Mississippi State football has an incredible opportunity at a defining win early in Jeff Lebby's tenure on Saturday night when No. 12 Arizona State comes to Starkville. How can the Bulldogs pull off an upset? Here are three keys to victory...
Mississippi State must limit Sun Devils' wide receiver Jordyn Tyson
Arizona State has one of the very best wideouts in the country in Jordyn Tyson. After 1101 yards and 10 TDs in 2024, he opened 2025 with 12 catches for 141 yards and a pair of scores. He's who ASU wants to feed targets to, and they'll move him around to give QB Sam Leavitt favorable matchups to take advantage of.
But what Leavitt hasn't shown with consistency is a willingness to target skill players other than Tyson. It's not that he can't, but there's much more of a hesitancy to pull the trigger for someone other than Tyson. If you're the Bulldogs, you do what you can to get Leavitt out of his comfort zone by keying in on Tyson and forcing the ball to other players.
The Bulldogs have to contain Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt
Speaking of forcing Sam Leavitt out of his comfort zone, Leavitt is a dangerous runner, especially when scrambling. He broke off a long TD run, one of two on the night, while scrambling in ASU's season-opener in route to a 73-yard rushing performance. When he gets outside the pocket, he's incredibly difficult to contain. And along with running, he loves to create passing plays downfield off script too.
But where he isn't as comfortable is when he's forced to stay in the pocket beyond his initial passing read. Essentially, if he can't quickly throw to his primary target and can't leave the pocket, he can get sloppy. That's when he forces throws he shouldn't, and that's when he's prone to taking sacks. So if the Bulldogs can keep his primary target, Tyson, covered and keep him in the pocket, Leavitt suddenly won't be as dangerous.
Mississippi State has to protect quarterback Blake Shapen in the passing game
Most State fans are going to talk about the Bulldog run game as the most important factor for State's offense finding success Saturday night. And while State would definitely love to get their ground game rolling, that may not be the determining factor against ASU. The Sun Devils have an outstanding run defense, and their defensive mentality starts with stopping the run. They're good against the pass too, but the teams that have found the most success offensively against them did so through the air. They took advantage of one-on-one balls and open space underneath.
I think if MSU is going to get their offense going, it's going to be with Blake Shapen leading the way, and that means his OL has got to give him time to operate. Pass protection was a problem for MSU all last season, including against ASU. The blocking has got to be better up front. If Shapen has time, he can be effective throwing the ball.