Reasons for Arizona State Optimism vs Mississippi State
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Arizona State football is heading into relatively uncharted territory this weekend - with the road trip against Mississippi State serving as only the second time the program has traveled to face an SEC team on the road this century.
Mississippi State is a much different team this season compared to last season - at least according to head coach Kenny Dillingham and both coordinators.
The Bulldogs retooled in the transfer portal and are much deeper compared to last season, but the Sun Devils still hold three distinct advantages that should provide a pathway to heading into next week's Texas State battle with a victory.
Arizona State on SI names the three advantages the Sun Devils possess heading into Saturday night below.
Sam Leavitt & Jordyn Tyson
Leavitt has quickly become the face of the Arizona State program and one of the most prominent faces in all of college football in the process.
The 20-year-old has been discussed as a Heisman Trophy contender since ending the 2024 season with an incredible string of performances. He helped his case in many ways on Saturday, namely with an eye-opening 52-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
His rapport with Tyson is something that can never be taken for granted, either. The Sun Devils took advantage of NAU's 'exotic' defensive alignments, which typically left Tyson in single coverage. The result was 12 receptions, 141 yards, and two trips to the end zone.
Mississippi State's defense operates in a fairly similar manner as NAU's - obviously, the roster is deeper, faster, etc, but the Bulldogs often operate in cover one and cover zero themselves.
This opens the door for Leavitt to find Tyson early and often. If the Bulldogs opt to shift their philosophy in-game, Tyson will serve as the perfect decoy for players such as Jaren Hamilton to burst onto the scene
Coaching Advantage
Jeff Lebby is a fine coach. The second-year head coach of the Bulldog program took over a program that was in an incredibly challenging period, as they opted to fire first-year head coach Zach Arnett, who replaced the late Mike Leach after the latter's untimely passing in December of 2022.
Lebby has been tasked with rebuilding a razor-thin roster and competing in an SEC that only grew stronger with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas.
Still, coach Dillingham and his staff post an undeniable advantage over Lebby.
Dillingham has proven to hire the right coaches, recruit the right players, manage a winning team, and coach a team beyond its means over the last two-plus seasons. He is simply already amongst the best coaches in the nation - even at just 35 years old.
WR coach Hines Ward, RB coach Shaun Aguano, and others put a bowtie on what is one of the premier coaching staffs in the entire nation.
Depth
Mississippi State restocked in the transfer portal over the offseason, as previously mentioned, but Arizona State should feel great about the depth on its end of the deal.
This goes for both sides of the ball - Khamari Anderson and Cameron Harpole both took a significant amount of snaps in support of starting TE Chamon Metayer. Kyson Brown, Raleek Brown, and Kanye Udoh all present different challenges to a Bulldog defense that still must put it all together on the field after an influx of talent over the offseason.
As for the defense, Ramar Williams and Albert Smith pose as two very capable edge rushers in an already incredibly talented room. Zyrus Fiaseu and Tate Romney are in place as perfect complements to the starting linebackers, while secondary members such as Adrian "Boogie" Wilson provide support when needed in a group that typically holds high-level players that possess substantial durability.
Arizona State-Mississippi State is set to kick off at 4:30 P.M. Arizona time tomorrow afternoon and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Read more on what the strong week one showing from the Big 12 means for the Sun Devils here, and on what Arizona State players could fit on the Pittsburgh Steelers here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.