Arizona State vs. Mississippi State: Prediction and Preview
Week 2 of the college football season is here. Arizona State plays Mississippi State, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 7; 9:30 p.m. (CT); Mountain America Stadium; Tempe, Arizona
TV: ESPN
Records: Arizona State (1-0); Mississippi State (1-0)
Last Week: Mississippi State 56, Eastern Kentucky 7; Arizona State 48, Wyoming 7
Series History: First-ever meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Fun Fact: Mississippi State’s 56 points and Arizona State’s 48 points were the most points either team has scored in the last several seasons. You have to go back to Arizona State’s 70-7 win over Arizona in 2020 to find the last time the Sun Devils scored more than 48 points, while Mississippi State last scored more than 56 points in its season opener in 2018 when it beat Stephen F. Austin 63-6.
Arizona State vs. Mississippi State Betting Lines and Odds:
Opening Line: Arizona State (-6.5)
Over/Under: 59.5
KEY PLAYERS
Mississippi State Bulldogs
QB Blake Shapen
Fans around the Big 12 will easily remember Blake Shapen, who spent the last two seasons as the starting quarterback at Baylor after his outstanding performance in the Big 12 Championship in 2021. However, after an amazing first half against Oklahoma State, he was never the same. In fact, his best game since then was last week against EKU, when he completed 15-of-20 attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns, adding seven carries for 44 yards and a score on the ground.
S Isaac Smith
In Mississippi State’s first game of the season, sophomore safety Isaac Smith led the charge defensively with a game-high 11 stops, including five solo tackles and one pass breakup. Smith and the rest of the Bulldogs secondary will need to be disciplined and prepared to help assist in run fits after Arizona State went for 241 yards on the ground against Wyoming last week.
Arizona State Sun Devils
QB Sam Leavitt
After Jaden Rashada left Arizona State and portaled to Georgia, it seems as if folks outside of Tempe forgot that he wasn’t the projected starter coming out of spring football. Then, Sam Leavitt reminded everyone with an excellent performance against Wyoming, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-7 victory. If he can replicate that kind of production throughout the year, Arizona State could be a team poised to ruin a few seasons in the Big 12.
LB Zyrus Fiaseu
If Arizona State linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu set the tone for the Sun Devils’ season, he set the bar awfully high. Just 41 seconds into the game, Fiaseu picked off Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda and returned it 29 yards for ASU’s first score of the season. The Sun Devils allowed just 118 total yards in their blowout victory, but a much bigger test awaits this week against Jeff Lebby’s squad.
KEY STORYLINES
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Can Blake Shapen do it against stiffer competition? Last week’s game against EKU was the first time Shapen threw three or more touchdowns without a turnover since his three-touchdown performance in the 2021 Big 12 Title Game. It was only the third game of his career with three passing touchdowns. Perhaps he’s found a perfect fit in Lebby’s system, and now we’ll see him take a leap in his senior year. However, we’ll have to see it against the better competition before we believe it.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Was the Wyoming game a fluke or the new norm? Kenny Dillingham has been fantastic about getting the most effort out of his guys, but that effort combined with great execution makes this a dangerous team. When you consider the low expectations in Tempe this season, ASU has a chance to be one of the best stories in college football this season. So, if that version of Arizona State is what we can expect from now on, it might be time to buckle up and watch the narrative around the Sun Devils get flipped on its head.
PREDICTION: Arizona State 34, Mississippi State 27
It’s crazy to think that Arizona State was favored by 6.5 points over Wyoming and again finds itself in the same position against a visiting SEC team this week. What we saw out of the Sun Devils last week was incredibly encouraging, and continuing that this week, Mississippi State would very likely turn some heads. While I don’t see it being nearly as one-sided as it was last week, I do think Arizona gets off to a 2-0 start and will put itself in a position to fight for a bowl game with just four more wins needed the rest of the way.
