Steve Spurrier reacts to Mississippi State upset of Arizona State: 'They could have a good year'

Saturday night’s 24-20 win for Mississippi State over then-No. 12 ranked Arizona State marked a breakthrough for the program in the second season of the Jeff Lebby era. The win gave Lebby his first ranked win with the program and Mississippi State‘s first top-15 win since Oct. 30, 2021 (No. 12 Kentucky).

After going just 2-10 last season, the Bulldogs have opened the 2025 season with a 2-0 record and could very well be 4-0 (as its next two games are against Alcorn State and Northern Illinois) heading into their Sept. 27 clash against No. 15 Tennessee. It’s safe to say this much optimism hasn’t surrounded the program since the legendary Mike Leach was still at the helm in Starkville.

Following its win over the Sun Devils, the legendary Steve Spurrier gave his take on whether or not Mississippi State could end up having a good season. State’s Saturday definitely went better than Spurrier’s Florida Gators, as they were upset 18-16 by USF in The Swamp.

“Mississippi State is all fired up and happy because they could have a good year,” Spurrier said on ‘Another Dooley Noted Podcast‘. “They had a big win and who knows what they can do after this.”

Miss State scored game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds remaining

The Bulldogs jumped out to a dominant 17-0 lead early in the second quarter thanks to two 40-plus yard passing touchdowns from quarterback Blake Shapen. Kenny Dillingham‘s Sun Devils however rattled off 20 unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead with just 1:38 remaining in the game.

Trailing by three late in the game, Shapen showed the college football world that he is one of the most underrated arms in the country. After completing back-to-back passes for nine yards, Shapen found wide receiver Brennen Thompson in stride for a 58-yard touchdown with 30 seconds remaining to steal the late lead.

“I think for me, the message it sends is we’re trending the right way,” Lebby said postgame. “We have a ton of work to do, but to find a way to win after all the things that happened inside the game. The way we started and the things that happened in the second half. And then get the ball back with no timeouts, down a field goal and go right down the field and score. There’s belief inside our walls. Our guys know what we’re capable of. We have continue to play a lot better to get where we want to do. But what an incredible night for our program.”

Arizona State got the ball back with 21 seconds remaining, but quarterback Sam Leavitt immediately threw an interception to end the game. Suddenly, it seems like the Bulldogs could be back as they look to reach a bowl game this season for the first time since 2022.