TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (1-1) fell victim to what was a tale of two halves on Saturday night against the Mississippi State Bulldgos. The first half performance from Kenny Dillingham’s team was the worst since the 2023 season finale against Arizona – potentially even further back. The squad managed to storm back and get into the position to secure an SEC road victory – just to lose it in the final 30 seconds of action. Arizona State on SI takes a look at three major takeaways from the shocking loss in Starkville.

Run Game Served Sun Devils Well De-facto starting RB Kyson Brown went down in the first quarter with what was described as an ankle injury by coach Dillingham. While it took time for the Arizona State offense to find a rhythm, it finally came alive at the very end of the first half. Kanye Udoh and Raleek Brown both had their way in what was a perfectly drawn up gameplan adjustment by offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. Udoh’s 105 yards and trip to the end zone validated why the coaching staff actively sought out his commitment from the transfer portal last December – his downhill style of running perfectly combatted the looks the Bulldogs were giving. R. Brown continues to be a revelation for the Sun Devils – displaying a surprising jolt of power to compliment his explosiveness. The running back group once again appears to be one that can be counted on regularly – Shaun Aguano continues to do a phenomenal job of managing the position.

Leavitt Encouters Worst Performance of Career The redshirt sophomore put together a four touchdown performance in the season opening victory over Northern Arizona. The performance wasn’t taken kindly by the 20-year old, as he labeled his showing as a ‘C-plus,’ which was something that Dillingham refuted. Saturday night made for a nightmare for Leavitt – both as a draft prospect and as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Leavitt completed just 10 of 22 passes for 82 yards – throwing two interceptions in the process, including the turnover that officially secured a Mississippi State victory. Dillingham did not put an ounce of blame on Leavitt after the game, instead stating that it’s his own responsibility to put the face of the program into more of a rhythm compared to what was seen in a chaotic environment that Starkville proved to be. Leavitt should still inspire confidence from within the Sun Devil fanbase, but this was certainly an outcome that takes Arroyo and others back to the drawing board. Defense Doomed By Substitution Errors, Big Plays The defense allowed Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen to throw for 279 yards on 33 attempts. 153 of those yards were on three select plays – the trio of touchdowns that the Bulldogs scored during the night. While the second touchdown was controversial due to the no-call on an apparent chop block levied out to Arizona State safety Myles Rowser – Javon Robinson was still beat, and the defense shouldn’t have been in a position that they relied on a penalty call to get out of a situation. The two marked errors of the night came down to keeping Robinson in the game late rather than Rodney Bimage Jr. – a rising freshman who was playing quite well in the snap share he received. Robinson is a quality player, but Saturday simply wasn’t his night. The other error was DC Brian Ward drawing up a cover zero play on the game-winning touchdown. Ward’s aggressive approach often pays off in high leverage moments, but the previous touchdowns that had been ceded should have pointed to sending more DB’s back in coverage being the safe play in the pursuit of victory. Arizona State will look to rebound from the loss next Saturday when they return to Tempe to face the Texas State Bobcats. Read more on what the strong week one showing from the Big 12 means for the Sun Devils here , and on what Arizona State players could fit on the Pittsburgh Steelers here . Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here . Please follow us on X when you click right here !