By Jacob Seliga
College Football Writer
Through the first three quarters of Arizona State’s Saturday night matchup against Mississippi State at Mountain America Stadium, it appeared as if once again the Sun Devils would coast to another convincing victory.
Behind a strong rushing attack by quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Cam Skattebo, as well as a defensive touchdown by C.J. Fite, the Sun Devils appeared to be using the same script to reach 27 first-half points for the second consecutive week.
But unlike last week, Arizona State needed every single point in a hard-fought 30-23 victory to secure the program’s first-ever win over an SEC opponent.
For how strong the Sun Devils started the game out by scoring on all four first half drives, the final 17 minutes of game time made things dicey.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Mississippi State running back Keyvone Lee took a 6-yard handoff into the end zone to cut the deficit to 20 on the Bulldogs first sustained drive of the second half to that point.
That sparked confidence for a Bulldogs' defense that had been torched on the ground all night, and forced the Sun Devils into their second punt of the night.
Immediately, the Mississippi State offense, led by quarterback and former Sun Devil baseball commit Blake Shapen, drove down the field and found running back Davon Booth for a 15-yard touchdown. Suddenly, in the span of four minutes of game time, the 27 point Sun Devil lead had become 14 with just a hair over a minute into the fourth quarter.
The Sun Devils were forced to punt yet again, shifting momentum to Mississippi State who had capitalized, leaving the home crowd shellshocked.
Instead of buckling under the pressure, the Sun Devils defense came up clutch with back-to-back sacks by Elijah O’Neal and Keyshaun Elliott. O’Neal also batted down a pass on third down that set up a Bulldogs' punt.
On Mississippi's following drive, Shapen found Kevin Coleman Jr., who broke a tackle on his way into the end zone for another Mississippi State touchdown. That score cut the Sun Devils' lead to just seven points. But it was also the final time the Bulldogs had possession.
With their backs against the wall, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham called upon Skattebo to ice the game. On seven carries on the game’s final drive, Skattebo rushed for 70 of his 262 yards on the night to run out the clock and secure the Arizona State victory.
Player of the Game: Running back Cameron Skattebo
The MVP of the 2023 season got off to a quiet start in Week 1, as short fields and a strong passing game limited Skattebo’s usage. On Saturday night, he reminded the country why he’s one of the most under appreciated players in college football. To the tune of 7.9 yards per carry, Skattebo rushed for 262 yards the second most in a game in school history.
Whether it was sweeps, counters or power, he imposed his will against the defensive line of the Bulldogs, constantly running through the first defender before reaching the second level.
“We saw the three-man front and we all felt disrespected by it,” said Skattebo.
What’s Next:
Now, the Sun Devils will head to San Marcos, Texas for their third and final non-conference game of the regular season against Texas State.
This is a tricky matchup for Arizona State. The Bobcats won nine games in 2023 and have started 2024 strong behind James Madison transfer quarterback Jordan McCloud. This will be a tough challenge for the Sun Devils as they will be on a short week of rest with this game taking place on a Thursday night.
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