-23. The last score came in dramatic fashion with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Shapen to Kevin Coleman with 5:27 left in the game. Momentum was finally in the Dawgs’ favor. However, despite forcing three straight punts, the Bulldog defense couldn’t give the offense one last try, and time eventually ran out. It could have been the biggest comeback in Mississippi State history. But, the Bulldogs did give ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham quite a scare. “Even though it probably lost three months off my life, our team needed that,” Dillingham said in his post-game press conference.
Where to Go from Here
The second-half comeback says a lot about the culture Lebby is trying to build at State. He said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in the season opener, that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses. This loss is a learning moment for all the new people on the coaching staff, and the roster, as they get to know each other better. The desert heat exposed a lot of their weaknesses, but those can be rectified in the coming weeks. The Dawgs need to take advantage of that knowledge, especially as they hit the five-game SEC scrub board, on September 21st..
Lebby saw it that way as he said in a post-game radio interview. “Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work, and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The Dawgs’ next game is September 14th with Toledo coming to Starkville in the third of their four non-conference games.
