SEC levies hefty fine against Mississippi State for field storming after victory over Arizona State

An awesome scene took place in Starkville this past Saturday. Mississippi State utilized 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 the Bulldogs 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.

Now, the SEC is making some coin off the moment that’ll live in time in Starkville. They’ve hit Mississippi State with a $500,000 fine for their fans storming the field after their win against Arizona State in Week 2.

All told, the Bulldogs won’t exactly mind the monetary loss. The win was a major moment for the program, but it didn’t always look good for Mississippi State in Week 2.

They 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 their 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, and now the Bulldogs will foot the bill.

That won’t stop Bulldogs fans from enjoying their moment. We’ll see if Mississippi State can keep up their momentum during their Week 3 matchup against Alcorn State on Saturday.

— On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.