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Halftime thoughts as Mississippi State is getting embarrassed in Tempe

This game is getting ugly. It might be time to go to sleep...

By Andrew Miller

Aug 31, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby walks off the field after defeating the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images
Aug 31, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby walks off the field after defeating the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images
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Mississippi State football is in the midst of an embarrassing performance in Tempe. The Bulldogs are down 27-3 at the half to Arizona State. Here's some thoughts on this atrocious outing...

The defense is awful

Mississippi State is getting absolutely run over on defense. They've allowed 262 yards of offense in the first half. 208 of those yards are on the ground. TWO HUNDRED EIGHT. They're banged up along the DL, but that's no excuse for this performance. They are getting worked worse on the ground than we've seen in years. The personnel is lacking, and the gameplan is baffling. How are they giving ASU light boxes to run into over and over? This is just a disaster.

State's offensive line has issues, but Shapen can't play carelessly

The Bulldogs are doing literally nothing on the ground. They have -13 rush yards at the half. State hasn't attempted many runs, but when they have the offensive line isn't getting much push at all. ASU is all over it. And in the passing game, they've allowed the ASU pass-rushers to get after Shapen. They're struggling, but with that said, Shapen can't be absolved of blame. His fumble (whether it was the correct call or not) was totally inexcusable. He can't attempt to make that play there. You're just asking for something bad to happen, and it did. He's also gotten away with a few throws into coverage that could've gone poorly.

It's going to take a miracle for the Bulldogs to get back into this one

I hate to be a total downer and not provide any reason for hope, but it's hard to find any reason for optimism at the half in this one. State's offensive style lends itself to big plays and quick scores, so in theory, making a comeback shouldn't be completely out of the question. The problem is that with the way Arizona State is running the football, I have no confidence whatsoever that the Bulldog defense can 1. stop the Sun Devils enough to get back into the game and 2. every handoff by ASU just eats up more clock and limits the time MSU has for a hypothetical comeback. Unless ASU simply gives the game away, the Bulldogs aren't winning tonight.

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