Mississippi State fails to make historic comeback after loss to Arizona State

TEMPE, Arizona – Mississippi State’s big win last week brought a lot of hope and excitement, but Saturday night in the desert was a reality check.

The Bulldogs were dominated in the first half. They couldn't stop Arizona State's attack and couldn't move the ball on offense either. The Sun Devils had 137 rush yards in the first half and Mississippi State had -13 rush yards.

But Mississippi State nearly pulled off the biggest comeback victory in school history.

With 5:27 minutes left, Kevin Coleman Jr. was able to bring the Bulldogs within seven points of Arizona State with an 80-yard touchdown catch and the enthusiasm of the Sun Devils fans drastically decreased.

After Coleman's goal, Arizona State was able to return to its first-half form with a long drive, securing the Sun Devils their first win against an SEC team.

Mississippi State was able to narrowly reduce the score, but the Sun Devils were the dominant team for much of the game.

The Bulldogs couldn't stop Arizona State's running attack, giving up 346 yards in the 30-23 loss. Cam Skattebo ran at will, rushing for 262 yards (137 in the first half alone), and quarterback Sam Leavitt used his legs to score first downs and touchdowns at crucial moments.

Jeff Lebby's offense didn't fare much better. The Bulldogs managed 24 total rushing yards after a disastrous first half. Blake Shapen rarely had an open pocket and completed 64 percent of his passes. He was sacked only once, but that was a costly sack. Deep in his own territory, Shapen attempted to throw the ball away when he was pulled to the ground, the ball slipped out and the Sun Devils picked it up and scored an easy touchdown to make it 20-3.

Mississippi State attempted a comeback that would have set a new school record for the largest overtime deficit. After the Sun Devils' third field goal of the night, the Bulldogs marched down the field and Keyvone Lee scored a six-yard touchdown that brought the Bulldogs within 20 points.

On their next possession, the Bulldogs pulled ahead further and cut the game to 14 points when Shapen perfectly executed a fake QB draw and threw the ball to a completely free Davon Booth in the end zone.

But Arizona State returned to its first-half form in the fourth quarter and did not let Mississippi State down on its final possessions.

Eastern Kentucky was never meant to be a barometer to measure how good Mississippi State is. It was always Arizona State. One loss is not the end of the world. There are still a lot of games left and anything can happen.

But the desert heat exposed many of the Bulldogs’ weaknesses.

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