COLUMN: Bulldogs ring in a new day with monster win over Arizona State

I was like most of you in the waning minutes of Saturday night’s game.

There are the eternal optimists out there who never gave up on Mississippi State, but let’s face it—we’ve all seen this movie before. The Bulldogs jumped out to a big lead on No. 12 Arizona State, then fell stagnant. Before we knew it, a 17-0 lead had completely flipped to a 20-17 advantage for the Sun Devils with just over a minute remaining.

Fans started heading to the exits, I started heading down to the press conference room, and another devastating Bulldog loss seemed set for the record books. As the great Lee Corso might have said on Saturday night: “Not so fast, my friend.”

Following two and a half stale quarters of offense, filled with five straight scoreless drives, Blake Shapen and the Bulldog offense went to work. Shapen got the Bulldogs to their own 42-yard line with 40 seconds remaining, then surveyed the field and saw a wide-open Brenen Thompson breaking across the middle.

Shapen hit Thompson in stride, and the speedy receiver was off to the races as those still inside Davis Wade Stadium erupted. The touchdown put Thompson—and this Bulldog team—into Mississippi State lore for all the right reasons. They wrote their own story on Saturday night.

“I just think it’s a testament to us that we don’t quit,” Thompson said postgame. “No matter what happened last year, this team is going to continue to fight. This team’s going to continue to show why we belong. We’re going to change the program step by step, game by game, and keep pushing forward.”

The Arizona State game marked the start of a downward spiral for the Bulldogs a season ago. As Cam Skattebo stormed his way to nearly 300 yards rushing in a 30-23 win over State in Tempe, Ariz., it became the first real glimpse of what would become a historically bad defensive season.

A 2-10 record with zero marquee wins led to plenty of frustrations. But Jeff Lebby, his staff, and the team continued to work. The offseason brought in new faces, but some of the old dogs are a big reason why things are taking a step in the right direction.

Last year, Isaac Smith was one of the few bright spots in Coleman Hutzler’s defense. He led the SEC in tackles with over 120, and he had every opportunity to enter the transfer portal and go just about wherever he wanted.

Instead, Smith stayed the course. He believed in Lebby and in Mississippi State, and he helped sell that vision to a host of new faces on that side of the ball. On Saturday, the defense looked completely different from a season ago. They held the Sun Devils to 333 total yards, and QB Sam Leavitt completed just 10 of 22 passes for 82 yards and two interceptions while being held to 25 yards on the ground.

The journey isn’t over for the defense, but the hard work and belief are starting to pay off. For four quarters, this was a defensive unit that brought back memories of some of the hard-nosed Mississippi State defenses of the past.

“It just shows what Mississippi State is—that blue-collar program that everybody says it is. It’s still true tonight,” Smith said. “It feels really good being here for the long ride and having faith in Coach Lebby. I’ve been telling everybody that something is coming and I can feel it. Today, we proved it.”

The rollercoaster of emotions won’t soon be forgotten. The end result—a 24-20 win over a top-12 opponent—is not to be understated. Lebby had not yet tasted victory against a team of this caliber, but he showed that the Bulldogs are indeed moving in the direction he envisions.

A raucous environment—the loudest since 2018—reflected a fan base that is starting to believe in that same vision. A field storm, 21 years in the making, was well-earned too. The win wouldn’t have been possible without the effort from the fans. Now, more opportunity awaits as State moves ahead of schedule.

The final drive showed the blueprint for success, and this team truly found a way—unlike many that came before it.

“I think our guys were calm and confident. We felt really good, down three points, with an opportunity to go win the game,” Lebby said. “I can promise you this—kicking a field goal was not being talked about as we took the field. It was: go win the game right now. That was the attitude and the mindset. There was great confidence in the entire unit, and we found a way to go get it done.”