2 Things That Went Wrong For Arizona State in Loss

The Sun Devils have to return to the drawing board after falling to 1-1 in 2025.

Sep 6, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) runs after a catch for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Arizona State is heading into conference play with a blemish on their record in 2025.

The Sun Devils dropped a road game against a rebuilding Mississippi State program by a score of 24-20 in week two.

Kenny Dillingham and co. have much to clean up - Arizona State on SI takes a look at three things that went wrong on Saturday that need to be points of focus moving forward

Anemic Start Offensively

Being unable to set the tone early eventually did Arizona State in - one of the Mississippi State big plays that will be mentioned in the future was in motion before the Sun Devils even obtained possession of the ball.

Sep 6, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) scrambles in the backfield as Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive lineman Will Whitson (43) and linebacker Malick Sylla (8) pursue during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

An early injury to starting RB Kyson Brown, inconsistent pass protection from the Arizona State offensive line, a visibly shaken Sam Leavitt, and an opportunistic Mississippi State defense resulted in a chaotic start for the Sun Devil offensive script.

While OC Marcus Arroyo adjusted beautifully in the latter part of the first half - with Raleek Brown and Kanye Udoh catalyzing the offense, the slow start proved to be too much for the Sun Devils.

Nov 23, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona State Sun Devils helmet at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Defense Ceded The Big Play

The Arizona State defense truly imploded off three distinct plays during the course of the game. The three touchdowns the Bulldogs scored generated 153 yards of offense alone, while the Bulldogs gained just 192 yards over the other 60 plays during the 60 minutes of action.

Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen missed two key throws that would have gone for touchdowns that didn't reflect on the stat sheet, but the Arizona State defense did hold up for the most part, outside of the game-breaking plays.

The Arizona State secondary has been supremely talented since last season, but lapses in coverage and giving up big plays have been one of the weaknesses of the team as a whole since last season.

The Sun Devils will have much to discuss in the coming days ahead of facing Texas State this coming Saturday.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's week two loss here, and on taking a dive into coach Dillingham's comments after the game here.

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