‘We Need Everybody To Be There’
September 01, 2025 | Football, Joel Coleman
The stage is set for Davis Wade Stadium to rock on this season’s first Saturday in Stark Vegas.
STARKVILLE – Momentum.
Merriam-Webster defines it as strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events.
Ever since last football season concluded, Mississippi State has picked up steam. It wasn't always out in the open. It was often in the quiet moments. It was in the roster construction. It was in the workouts the public didn't witness.
Every sprint. Every rep. Everything was done with the goal of picking the program up and taking big strides forward.
Last weekend, the fruit of State's labor was apparent. MSU went on the road and dominated Southern Miss in the season opener. Momentum was gained.
This Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, when the Bulldogs host Top-15 opponent Arizona State in the home opener, it's a chance make an emphatic national statement and keep that Maroon and White momentum train rolling.
But it's not just the Dawgs on the field that'll determine the outcome. Players and coaches all are insistent the State family might just make the difference under the Davis Wade Stadium lights.
"It would mean the world [to see our place packed]," State head coach Jeff Lebby said at his weekly press conference on Monday. "I think our people are incredibly excited about it. My whole expectation is we walk into the stadium and it's as special [of an environment] as there is in all of college football, because we have that here. We need to have that Saturday night at 6:30. We need it in a big way.
"For us, we're incredibly excited to have this as our home opener in front of our fan base. My hope is we show up and show out and it is just an electric atmosphere as we go kick this thing off."
All the intangibles are in place for Saturday to be one of the most special nights in Starkville in some time. Sure, you could talk of things like the $9 million State invested over the last year to elevate the fan experience at Davis Wade. There's the LED lights, the improved audio system, technological upgrades and more. All that's sure to make the home of the Dawgs pop in prime time.
But that's all backed up by a team that's hungry. They showed as much down in Hattiesburg a few days ago, and now the group is chomping at the bit to give the home crowd an unforgettable night.
"It'd mean so much," State quarterback Blake Shapen said of the importance of the MSU fans being in the stands and having the team's back against Arizona State. "You look at all the time and effort that we put in this offseason and spring ball and camp and just everything we've been through as a team, and it hasn't been easy. Especially coming back from a year like last year, being able to bounce back this year and put a new cap on and be able to say, 'We're not going to worry about what happened. We're going to move forward and be excited for a new opportunity.'
"This is going to be a really fun game, and it'd mean everything for that stadium to be packed out, all wearing black [for the blackout game] and rocking because that's what we need. We need that homefield advantage. We need everybody to show up and be loud and I'm super excited for it. It's going to be really fun."
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"It's very exciting," Shapen said. "We need everybody to be there. It's going to be a fun one for us for sure, hosting a really good football team. I mean, this is something, as a kid, you dream about playing in one day. So, for us, it's about accepting it, going with it and enjoying it. It's going to be a special, special game – a fun game. It's our first game at home. It's a night game. I can't wait. This is something that you live for."
