(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)
The Fibonacci sequence begins with zero and one, each number the sum of the two before it – zero, one, one, two, and so on. For No. 12 Arizona State football, those first four digits symbolize a fitting prelude to Saturday’s matchup against Mississippi State.
Juniors Jordyn Tyson, the team’s leading receiver, and Kyson Brown, its top rusher, wear the first two Fibonacci numbers on their jerseys: zero and one. The pair was electric in last week’s 38-19 season-opening win over NAU – yet questions still linger around ASU’s offense. The next “one” reflects the Sun Devils’ one-spot dip in the AP Top 25 despite a three-possession victory.
Then comes two: the number of consecutive seasons ASU will face the Bulldogs – with both games, coincidentally, falling in week two. Last year’s meeting was in Tempe. This time, the Sun Devils head to Starkville. Not only will the venue be different, but ASU will face many players it didn’t see last season.
“They’ve added over 30 transfers. They’ve added eight junior college players,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “This team is 65, 70% new from last year’s team.”
Hired in 2024, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby’s trajectory has, in some ways, mirrored that of Dillingham. Prior to taking up the mantle of head coach, both Dillingham and Lebby held the offensive coordinator title for multiple programs across five seasons.
In their first seasons at the helm, neither coach saw immediate success – Dillingham’s Sun Devils finished 3-9 in 2023 whereas Lebby’s Bulldogs went 2-10 in 2024. Since the start of 2024, ASU has gone 12-3 with one of those 12 wins being a 30-23 victory over Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, in Lebby’s second year, plan on showing the nation they’re a different team by week two – similarly to how the Sun Devils did last year.
“They’re playing hard. You can see coach Lebby and his identity is starting to show up,” Dillingham said. “The passion he has for the game is starting to show up.”
Oftentimes in football, a single play can decide the game’s outcome. In last year’s battle between ASU and Mississippi State, that play came in the second quarter. With eight and a half minutes to go, junior defensive lineman C.J. Fite recovered a fumble off a strip sack and walked a short distance into the endzone. Ultimately, that one play proved to be crucial in a game decided by a touchdown.
The Sun Devil scoop and score was the only turnover committed by either team. The player who fumbled, Senior Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen, is back under center after dealing with a shoulder injury that sidelined him for eight games last season. Outside of the fumble, Shapen performed well against ASU’s defense – throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
Under Lebby, Mississippi State runs an up-tempo offense that forces all 11 players on defense to get set quickly, testing their endurance and reaction time. Heading into Saturday, Dillingham stresses the importance of quick reactions from all 11 on that side of the ball.
“They play so fast that if you can’t get lined up, you’re screwed,” Dillingham said. “They’re not going to give you time to catch your breath. They’re going to keep pushing the pedal to the metal.”
Offensively, the Sun Devils’ team rushing performance against the Lumberjacks may be difficult to replicate on Saturday. Last week, ASU averaged 0.61 EPA (expected points added) per rush – the best mark in the country and a 99th percentile performance dating back to last season.
Albeit a one-game sample size, Mississippi State’s run defense received an 85.7 team grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) – top 25 amongst FBS teams. Despite the potential challenge, Dillingham is planning on incorporating the run game more often. Against the Lumberjacks, one-third of the Sun Devils’ offensive plays were rushes.
“They ran hard. They ran through tackles, positive runs,” Dillingham said. “At the end of the day, that’s going to be our identity. It’s downhill running the football.”
The Bulldogs struggled against former ASU running back Cam Skattebo a year ago – allowing 297 scrimmage yards from the 2025 fourth-round NFL draft pick. In the season opener, the Sun Devils seemingly found their Skattebo replacement in Kyson Brown. Originally from Mississippi, the back impressed with 145 scrimmage yards against NAU.
Of his 145 yards, Brown had 73 on the ground and 72 as a receiver – tied for the team lead in rushing and second-most in receiving. Leading the team in receiving was Biletnikoff-hopeful Jordyn Tyson with 141 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches. Amongst six ASU players with at least one catch, Tyson and Brown combined for 213 of the team’s 257 receiving yards.
With a deeper receiving room than last year, the Sun Devils’ uneven receiving distribution was a surprise. Whether or not ASU spreads the ball more on Saturday remains to be seen. That being said, Dillingham believes it’s largely dependent on what the defense does.
“If a team’s not going to do something to drastically take (Tyson) away, wouldn’t you be a fool to not throw him the ball?” Dillingham said. “It’s just taking what the defense gives us.”
As a unit, the offense seeks to improve in the smaller aspects. While the Sun Devils scored 38 points, they lost the time of possession battle by three minutes along with accumulating 93 yards in penalties.
The extent of ASU’s offensive shortcomings affecting its placement in the Top 25 is unknown. But if the Fibonacci sequence teaches anything, it’s that progress isn’t linear – it’s built step by step, each number shaped by what came before. Regarding the Sun Devils, Dillingham envisions progress being less centered around change and more about cementing their craft.
“It’s not about changing,” Dillingham said. “It’s about solidifying what you want to be good at and doubling down.”
