Mississippi State’s Path Forward Mirrors Sun Devils' Journey After Loss

Bulldogs' rebuild follows closely the rebuild Arizona State underwent and are starting reap the fruits of its labors

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (4) celebrates with his teammates during the final minutes of their 30-23 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium on Sept. 7, 2024, in Tempe. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Saturday night’s foray into the Arizona desert didn’t go as planned for Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs lost 30-23 Arizona State and was clearly overpowered in the trenches and some of the hope and optimism surrounding the program evaporated. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom in Starkville.

In fact, the future is very bright and if anyone needs proof, just look at the team opposite of Mississippi State on Saturday night.

In the two seasons before the current one, the Sun Devils won six total games. They hired a new, young head coach (Kenny Dillingham) to rebuild the program from the ground up, establishing a new culture and injecting life into a program that had fallen on hard times. The young coach came in, worked the recruiting trail and transfer portal to raise the talent level and got the Arizona State students interested in the team again.

Dillingham’s first year in 2023 didn’t produce the results he and the Sun Devils hoped for, going 3-9 and losing to their instate rival by three points. 2024 is shaping up to be a much better year and the Sun Devils shouldn’t be sitting at during bowl season.

There are some similarities between Arizona State and Mississippi State that should restore whatever hope and optimism was lost in the desert this weekend.

The Bulldogs are in the first year with its new, young coach Jeff Lebby. He’s working to rebuild the program (which began with a total overhaul of the offensive starters) and has breathed some new life into the program.

But Dillingham and the Sun Devils have shown it’s not an overnight fix. Mississippi State was never going to go from just one SEC win a year ago to competing with schools like Alabama, Georgia and Texas. It takes time. So, let’s be patient and not overreact.

There's one other thing Lebby and the Bulldogs should add to truly match Arizona State's rebuild: a cool kid with a yo-yo.

The legend of the Yo-yo kid grows 🔱 pic.twitter.com/OnOsnw49MN

— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) September 8, 2024

Read More:

SEC Week 2 Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Contenders or Pretenders?

WATCH: Mississippi State's Bowl Hopes Take a Hit with Arizona State Defeat


Mississippi State Crumbles in the Trenches: What Went Wrong Against Arizona State?