TEMPE, Ariz. – The Week 2 matchup between Arizona State football and Mississippi State marked the first real test of the 2025 season for the Sun Devils, and a lot was revealed. The Bulldogs last minute 58-yard touchdown spoiled what would have been a 17-point comeback for ASU.
ASU struggled early, allowing Mississippi State’s senior quarterback Blake Shapen to drive the Bulldogs into the end zone in the first minute and ten seconds of the game. As soon as MSU built this momentum from the opening drive, there was no looking back for nearly the entire first half. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt could not get the Sun Devils offense going at all through the craziness at Davis Wade Stadium. It was evident the environment was taking a toll on ASU as they trailed 17-0 late in the first half.
“What an atmosphere,” MSU head coach Jeff Lebby said. “That was Davis Wade at its finest.”
However ASU capped the first half getting three points on the board thanks to a 51-yard field goal from the senior transfer out of Eastern Michigan, Jesus Gomez.
Once the second half came, everything flipped. The Sun Devils built on the momentum they built going into halftime and opened the second half with a great drive led by junior running rack Kanye Udoh. The Army transfer topped the drive getting into the end zone, cutting the Bulldogs lead to one possession. ASU’s defense continued to piece together stop after stop, and the offense fought all the way back to take their first lead of the game.
ASU led 20-17 with only 1:38 left on the clock, and they had held a shutout in the second half. However, after a miscue from the ASU secondary, Shapen connected on a 58-yard last minute touchdown with Bulldogs’ receiver Brenen Thompson. The miscommunication from the two cornerbacks, redshirt senior Kyndrich Breedlove and redshirt junior Javan Robinson allowed for Thompson to walk right into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
“We’re one play away from this being a completely different narrative” head coach Kenny Dillingham said.
With the final hope, Leavitt and the ASU offense needed to piece together a game saving drive in the last 30 seconds. However, Leavitt threw an interception, ultimately ending the game.
After a sloppy first half, and the exciting second half fight, here are five takeaways from the game.
1. ASU Football Will Look Much Different from 2024
If there was ever a hope that ASU football would pick up right where they left off from last season, after last night, that hope dwindled. Coming into the 2025 season ranked just five spots behind where they ended last year, it was easy to expect a lot from the Sun Devils. Especially early on against non-conference opponents.
But the fact is, ASU will have to respond quickly if it wants to achieve similar success. Going into the game, Dillingham had a seven-game streak in which ASU did not punt on the opening drive. The Sun Devils’ opening drive on Saturday was five plays for 13 yards, resulting in a punt. ASU also fell to a 17-0 deficit in the second quarter, which matched its biggest deficit at any point in the 2024 season. The largest deficit last year was in Week 7 against Cincinnati, 24-7.
The fact that it only took two weeks to match their biggest deficit at any point from last season definitely raises some concern. However, ASU did show a lot of heart in fighting back and making it a close game. To fall short in such a valiant effort is heart-breaking, and not a feeling ASU experienced much last season.
“We didn’t lose close games very much last year,” Dillingham said. “Other than the Texas game at the end, we won most of those last year.”
2. Leavitt Needs More Time to Develop
Sending Leavitt into a rambunctious SEC atmosphere in only his second week with the spotlight on him proved to be too big of a jump. Being forced to adjust without Cam Skattebo, ASU attempted to attack the air the first few drives of the game. However, Leavitt’s start clearly showed that he has some nerves in his system that he has to shake.
Until the 4:39 mark of the second quarter, Leavitt was 2/9 with two passing yards and an interception. With Leavitt receiving pre-season Heisman conversations, his poor first half performance came as a surprise. In the first half, ASU needed somebody on the offense to step up, and Leavitt continually struggled to do so.
“You got to give that team credit, they played good football,” Dillingham said. “We couldn’t get Sam in a rhythm. I got to do a better job of getting him in a rhythm.”
Leavitt had a few plays where he spotted open wide receivers, but tossed an off-the-mark pass, resulting in incompletions. On top of that, he had a couple instances of over-looking open receivers in big moments. For instance, on Leavitt’s first interception, as he rolled out to the right, he failed to see an open redshirt senior tight end Chamon Metayer in the center of the field, and instead fired a deep ball down the right sideline into tight coverage that got intercepted by MSU’s junior cornerback Jayven Williams.
With how much ASU struggled to move the chains in the first half, this issue loomed large over the Sun Devils.
3. Jordyn Tyson Proving His Worth
Jordyn Tyson had another trip to the end zone on Saturday, jumping to the team leader in touchdowns with three in the first two games. Tyson ended the game with six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.
His touchdown came on a clutch fourth and one conversion from the Bulldogs’ two yard line early in the fourth quarter, and knotted the game up at 17 a piece. Considering the situation, the play-call was a bold one, but Tyson proved he is a player you can trust in big scenarios.
On this play he got stranded in single coverage, created ample space on his outside after his release and opened up for Leavitt to make an easy touchdown pass within only a couple seconds from the snap. This play felt like a major momentum shift for the Sun Devils and a confidence booster for Leavitt to build on.
Considering the season Tyson will need to maintain his draft stock, it’s safe to assume Tyson will continue to bring it week after week. Unfortunately, Saturday did snap an impressive four-game streak for Tyson of having 100-plus receiving yards. But judging off his first couple of performances, that’s a streak one can expect to be restored in no time.
4. Running Back Core Is Solid
A good outing from both junior running backs, Raleek Brown and Udoh led to a couple of takeaways. Brown ran for 110 yards on 18 carries and Udoh ran for 105 yards with a touchdown on 23 carries. The two weapons in the backfield both played crucial roles in helping the Sun Devils make their comeback. So what is there to make from it?
First, a sense of relief can be taken knowing Skattebo’s position has been filled with very competent players. To fill the loss of Skattebo, ASU hit the transfer portal to grab a high potential player in Udoh, and need a jump this season from Brown. Both of them showed what they can be capable of last night.
Second, after practically splitting reps yesterday, there is no sure answer as to who ASU’s No. 1 running back is. Moving forward, you can expect Brown and Udoh to be competing week after week for the top running back spot. It was evident in last nights game alone that both of those guys want to make the most of their opportunities.
In ASU’s second to last drive, Brown rushed for 53 yards and got the Sun Devils all the way down to the three yard line for a 1st and goal, and then got subbed out for Udoh. Brown was visibly anxious to get back in the game and finish his drive. However, ASU handed the ball off three straight times to Udoh who fell one yard short of the goal line, leading the Sun Devils to settle for a field goal.
Whether or not Dillingham made a mistake taking Brown out of the game in that situation is up in the air. What’s not up in the air is the fact that the two running backs can do damage. Then you throw into the equation junior running back Kyson Brown, and ASU’s running back room is loaded.
The Mississippi native Kyson Brown (lower leg) went down in the first quarter of his homecoming game against the Bulldogs with an injury and didn’t return for the remainder of the game. Kyson Brown had two carries for 11 yards at the time of the injury, and had a very solid seven carries for 73 yards in Week 1 against NAU.
“It’s awesome to see all three of them step up in their own roles,” Dillingham said during training camp. “And the best part is all 3 of them got excited about each other.”
This year’s running back room should make for an interesting one, but one that ASU faithful can look forward to watching on a weekly basis.
5. Daunting Trip to the CFP
Starting the season ranked No. 11, the preseason hopes for ASU were high. Being ranked a Top 12 team in the nation, the mindset for the season automatically becomes the College Football Playoffs. Dropping this Week 2 contest in brutal fashion to an unranked opponent makes the task of getting to the CFP a lot more difficult.
“Yeah it’s gonna affect our win/loss column,” Dillingham said. “But it can’t affect our future games.”
The future games in question will be no cake walk. In two weeks, ASU travels to Waco, Texas to take on the Baylor Bears who just upset No. 17 SMU in double overtime. Then from Weeks 6-7 ASU will face two Top 25 teams, starting at Utah, then Texas Tech the following week at home.
These are all sure to be tough games to win, and after the first two weeks it seems ASU cannot take any opponent for granted this season. Now with the mindset focused on the CFP, it is still very possible for the Sun Devils to make it. After all, they made it to the playoffs last season with two regular season losses, one of them being to unranked Cincinnati. The odds they make it with a couple losses two straight years, however, are very slim. However, if ASU can win back-to-back Big 12 championships, it’ll guarantee itself a spot in the CFP. This means the Sun Devils have to get hot quickly and elevate their performance moving forward.
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