Sep 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 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 on Saturday night in Tempe, Arizona, behind Cam Skattebo’s career-high 262 rushing yards on 33 carries.
The Sun Devils (2-0), who entered the game 0-5 against the SEC, nearly blew a 30-3 lead in the third quarter.
Thanks to Skattebo’s performance, Arizona State accumulated 346 rushing yards on 57 carries.
Mississippi State (1-1) rushed for just 24 yards on 27 attempts.
Baylor transfer Blake Shapen was sacked three times and finished with minus-22 yards on the ground.
Shapen completed 18 of 28 passing attempts for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
His 80-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. with 5:27 remaining was Mississippi State’s third consecutive unanswered touchdown in the second half and cut the deficit to 30-23.
Arizona State took a 27-3 lead into halftime, limiting Mississippi State to 82 yards of total offense.
The Sun Devils rushed for 208 yards on 28 carries at halftime, while Mississippi State had minus-13 yards on 14 carries.
Arizona State scored on its first five possessions, while Mississippi State punted twice, fumbled and turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions.
Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, a transfer from Mississippi State, scored two offensive touchdowns for the Sun Devils in the first half on runs of 17 yards and 1 yard.
The one-yard sneak ended the scoring at the half with 33 seconds left.
Arizona State scored a defensive touchdown at the half on a 1-yard run by CJ Fite and a score off a fumble by Shapen, who lost the ball after a hit by Clayton Smith.
Leavitt threw for 69 yards, completing 10 of 20 attempts.
Mississippi State scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions in the second half to cut the lead to 30-16 with 13:08 remaining in the game.
Keyvone Lee scored the first touchdown on a 6-yard run on a fourth-and-3 play with 2:29 remaining in the third.
Shapen completed a 15-yard scoring pass to Davon Booth for the second touchdown.
Mississippi State’s possession was extended by a holding foul on Arizona State on a fourth-and-9 situation.
–Field level media
