The No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils rallied from 14 points down after halftime, took the lead, but surrendered it in the final seconds as Mississippi State upset them, 24-20, in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday.
The game was electric as MSU fans at Davis-Wade Stadium rang cowbells throughout the game, which threw the Sun Devils (1-1) off their game for most of the first half. This was a big game for both teams. Arizona State wanted to claim a power conference road win while the Bulldogs (2-0) had not beaten a ranked team at home since 1991.
Well, after Arizona State rallied on the back of its running game and took the lead in the final seconds of the game, a defensive breakdown as MSU quarterback Blake Shapen went deep to wide receiver Brenen Thompson scored a touchdown that set off a massive celebration in Starkville, which included MSU fans storming the field and tearing down the goal posts.
ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for just 82 yards and rushed for 25 more as he went 10-for-22 passing and tossed two interceptions. Wide receiver Jaylon Tyson caught six passes for 68 yards while running backs Kanye Udoh and Raleek Brown combined for 215 rushing yards.
MSU’s Blake Shapen threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns. The Bulldog running game gained just 66 yards, while Thompson caught six passes for 133 yards and two scores. Anthony Evans III caught nine passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
That Awful First Half
For the first time in quite some time, the Arizona State offense look overmatched. The Mississippi State defense held the Sun Devils to 30 passing yards, registered five tackles for loss and sacked Leavitt twice. He was frustrated the entire half. He was 5-for-15 with an interception. Udoh, an Army transfer, pitched in 40 yards on the ground, but ASU lost lead back Kyson Brown in the first quarter due to an injury.
The Sun Devil defense did just enough to keep things from truly spinning out of control. The defense forced the Bulldogs’ offense off the field on a key fourth down. While former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen had a fine first half (11-for-17, 168 yards, two touchdowns), the Bulldogs also punted three times as other drives sputtered.
Arizona State was lucky that it was only down 17-3 at the break. Jesus Gomez’s 51-yard field goal as time expired gave the Sun Devils a little momentum — and a break from the cacophony of cowbells that inundated them throughout the first 30 minutes.
A Near-Perfect Ending
Arizona State changed the formula in the second half and sold out to the run — and it worked. The Sun Devils did so without Brown. ASU rushed for 186 yards on 32 carries. The Sun Devils possessed the ball for nearly 22 minutes. Down 17-3 at the break, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham put his trust in Udoh and Brown and they delivered. The run game helped set up a perfect play-action touchdown pass from Leavitt to Tyson to tie the game at 17-17.
Then, had this game ended differently, the Sun Devils’ final drive would have lived in history. The 17-play, 95-yard opus started with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter and ended with 1:38 left. But Mississippi State’s defense did the one thing it had to — keep the Sun Devils out of the end zone. MSU kept Arizona State out of the end zone on three running plays inside the 3-yard line and Arizona State settled for a field goal. But they were in control. Well, until it wasn’t.
But the Sun Devils showed they can flip the script in a big game. That’s something to file away for Big 12 play.
That Chop Block
One thing that completely mystifies me is the tradition that the road team brings its conference officials to the game. It’s borderline insulting, in my opinion. If the SEC and the Big 12 are playing a non-conference game, as MSU and ASU were playing on Saturday, the crew should be from the Big Ten or the ACC. I felt the same way watching the Texas-Ohio State game last Saturday. How was Ohio State OK with that? How was the Big Ten? That must change, and not because of what happened in the second quarter.
This is a chop block. Pure and simple. It passes the eye test. ESPN analyst Brock Osweiler broke it down so well that it sounds like there are two different ways a player can be called for a chop block, and the Mississippi State blocker could have been called either way.
It wasn’t called — and it wasn’t called by Big 12 officials. Worse, it was flagged and then the officials said there was no chop block. I’m not asking for a homer call. I’m asking for the right call. The fact that MSU scored a long touchdown pass on the play was salt in the wound. Would a Big Ten or ACC crew have made the call? I don’t know. But a call that clear must be made and there must be more accountability from league offices when these calls aren’t made.
