ASU vs. Mississippi State: Predictions, Breakout Stars, and Bold Calls
- Jordon Leon
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Location: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS
Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 6
Game Context & Narrative
A tough early-season road test in the SEC. Mississippi State will bring a hostile crowd and physical style, but ASU’s off-season work and depth have the Sun Devils ready to show they belong on the bigger stages. This game is about more than W/L — it’s a measuring stick for how Sam Leavitt and Kenny Dillingham handle pressure, tempo, and the trench battles that often decide close games.
Final Score Prediction
Arizona State 27, Mississippi State 21Expect a tight first half, then a second-half swing toward ASU as the Sun Devils force a pair of turnovers and grind the clock with balanced play-calling. A one-score road win frames ASU as a resilient, well-coached team early in the season.
ASU Breakout Player of the Game — Jordyn Tyson (WR, #0)
Tyson is on the official roster and has the size and contested-catch profile to give MSU problems in man coverage or when matched against nickel/safety help. This game’s scheme leans toward intermediate-to-deep shots off play-action — exactly where Tyson thrives. Expect Leavitt to look his way on third-and-manageable and on designed verticals; a handful of explosive catches (100+ yards, 1 TD) would move Tyson from “trusted target” to “go-to playmaker” in the eyes of the Big 12 and national media.
Why Tyson? He’s a polished route-runner with contested-catch ability — the kind of receiver who breaks a game open when a defense is focused on containing other threats. Getting him free for two big plays changes field position, scoring opportunities, and the Bulldogs’ defensive plan.
Hot Take:
This is the week ASU’s defense does more than bend — it breaks momentum in a way that decides the game. Expect the Sun Devils to mix pressure and disguised coverages early; that confusion leads to two second-half takeaways (one strip-sack, one interception) that directly set up a touchdown and a short-field scoring drive.
Beyond turnovers, special teams swing the tilt: a long punt return or a key fourth-down stop flips field position and forces Mississippi State into risky play-calls late. If the offensive gameplan remains methodical — run to control, use play-action to chase safeties — Leavitt hits a couple chunk plays while ASU grinds the clock down the stretch.
If this hot take comes true, the narrative won’t be just “ASU got an upset” — it’ll be “ASU out-coached and out-battled an SEC side in their own building.”
Stat Predictions:
Sam Leavitt (QB): 22/31, 265 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; ~30–40 rushing yards (key scrambles)
Jordyn Tyson (WR): 7 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD (including one explosive 30+ yard play)
Kyson Brown (RB): 16–18 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD — efficient downhill work to chew clock
Prince Dorbah (DL): 1.5–2.0 sacks, QB pressures, and a key third-down play late
Team Defense / ST: 2 turnovers forced, 3–4 sacks, hold MSU under 100 rushing yards
Total Offense: ~420–480 yards; time-of-possession edge for ASU in the second half
Closing Thoughts:
A win here would be a statement: not just that ASU can win a Power-4 road game, but that the program’s roster construction, coaching, and in-game adjustments are ready for sustained success. Beating Mississippi State in Starkville requires discipline (limit mental errors), physicality (win the line of scrimmage), and poise (close-game execution). If Leavitt remains composed, the receivers — led by Tyson — make contested catches, and the front seven wins its one-on-one battles, ASU walks out with more than a 2-0 record. They walk out with credibility.
For the coaching staff, this game is a blueprint. It proves the team can execute a game-plan away from home, adjust to in-game adversity, and manage clock/field position when the opponent brings the noise. For the roster, it’s a confidence-builder: younger players get live reps in a hostile environment, depth earns trust, and leaders emerge in clutch moments. That momentum — early, road-tested, and hard-earned — is the kind that carries into conference play and shapes the trajectory of a season.