Cam Skattebo set a career high with 262 rushing yards, and quarterback Sam Leavitt added two rushing touchdowns as Arizona State edged out Mississippi State 30-23 on Saturday night, marking their first victory over a Southeastern Conference team.
Mississippi State nearly mounted a comeback from a 30-3 deficit midway through the third quarter, narrowing the score to 30-23 with 5:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. Arizona State managed to run out the clock on their subsequent drive.
Skattebo cemented the win with a decisive 39-yard run with under two minutes left. His 262 rushing yards rank as the second-highest in school history.
“Today was fun,” Skattebo said. “That’s the most fun I’ve had in a football game in a long time. We had our ups and downs, but that was fun. You can ask these guys up front. Bullying dudes, grown men, who are 300 pounds, that’s fun to us.”
The game was the first matchup between the two teams and served as an intriguing early-season test. Arizona State (2-0) was anticipated to be near the bottom of the Big 12 in preseason polls, while Mississippi State (1-1) is also in a rebuilding phase in the SEC.
Skattebo and Leavitt led the charge against the Mississippi State defense, contributing to a 27-3 halftime lead. They combined for 193 rushing yards before the break. The 215-pound Skattebo was particularly effective, averaging over nine yards per carry in the first half and nearly eight for the game, finishing with 33 carries.
“Blocking for him gives us the advantage,” Arizona State center Leif Fautanu said. “We just have to get in the way and he does the rest.”
Arizona State extended its lead to 30-3 midway through the third quarter after consuming about 8 1/2 minutes with a 14-play drive.
Mississippi State then rallied with consecutive touchdown drives, narrowing the gap to 30-16 with 13:09 left in the fourth quarter when Blake Shapen connected with Davon Booth for a 13-yard touchdown.
“We started executing better, doing our job, playing the next play and we found a way to string some touchdowns together,” Shapen said.
The Bulldogs pulled within 30-23 when Kevin Coleman Jr. caught a pass, broke a tackle, and sprinted for an 80-yard touchdown.
Shapen finished the game with 268 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 18 of 28 passes. Coleman led Mississippi State with 103 receiving yards.
Arizona State scored a defensive touchdown for the second consecutive week when C.J. Fite recovered a fumble from Shapen and ran 1 yard to the end zone, stretching the ball over the pylon as he was falling out of bounds.
That score made it 20-3, and Mississippi State was unable to recover in time.
“I’ve got to take care of the football there,” Shapen said. “That’s totally on me.”
Arizona State further extended its lead to 27-3 at halftime thanks to Leavitt’s 1-yard run with 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Leavitt had initially put the Sun Devils up 7-0 on their opening drive with a 17-yard run and a dive just inside the left pylon for the touchdown. This capped a notable 79-yard, 10-play drive, including 58 yards rushing.
The Takeaway
Arizona State: The Sun Devils have shown a significant turnaround this season after two consecutive 3-9 seasons. However, second-year coach Kenny Dillingham will have points to address after nearly squandering a 27-point lead.
Arizona State will play its first road game of the season at Texas State on Thursday.
