Mississippi State pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the young 2025 college football season, knocking off No. 10 Arizona State in a thrilling 24-20 victory on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.
In the moments after the win was sealed, the Bulldogs’ fans were ready to celebrate — to put it mildly.
Advertisement
Shortly after the clock hit zero, the final whistle blew and the deafening chorus of ringing cowbells echoed throughout the stadium, Mississippi State fans stormed the field and quickly tore down the goalposts.
REQUIRED READING: Mississippi State football stuns No. 10 Arizona State on Blake Shapen TD pass, fans storm field
It was a moment of euphoria for the Bulldogs, who are coming off a difficult 2-10 finish in 2024, their first season under coach Jeff Lebby. But will it end up costing them? Based on the letter of the law, it will.
Over the offseason, the SEC amended its field-rushing penalty, scrapping its previous system of escalating punishments and instead opting to impose a $500,000 fine for every field-rushing incident.
Advertisement
“The motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,'” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in May, when the move was announced. “The random nature of, if you’re the one getting rushed, it doesn’t feel good. It might be the first time (it happened) there, but it might be your sixth time in a row, literally.”
The conference has the discretion to waive a potential fine if game officials and the visiting team are able to get off the field before fans descend onto the turf, but Mississippi State fans were already on the field and at least one set of goalposts was already down while Arizona State players and coaches were still present.
The Bulldogs earned the win in exhilarating fashion, with quarterback Blake Shapen connecting with Brenen Thompson for a 58-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds remaining. The score came only about a minute after Arizona State kicked a go-ahead field goal.
The victory was Mississippi State’s first over a top-15 opponent in non-conference play since 1991.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Mississippi State be fined for field-storming after ASU upset?
