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Mississippi State

Mississippi State fans storm field, take down goalposts after Arizona State upset

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels09/07/25ChandlerVessels
mississippi state arizona state fans
Photo via ESPN2 broadcast

The stars aligned in Starkville for some Mississippi State magic on Saturday. The Bulldogs used a last-minute touchdown to take down No. 12 Arizona State in a 24-20 victory at Davis Wade Stadium.

Blake Shapen connected with Brenen Thompson on a 58-yard bomb to the end zone with 30 seconds left to put Mississippi State back in front. The defense then closed it out as Hunter Washington intercepted Sun Devils QB Sam Leavitt on the first play of the next drive to seal the win.

The Bulldogs kneeled it out from there as fans in the stands eagerly awaited the final seconds to tick off the clock. Once they finally did, they took to the field in classic college football fashion, taking down some goal posts in the process.

Mississippi State jumped out to an early lead in the contest after scoring on the opening drive and carried a 17-3 advantage into halftime against Arizona State. However, the Sun Devils clawed its way back to eventually take a 20-17 lead with a field goal at the 1:38 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs offense kicked into gear in the clutch, as Shapen went 3-of-4 passing on that final touchdown drive. He spoke with ESPN postgame about what it meant for him to lead his team to the emotional win.

“I feel like the fight in our team is amazing,” Shapen said. “To be able to stay true to who we are, believe in what we can do, you see it tonight. We never gave up. Started fast, hit a slow run and was able to pick it back up.”

Shapen finished the game 19-of-33 passing for 279 yards and three touchdown passes. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs defense forced two interceptions on the opposite end out of Leavitt.

The victory against Arizona State marked the first nonconference home win against a ranked opponent for Mississippi State in 24 years, according to ESPN. The fans certainly celebrated like it afterward on the field.

As is the case for field storming, a fine is likely to be levied by the SEC at some point next week. But that wasn’t going to stop Bulldogs fans from enjoying their moment and one can bet the city of Starkville will be buzzing throughout the night.

Mississippi State will have its fun tonight, but it’s back to business on Monday. The Bulldogs have a Week 3 matchup looming against Alcorn State next Saturday.