Transfer QBs clash as Mississippi State visits Arizona State

Arizona State and Mississippi State are both coming off impressive season-opening home victories and productive performances by their starting quarterbacks.

The Sun Devils and Bulldogs will meet for the first time on Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.

Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, a Michigan State transfer, completed 14 of 22 passes for 258 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 48-7 rout of Wyoming.

Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen, who transferred from Baylor, passed for 247 yards while completing 15 of 20 pass attempts with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 56-7 victory over Eastern Kentucky.

Leavitt, a redshirt freshman, did not throw deep often against Wyoming in his first collegiate start. He averaged 11.7 yards per completion.

The Sun Devils ran the ball 49 times compared to Leavitt’s 22 attempts.

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham told reporters Monday that he is not “playing scared” with Leavitt despite the limited number of passes, including very few of long distance.

“On the second possession, we chucked it deep and he threw a great ball, so we’re not playing scared with him,” Dillingham said. “Moral of the story, we’re going to be aggressive with him.”

Leavitt (47 yards on eight carries) was part of a balanced rushing attack that included Cam Skattebo’s 49 yards on 11 rushes and DeCarlos Brooks’ 47 yards on six carries.

The performance of Shapen, a senior, against Eastern Kentucky helped Jeff Lebby to win his first game as a head coach after he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UCF (2019), Ole Miss (2020-21) and Oklahoma (2022-23).

“I’m just thankful for this opportunity at a new place at Mississippi State, and I know a lot of other guys feel that way,” said Shapen, who threw for more than 5,500 yards in three seasons at Baylor.

Mississippi State’s defense had four takeaways against Eastern Kentucky, including a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown by Elijah Cannon.

Arizona State’s defense returned an interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns against the Cowboys.

“What I see is a group from Arizona State that played with a ton of confidence, a ton of energy,” Lebby said. “There was great excitement inside their stadium, and we’ve got a great challenge on our hands.”

–Field Level Media