TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State Football aims to build upon a gritty week 1 victory and shift its focus to this week's matchup against Mississippi State.
The 11th-ranked Sun Devils triumphed over Northern Arizona 38-19 last Saturday despite committing the most penalties in a game, 12, since coach Kenny Dillingham arrived at his alma mater.
Dillingham’s squad travels to SEC country to take on Mississippi State. ASU defeated the Bulldogs last year at Mountain America Stadium, winning 30-23 and securing the program’s first victory over an SEC opponent.
The Bulldogs’ home field advantage will challenge the Sun Devils, as MSU’s crowd boasts a loud and hostile atmosphere to visiting teams.
“Cowbells baby,” Dillingham said. “Its going to be fun, they love their football down there…they will be there at 9 a.m. for a 6:30 kickoff getting ready roll. It will be their first home game of the year, I’m excited, the football down there is really good.”
At Tuesday’s practice, Dillingham’s coaching staff used cowbells to echo throughout the practice, getting his players accustomed to the environment they will face this Saturday.
“Honestly, I like it. Kind of reminds me of high school football,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt said. “The only time it bugged me was when they were doing it in the center’s ear, and he couldn’t hear me through the cadence.”
Last season, former ASU running back Cameron Skattebo led the Sun Devils to victory with a superstar performance of 262 yards rushing against the Bulldogs. After Skattebo’s departure to the NFL, many wondered how ASU would not only replace his production in the backfield but also the running back’s leadership in the locker room.
All eyes sit on Leavitt, who is tasked with fulfilling the leadership void left by Skattebo.
The Sun Devils’ quarterback put on a strong performance against NAU, going 25 for 39 for 257 yards passing and two passing touchdowns. Leavitt’s legs were a factor as well, having 73 yards rushing and two more touchdowns.
Last season, the Sun Devils’ offense relied heavily on the ground game and Skattebo. In 2025, Dillingham said he wants a more aggressive pass-first offense with the duo of Leavitt and redshirt junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
Leavitt connected with Tyson 12 times for 141 yards receiving and two receiving touchdowns in Saturday’s victory.
However, the running game for ASU won’t be abandoned, as the trio of running backs, junior Kyson Brown, redshirt senior Raleek Brown and junior Amry transfer Kanye Udoh, have their fair share of the offense’s production.
The group of K. Brown, R. Brown and Udoh combined for 14 carries and 130 yards rushing in the win over NAU.
K. Brown is a native of Mississippi, with many family members and friends in attendance for the matchup against Mississippi State.
“I’m absolutely ready to go, ready to see my family, ready to play at that stadium,” K. Brown said. “I remember going to those games as a little kid… I probably got the whole city of Tupelo coming out.”
Mississippi State had a similar week 1 showing against Southern Mississippi. The Bulldogs showed flashes of brilliance and moments of sloppiness, finishing with 14 penalties, but ultimately prevailed 34-17.
The Bulldogs have an experienced team and added 32 total transfers from this offseason. The most notable transfer being senior quarterback Blake Shapen who last season threw for 268 passing yards and two passing touchdowns against the Sun Devils.
On paper, ASU and MSU match up similarly, with both sides boasting a lot of returning and experienced talent.
The Bulldogs look to get coach Jeff Lebby his first signature win at Mississippi State against a ranked, No. 12, Sun Devils squad.
Across the field, ASU aims for a cleaner game and to take care of business on the road before a home matchup with Texas State.
“Starting fast is critical in most games,” Dillingham said. “I don’t think it's any different on the road or at home, obviously if you get a lead you may be able to remove the noise at times, but they are such a good fanbase… I think they are going to show up and they are going to be loud and it's going to come down to our players going out there and executing and playing our brand of football.”