‘Loud, hot, 7:30 at night:’ Kenny Dillingham hopes weather for ASU-Mississippi State is 110 degrees

Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham is embracing everything about ASU’s toasty home field and high enrollment numbers.

Phoenix broke an unfortunate weather record Thursday when it surpassed 110 degrees for the 56th day of 2024, and Dillingham hopes Tempe’s temperatures sneak back close to that mark for Arizona State’s 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Mississippi State on Saturday. Combined with a rowdy student section, he believes his football team’s home-field advantage can make a difference.

"Loud, hot, 7:30 at night, that's the vibe we want. I hope this thing is 110."

Kenny Dillingham told @Bickley_Marotta that a big student section and some toasty weather will help the Sun Devils against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. pic.twitter.com/IjZ2mSoCKe

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 6, 2024

“That’s why college sports are so fun is ’cause so many people can have an impact on a program,” Dillingham told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Friday. “From the students to the donors to the average fan who shows up so it becomes a sellout, everybody can have an impact on a college program.

“I think that’s what makes it fun and that’s part of being one of the biggest universities is that we get, arguably, one of the biggest student sections in the country to come out and be passionate. And loud, hot, 7:30 at night, that’s the vibe we want. I hope this thing is 110 (degrees).”

Phoenix reached a high of 116 on Thursday before Dillingham’s comment, the latest it’s ever been that hot at this point in the calendar year on record.

The low Friday morning was 93 degrees, which is 12 degrees above normal. It’s the warmest low on record for the month of September.

As for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. when it will presumably be loud, expect it to be hot — but not quite 110 hot. Weather.com as of Friday morning projected the temperature to dip under 100 between the 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. hours.

The Sun Devils are banking on another strong nonconference showing from their student section, too.

Arizona State last Saturday against Wyoming recorded 13,698 in the student section at Mountain America Stadium, the second-highest attendance on record dating back to 2010.

Mississippi State preps for hot weather against ASU

It will be an adjustment for Mississippi State. Temperatures in Starkville, Mississippi, this week have been in the mid-90s with more humidity than in the desert, and it did hit 100 at the end of August.

The Bulldogs left for Arizona a day early, on Thursday, to acclimate to the climate.

“Coach (Jeff) Lebby has already been harping on that,” tight end Justin Ball told The Clarion-Ledger. “We’ve already been hydrating and making sure we are getting rest every single day.

“We leave on Thursday, so we already talked about the plan to make sure we are hydrating the entire plane ride there, making sure when we get there we get acclimated as quickly as you can and just staying together.”

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