Brad Cesmat
Saturday in Tempe is supposed to be 107 degrees with 24% humidity. The big, bad Southeastern Conference invaded Sun Devil Stadium. While Mississippi State is not Georgia or Alabama, it is from a part of the country that is wired differently regarding the passion for football. Kenny Dillingham’s coaching journey included a stop at Auburn, where he served as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator under Gus Malzahn in 2019. I asked him about the SEC culture and what he had experienced. “There are smaller towns, so what do you do on Saturday? There are not many distractions other than college football, and I think that culture is why the kids play so passionately; there’s a lot of passion in their play. Nobody is talking about the Diamondbacks, 
nobody is talking about the Suns, nobody is talking about the Cardinals. It’s “Oh, it’s Mississippi State Football, and it’s GO TIME.” Some of you likely experienced that same passion around Arizona State many years ago. Dillingham would like to get back to those days. “I think that’s what we’re trying to build here. I think Tempe, Arizona had that. I think there was a time when this is what you did. You came to ASU Football games on Saturday. That’s what you DID!!” (He’s not wrong). If Arizona State were to beat Mississippi State on Saturday night, the buzz in the Valley beyond the usual folks who have been through the wringer with this team the last five years would start to come out of the woodwork. A week from now, an ESPN game at Texas State(yes, they are a fairly new program), can you say 3-0? When I watched the Dillingham team against Wyoming, they looked like a squad in week 7, not the season opener. Four penalties in the opener? I’ll take that. (two of them weren’t legit). So, bring on the heat. We’re not supposed to root, but I’d like to see the bullies from the South take one on the chin…
