September 7, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo (4) against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Arizona State withstood a late rally to win its first game against an SEC opponent, beating Mississippi State 30-23 in Tempe, Arizona, on Saturday night as Cam Skattebo set a new career high for 262 rushing yards on 33 carries.
The Sun Devils (2-0), who went into the game trailing 0-5 against the SEC, almost lost a 30-3 lead in the third quarter.
Thanks to Skattebo’s performance, Arizona State was able to collect 346 rushing yards on 57 carries.
Mississippi State (1-1) managed only 24 yards on 27 attempts.
Blake Shapen, a transfer from Baylor, was sacked three times and finished the game with minus-22 yards on the ground.
Shapen completed 18 of 28 pass attempts for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
His 80-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. with 5:27 left was Mississippi State’s third consecutive unanswered touchdown of the second half, cutting the deficit to 30-23.
Arizona State took a 27-3 halftime lead and limited Mississippi State to 82 yards of offense.
The Sun Devils had 208 yards on 28 attempts by halftime, while Mississippi State had minus-13 yards on 14 attempts.
Arizona State scored on its first five possessions, while Mississippi State punted twice, dropped the ball and lost the ball on downs on four of its first five possessions.
Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, a transfer from Mississippi State, scored the Sun Devils’ two offensive touchdowns in the first half with runs of 17 yards and 1 yard.
The 1-yard sneak ended the scoring in the first half with 33 seconds left.
Arizona State scored a defensive touchdown in the first half on CJ Fite’s 1-yard scoop and a touchdown after a fumble by Shapen, who lost the ball on a hit by Clayton Smith.
Leavitt threw passes for 69 yards and completed 10 of 20 attempts.
Mississippi State scored touchdowns on two consecutive possessions in the second half to cut the lead to 30-16 with 13:08 left in the game.
Keyvone Lee scored the first touchdown on a 6-yard run on fourth-and-3 with 2:29 minutes left in the third quarter.
Shapen completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Davon Booth for the second touchdown.
Mississippi State’s possession was extended by a holding call against Arizona State on a fourth-and-9 situation.
–Field level media
