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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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The Mississippi State Bulldogs entered Saturday's matchup against the then-No. 12-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils as big 6.5-point underdogs.
But despite being a borderline top-10 team with Heisman Trophy candidate and potential 2026 first-round draft pick Sam Leavitt at quarterback, ASU couldn't get out of its own way.
The Sun Devils dug themselves into a 17-3 hole by halftime, and despite fighting back to take a 20-17 lead with just 1:38 left in the fourth quarter, Arizona State allowed Mississippi State to march 77 yards down the field on its next drive to score the go-ahead touchdown.
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Leavitt was intercepted on the next drive to put an exclamation point on a big upset win for the Bulldogs.
In celebrating their big win, Mississippi State fans rushed the field to celebrate with their team, taking down some goal posts and costing the school some major cash in the process.
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The SEC fined Mississippi State $500,000 on Monday for the field-storming incident, according to On3.
The fine is much more than what Mississippi State would have had to pay under the SEC's old system last year that fined schools $100,000 for first offenses, $250,000 for second offenses, and $500,000 all offenses after the third.
The league changed its policy this offseason to help deter schools from showing poor sportsmanship.
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"The motivation was 'field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,'" SEC commissioner Greg Sankey back in May, via ESPN. "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 SEC can also waive any fine if the visiting team and referees are safely allowed to get to the locker room before fans rush the field. The conference has had issues in the past of opposing players or staffers getting trapped in the celebrations.
"We try to set some expectations to the fan base of 'We'll welcome your celebration, but let's let the team from the visiting institution and the officials depart,'" Sankey added.
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