In arguably the highest-stake game of Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham’s regime, the Sun Devils welcomed the Mississippi State University Bulldogs to Tempe on Saturday. Entering the contest, ASU had never defeated an SEC opponent in its history. Coming off a dominating 48-7 victory the week prior against the Wyoming Cowboys, Arizona State overcame its SEC woes and beat the Bulldogs 30-23.
Sun Devils offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s game plan was evident from the get-go; ground and pound the football against the Bulldog defense. Senior running back Cam Skattebo and redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt legged Arizona State to the victory.
Arroyo’s offense rushed 57 times for 346 yards. Skattebo continued to display his hard-nosed rushing abilities and racked up nearly 300 all-purpose yards. After sitting the entire fourth quarter of the Wyoming blowout, Skattebo was ready for the workload.
“I feel amazing,” Skattebo said. “That was the most fun I’ve had in a football game in a long time.”
The former Sacramento State University Hornet posted the second-highest rushing total in an ASU game with 262 yards, behind Eno Benjamin’s 312-yard effort against Oregon State in 2018.
However, Skattebo was not the only Sun Devil who showcased their running capabilities. Leavitt led Arizona State in rushing touchdowns with two, opening the scoring with an impressive 17-yard scamper out to his left for six. The Michigan State transfer threw for only 69 yards in the air and completed 50 percent of his passes.
ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s defense extended its scoring streak in the winning effort. After two defensive touchdowns against Wyoming, redshirt junior defensive lineman Clayton Smith forced MSU senior quarterback Blake Shapen out of the pocket and the quarterback coughed up the football. Sophomore defensive lineman C.J. Fite scooped up the loose ball and pranced into the end zone to put the Sun Devils up 20-3 at the 8:23 mark of the second quarter.
Arizona State’s sound first half on both sides of the ball gave the Sun Devils a 27-3 lead at halftime.
While frustrated by the sloppy second half, Dillingham knew it was important.
“Even though it probably lost three months off my life, our team needed that,” Dillingham said. “We needed to get hit in the face. We needed to have to get back up.”
The Bulldogs scored 20 unanswered in the second half and kept Arizona State on its heels until the very end. Bulldogs junior wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. highlighted their team’s response in the fourth quarter with an 80-yard, catch-and-run score. With a little over five minutes left, it was a one-score game.
Skattebo was the workhorse of the final drive of the game. On 4th and 1, needing one yard, on their own 34-yard line, Dillingham rolled the dice and turned to his leading rusher again. He picked up the most important first down of the game as ASU went three-for-three on fourth-down conversions. He later broke through with a 39-yard dash down the right sideline to seal the deal.
After nearly 14,000 fans attended the home opener, the crowd showed out again this week to support ASU.
“I think it’s the first time in school history, 10,000 students in the student section in back-to-back games, which is awesome,” Dillingham said. “You could feel the energy in the stadium. This is a fun place to be in when it’s rocking.”
The Sun Devils’ first SEC win in their school’s history propels them to a 2-0 record to start the season. With a short week approaching, Arizona State heads to the Texas State University in San Marcos for a Thursday night matchup.
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