It’s hard to pretend to know how much of a cathartic relief Saturday’s win against Arizona State was for Mississippi State fans without actually being one of them.

Luckily, we have the internet and social media and Mississippi State fans weren’t shy about expressing their feelings.

Some started recording and let the emotions flow, like in this Facebook post from RTP Sports.

“I’m shaking man, shaking right now,” Randy The Plumber said. “I have waited so long to see Mississippi State be competitive. We have waited, and waited…What does (Jeff) Lebby have? Our coach died, man. And then some bad decisions got made. OK, it happened…oh my gosh, man…Mississippi State is back.”

Honestly, it feels wrong to try and quote the video here because the emotion doesn’t come through. Go watch the video and you’ll feel the emotion.

But there were some that put into words their feelings, like this person explaining why the field storming was an emotional release:

“We did not storm the field because we beat Arizona State, we stormed the field because 3 years ago our AD jumped ship and went to Auburn and then our beloved football coach died after leading us to a tremendous win in the egg bowl. We were forced to promote a coach not ready for the moment to hold on to our recruiting class. Everyone knows how that story ended. Then we hire an up and coming offensive coordinator and we win two games last year. This year our guys have been written off as the worst team and all they have done is continued to show up and fight each day. We stormed the field to tell our guys we have your back.”

Those two social media posts, as well as plenty of others, helped this writer understand the deeper meaning of the Bulldogs’ 24-20 win against Arizona State.

But, also, consider how the game played out.

Mississippi State built a 17-0 lead then saw the Sun Devils storm back (in all too familiar way) and take a 20-17 lead with less than two minutes to play and the Bulldogs without any timeouts.

Then there were a couple of 9-yard pass completions and one-yard scramble that left the Bulldogs facing a third-and-nine from their own 42-yard line.

What happened next, Brenen Thompson’s dash, was the perfect poetic ending to game that healed some very deep wounds. (Publisher’s Note: Brace yourselves, he just used “poetic” in a sentence.)

Perhaps if William Shakespeare was still around, he could turn the last three years of Mississippi State football into a beautiful sonnet. Instead, your stuck with yours truly.

Two seasons passed, and still the fans mourned,
Their Pirate’s loss still heavy to bear.
Their hearts would not rest till they stormed,
Like sailors reclaiming their rightful share.

The cowbells rang both loud and clear,
While the faithful never lost their hope.
But two seasons of sorrow were severe,
And their hearts still struggled to cope.

Then, a new AD and coach took the deck,
And the sails of hope spread wide in a breeze.
Yet a Devil rose with an intent to wreck,
Haunting the memory of a ‘Dawg on its knees.

But then, in a dash, Brenen flew by in a flash,
And the Sun Devils turned into ash.

No good deed goes unpunished, right?

The Bulldogs did good Saturday night, sending then-No. 12 Arizona State home with a 24-20 loss. But the win came at a cost.

Defensive lineman Will Whitson went down with an injury late in the first half and never returned. Blake Steen, who started at right tackle against Southern Miss, didn’t even dress out because of an injury.

On Monday, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby announced both Steen and Whitson will miss the remainder of the season because of their injuries.

“Both of those guys are down for the season,” Lebby said. “We won’t get either of them back.”

There aren’t many other players that would have a more devastating impact then the loss of Steen and Whitson.

Steen was going to be counted on to hold down the right tackle position. He had his ups and downs against Southern Miss, but showed great promise.

Whitson was leading the Bulldogs in sacks and was the SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week after a big game against Southern Miss. He was added for another monster game Saturday against the Sun Devils, recording a sack and two tackles for a loss before going down with an injury.

Whitson’s loss may be more impactful because once he left the game, Arizona State was able to run the ball like it was 2024 again.

The Bulldogs will need others to step up, a lesson learned last season and one the coaching staff prepared for.

One of the offseason goals for Mississippi State, such as getting bigger, was building depth. Last season, when starting players were hurt, there was a significant drop off in production from the replacement.

We’re in the midst of finding out if that will be the case again this year.

So far, though, it’s not.

Losing Steen on the offensive line hurts. But the Bulldogs moved Albert Reese IV to right tackle and moved Jayvin James into the start left tackle role. The interior three – left guard Jacoby Jackson, center Canon Boone and right guard Zack Owens – remained the same as week one.

That was the only offensive line Mississippi State used against Arizona State. Were they perfect? No, Blake Shapen was sacked three times and the Bulldogs had 66 net rushing yards.

But they were good enough when it mattered.

As for replacing Whitson, just go back and watch the fourth quarter goal line stand the Bulldogs made. They have the depth along the defensive line to avoid a repeat of 2024.

While every fan, player and coach would rather have Steen and Whitson playing, there should be hope that all will be fine.