State of the Sun Devils Podcast: No. 12 Arizona State upset by Mississippi State

On the latest edition of the State of the Sun Devils podcast, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Damon Allred react to No. 12 Arizona State’s 24-20 loss to Mississippi State in Starkville.

ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt had his worst performance since putting on a Sun Devil uniform. He was 10-for-22 through the air with just 82 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Leavitt’s second interception late in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Bulldogs.

The Sun Devils’ secondary also had a rough outing.

Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen threw three touchdown passes of at least 47 yards. The most important of these scoring throws was the game-winning 58-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brenen Thompson.

BRENEN THOMPSON FROM DEEP #HailState || 📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/fiZ9TLW2qe

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 7, 2025

Other takeaways from the Sun Devils’ loss

There were some positives for ASU in the game. Running backs Raleek Brown and Kanye Udoh each had over 100 yards on the ground — 110 and 105, respectively — and defensive lineman Clayton Smith had two sacks.

The Sun Devils (1-1) resume play Saturday at home against Texas State (2-0). Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports app.

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